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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.
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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.
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 • 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 • 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.
References • Clinics in Dermatology, Volume 25, Issue 5, September-October 2007, Pages 487-491Tina S. Alster, Jason R. Lupton • Yeh, Chia-Hao Wu, Ta Chih Cheng. Renewable & sustainable energy reviews. 2010;14:2161. • Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Volume 130, Issue 4, April 2004, Pages 397-406Benjamin A. Bassichis, Steven Dayan, J. Regan Thomas • http://www.ledlights.org/FAQ/What-are-LEDs-Made-Of.html • Applied Surface Science, Volumes 113-114, April 1997, Pages 689-697Shuji Nakamura