A Hand at Light Therapy Machines
LAT. By Alexandra Drosu. Time and money, those ever-scarcer commodities, can make it challenging to take advantage of the beauty advances available in a dermatologist’s office. But increasingly, companies are manufacturing at-home devices inspired by treatments previously available only from doctors.
Though treatments such as photofacial lasers need to be administered by a trained professional, the relative safe technology of light therapy — which stimulates the production of collagen, a wrinkle reducer — makes it a perfect candidate for home use. Used as directed, says Beverly Hills-based dermatologist Jessica Wu, light therapy machines won’t generate enough heat to cause damage.
The treatment has roots in the space program. While experimenting with light-emitting diodes, NASA scientists discovered that plants exposed to near-infrared light grew more quickly. When the LED light was applied to human tissue, cells healed almost 200% faster.