Skin professionals spend countless hours meticulously designing every detail of their treatment space to offer clients a momentary escape from their hectic lives, and much thought is put into the treatment menu as well. If you have ever considered adding light therapy to your offerings, there are a few key things to consider. After a bit of research, you just might find that adding light therapy to your menu can be a game changer for your business and give your clients the results they have been dreaming of. 

THE SCIENCE OF LIGHT 

Low-level light therapy (LLLT), also known as photobiomodulation or LED light therapy, utilizes specific wavelengths of light to penetrate skin and interact with cells. This interaction stimulates cellular function, leading to a variety of therapeutic benefits. Low-level light therapy is noninvasive, nontoxic, painless, and requires no downtime, making it an attractive option for clients seeking effective yet gentle treatments. 

Understanding the science behind the device and how it works is crucial to maximizing the benefits and ensuring client safety. Many manufacturers offer training, so make sure to choose a device with robust customer support behind it. Look for an FDA-cleared device as this guarantees that the device has been reviewed for efficacy and safety.  

The mechanisms by which low-level light therapy works are rooted in cellular biology. When light at specific wavelengths, typically between 600 and 1000 nanometers, is absorbed by skin, it is taken up by mitochondria within cells. This absorption boosts mitochondrial function, enhancing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, which is the energy currency of the cell. Increased adenosine triphosphate production leads to improved cellular repair and regeneration, reduced inflammation, and enhanced overall cellular function. 

In deciding on what device to invest in, it is important to choose a device emitting evidence-based wavelengths of blue, red, and near-infrared. These wavelengths have been widely shown to increase adenosine triphosphate production in cells which are compromised due to aging, illness, disease, or just poor lifestyle choices. Blue addresses acne issues, while red and near-infrared decrease inflammation and increase microcirculation to bring more oxygen and nutrients to the area. In aesthetics, red and near infrared are particularly desirable for their ability to stimulate fibroblast activity and boost collagen and elastin production. No other wavelengths are more broadly supported in credible scientific research. 

LOW-LEVEL LIGHT & SKIN 

The benefits of low-level light therapy for skin health are well-documented. According to a study published in 2013, low-level light therapy can significantly improve skin texture, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and enhance overall skin tone and elasticity.1 Additionally, light therapy can effectively be used to treat a variety of pain conditions and thinning hair as well as reduce the circumference of hips, waist, and thighs.  

Incorporating low-level light therapy into your clinic’s offerings can attract a diverse clientele. Whether they are looking to combat signs of aging, reduce acne, or simply improve their skin’s tone and texture, low-level light therapy provides a versatile treatment option that can be customized to meet individual needs.  

Denise Ryan has more than 30 years’ sales, marketing, and product management experience in dental and medical device manufacturing. Ryan’s secret weapon is her unique ability to uncover what is truly special about a product or service and then passionately enroll others in that belief. She has been with BioPhotas since January 2012 as Celluma product manager, director of sales, global vice president of brand management, and currently serves as the chief clinical affairs officer. Ryan reguarly writes and speaks internationally on the science and benefits of low-level light therapy. 

The skin care products lining the shelves and the devices filling a treatment room say a lot about the type of skin care professional offering them. The brands they align themselves with communicates their values to clients and the integrity of the practice. Clients look to the professional for solutions to their skin health concerns. They want to know that the products and brands being recommended are worth the money and will yield the results they want to achieve.

Professionals need to ask themselves whether they carry brands that are well known in the industry and have a reputation as the most effective at what they treat. Are they brands that clients recognize and want to experience? And, perhaps the most important question, do these brands work with the professional to understand their needs and help them grow their business? Does the brand take the time to get to know the professionals who carry them, understand their current reality, and their desired goals? How one answers these questions can be pivotal to if and how quickly an aesthetics business expands. 

Choosing the right brand partners is one of the most important decisions a skin professional makes as they build their practice. The sheer number of options can be overwhelming when trying to determine how to set up a practice and what brands are the right fit to meet business goals. One helpful way to look at this is to think about brands as true business partners; the professional and brand are investing in each other for mutual success. The products are more than just products on the shelf. They are tools, and the right ones can help increase one’s bottom line in a variety of ways. 

Denise Ryan has more than 30 years’ sales, marketing, and product management experience in dental and medical device manufacturing. Ryan’s secret weapon is her unique ability to uncover what is truly special about a product or service and then passionately enroll others in that belief. She has been with BioPhotas since January 2012 as Celluma’s product manager, director of sales, VP of brand management, and currently serves as the chief clinical affairs officer. Ryan regularly writes and speaks internationally on the science and benefits of low-level light therapy.

A noticeable shift has occurred in health and wellness messaging. The antiaging trend has been replaced with new terminology. Healthy aging is now the goal, and really, why would it not be? Clients come to their aesthetics provider to look and feel their best and the first step to helping them achieve that feeling of confidence and wellness might just be to change their mindset.  

GROWING PAINS 

Aging can be described as the degradation of the body’s metabolic process. For generations, people have looked for ways to minimize the effects of aging to increase longevity. Look at the billion-dollar antiaging industry offering serums, creams, and mild-to-moderately invasive treatments. This industry thrives because people tend to want to hang on to their youth for as long as possible. People want to feel great, spend more time with their family and friends, travel the world, and generally enjoy life with as few aches, pains, and wrinkles as possible. 

Many clinics, spas, and wellness centers now offer specific treatments to combat a wide variety of side effects related to the aging process. While the hands of time cannot be turned back literally, there are steps that can be taken now to improve and maintain one’s best appearance, slow down the signs of aging, and give a bit more longevity. This is where the healthy aging concept comes in. It is a whole-body concept that takes into account one’s physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. 

According to the World Health Organization, healthy aging is a “continuous process of optimizing opportunities and improving physical and mental health, independence, and quality of life.” How can professionals help their clients safely and effectively reduce, reverse the effects of aging, and treat several of the common issues that come with aging? There are some key steps to get started on the healthy aging journey, but first it is important to make note of a few contributing factors.  

Denise Ryan has more than 30 years’ sales, marketing, and product management experience in dental and medical device manufacturing. Ryan’s secret weapon is her unique ability to uncover what is truly special about a product or service and then passionately enroll others in that belief. She has been with BioPhotas since January 2012 as Celluma product manager, director of sales, and currently serves as the global vice president of brand management. Ryan reguarly writes and speaks internationally on the science and benefits of low-level light therapy. 

The popularity of male aesthetics treatments continues to rise, so it makes sense for skin care professionals to add treatments to their menu that appeal to male clientele. Male clients are just as eager to diminish acne, crow’s feet, and laugh lines as female clients and putting together skin care treatments that incorporate LED light therapy is a win-win. LED light therapy is affordable and noninvasive and comes with no downtime; it is the perfect add-on to a variety of treatments from skin to pain and even hair conditions. And if the rise in demand for male aesthetics services is not enough of a reason, here are three more reasons adding LED light therapy for male clients helps a practice grow and thrive. 

The question of the best approach to treating hyperpigmentation is one of the most commonly asked questions in skin care today. Hyperpigmentation remains a tenacious and frustrating condition to successfully master even for the most seasoned skin care professional.

Melanin plays an essential role in preventing ultraviolet light-induced skin damage. Stimulation of the melanocytes results in the release of tyrosinase, an enzyme that converts tyrosine through chemical reactions to produce melanin. Melanin is then transported through the dendrites to the keratinocytes. Deposition of melanin is determined by whether these dendrites are epidermal or dermal. Hyperpigmentation results from an accelerated increase in production of melanin by the melanocytes.

There are multiple factors that increase the incidence of pigmentation including ultraviolet radiation, hormonal alterations, genetic predispositions, ethnicity, and inflammatory processes. There is increasingly more awareness of the negative impact of environmental pollution and its role in pigment. Constant exposure creates a low-grade inflammatory reaction in skin, leading to an increase in sensitive and reactive skin, pigmented lesions, and uneven skin tone.

Denise Ryan has over 30 years of sales, marketing, and product management experience in dental and medical device manufacturing. Ryan’s secret weapon is her unique ability to uncover what is special about a product or service and then passionately enroll others in that belief. She is an expert on light therapy and has been with BioPhotas since January 2012 as Celluma’s product manager and director of sales. She currently serves as their global vice president of brand management.

A 30-minute Celluma treatment every other day. I wash with a mild organic soap and apply an organic moisturizer with SPF. I'm a low maintenance man.