Non-ablative Skin Rejuvenation Connor Walsh

The Problem Currently, millions of Americans are aggravated by some type of skin defect such as a scar, a wrinkle, or acne. The medical term ablative refers to the surgical removal of tissue from the body, and in the case of a wrinkle, this tissue is usually from the face. This can cause weeks of recovery and pain for the patient.

Non-ablative Skin Rejuvenation A non-ablative device is one that does not require the removal of tissue and can be performed over the skin. One such device is the LED light. These lights can be used in all colors ranging along the wavelength spectrum

Light Emitting Diode (LED) An LED is a device that uses a diode to create light. This diode acts as a valve that allows electricity to flow in one direction. Electrons move from an area that is highly compressed with other electrons to an area that is not so compacted. This movement causes an emission of light, and it’s strength depends on the number of electrons allowed to move through the diode.

LED

How LED Healing Works LED light therapy works by emitting wavelengths that stimulate cellular function in the layers of the skin. This can be applied to many different problems we see with the skin such as aging, acne, and scarring. Different color LED lights have different frequencies which are used to heal many of these skin impurities.

Wound Healing Red LED lights have shown to stimulate cell growth in the dermis which have accelerated the healing process of wounds. This can also be useful when tissue engineering skin because the light can help speed the growth process.

Acne Treatment Red, blue, green, and violet LED lights have all seen a positive outcome when applied to patients with acne. Combining red and blue LED lights have also shown an increase in skin texture and brighter skin tone as well as reducing the amount of acne. Some in home devices can cost up to $500.

Limitations with Anti-Aging Anti-aging Blue LED lights have shown significant improvements in reducing the effects of aging. This has not been perfected however and is still expensive and is therapist-intensive. Cost ranges from $200 to $1000 for such devices. Blue LED’s are more expensive because they require indium gallium nitride which is a difficult material to come by.

Towards the Future I predict that in the future there will be a large increase of LED lights used as medical devices. Exposure to blue LED light has been shown to aid in short-term arthritis relief in the hands, and further research of this could help provide more long term relief. Also, these non-ablative techniques will replace traditional ablative techniques because the methods are cheaper and require no surgery to perform.

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