LED – The Lights That Guide You To Radiant Skin

BY: ELLA COOK

My skin has never seemed to agree with me, and it’s spent most of its time enviously spying the clear and dewy complexions of others (whose perfect skin always appears so effortless!) I’m very prone to bad doses of breakout and I’ve decided that my rebel-without-a-cause skin has to be banished once and for all.

So, after many years of trial and error and being sold false hope by advertising and beauty counters, I’ve recently taken a different (and more methodical) approach to clear skin success.

As someone who enjoys making informed decisions, the array of Advanced Skin Treatments on the Brazilian Beauty Service Menu were science-y and results-based enough to tempt me into trying my first treatment earlier this year – Microdermabrasion with Hydra-Clean. (You can read the low-down on that procedure and see the amazing before and after photos here.)

Whilst the Microdermabrasion sessions really improved my skin’s texture and tone (and provided me my first ever compliments about my skin) I decided to try something new to keep on seeing results. After a very informative skin consultation with my therapist it was agreed I would embark on a course of LED Treatments.

Here’s the science-y spiel on LED:

“LED Light Therapy uses light-emitting diode (LED) technology to activate and promote collagen production and increase the rate of skin cell renewal. Enhanced collagen production greatly reduces wrinkles and improves the overall texture of the epidermis, resulting in a more youthful, radiant appearance and texture. It is an un-intrusive soothing and rejuvenating treatment. LED will treat acne, fine lines and wrinkles, pigmentation, acne scarring and rosacea. This treatment will help minimize acne while also soothing the skin and reducing redness and inflammation.”

Ok, sounding like my cup of tea!

I am partial to a good old rainbow, which is what the machine is capable of; each colour produces different results and can be alternated with others to really focus on a specific concern.

My program was to be an Acne Setting which involved 20 mins of a Blue Light, a sterilizing light, perfect to help get acne under control, and 10 mins of red light therapy which is used for hydration, calming and healing of the skin. This duo of light was set to kill my acne-producing bacteria and super-hydrate my skin.

As usual, I had a beautiful mini-facial whilst my therapist cleansed my skin and did a professional exfoliation to move some of the dead skin cells out the way. I was given some extremely un-sexy goggles to wear and a cosy blanket to snuggle under whilst the machine was put in place.

So, it’s actually quite a friendly looking machine, which was good as I get a little nervous when it comes to the unknown! It had a base and an arm with 3 adjustable panels with lots of lights on them.

The 3 panels were placed so my face was covered on top and the side and it was pulled quite close to my face. I was told to keep my eyes closed but I would probably see the lights and they would be bright. My therapist counted me into the treatment… 3…2…1…

Let there be light!! WOW! It was very bright and very blue, not that it hurt or was uncomfortable in any way, but I knew what she meant about it being bright! It’s weird to have your eyes closed and it not be totally dark!

I researched prior to the treatment that the whole thing is totally safe don’t worry, you won’t have crazy eyes or be blinded or anything like that, it’s just a very bright light.

Under the LED Machine!

The machine whirred and a lovely gentle breeze blew over my skin and I have to admit, I very quickly became relaxed. As my closed eyes adjusted to the light, I soon felt myself slipping into a dream world of tropical beaches, pinacoladas and….is that James Bond steamily emerging from the turquoise waters?

I stayed lost in my magical glamourous fantasy for the full 20 mins of blue light and my skin was feeling great. The lights were warm but didn’t burn at all, I felt almost sunkissed and was excited about the rejuvenation that was happening as I lay in the land of make-believe.

The change to the red light, certainly brought me back to earth as my eyes needed to adjust again, but I spent the last 10 minutes making a shopping list in my head for dinner and decided that I wanted to buy red shoes for my outfit for Saturday night.

Before I knew it the treatment was over and I opened my eyes to my lovely therapist saying that I looked refreshed and relaxed. I told her she would have been too if she’d been where I was in my head (wink!)

I didn’t know what to expect when I looked in the mirror but all I saw was slightly flushed cheeks and what looked like plumper skin, I could go straight back to work, yay! I was told I would see the real results in a few days and that my skin may flake a little due to the exfoliation and stimulation that would encourage cell turnover. I went about my day normally and was super happy that this treatment didn’t have any down time!

My skin did peel a little over the weekend but nothing that ASI – Pure Hydration Plus couldn’t sort out, and I was told this will only usually happen with the first treatment, as collagen production is hyper-stimulated. My skin was practically glowing on Monday. I’ll have to get used to these skin compliments as they just keep coming! Most importantly, a week on, I seem to be keeping my teenage girl at bay. The true test will come when I’ve gone through a full month, but with a few more treatments scheduled, I’m pretty optimistic that this will really make a change to the way my skin behaves!

Here’s some pics over the last few weeks and you’ll notice my breakout is greatly reduced, my skin tone evened out, pigmentation has been reduced and even (not overly visible here) but some fine lines plumped out!

Then one of me at a party over the weekend. I think you’ll agree that my skin looks amazing. It’s no wonder I’m smiling so much with skin so soft, it rivals that of a baby, and so glowing, I reckon you might need to get your shades on!

So, in a nutshell… I <3 LED and will be adding one a month to my regime after my initial treatment course is complete. I’d recommend getting your own course booked in and then scheduling one before an event for confidence that comes with radiant skin!

Ella Cook is thrilled at the opportunity to share her experiences as an inexperienced, yet curious beauty client, and now as an ‘access all areas’ member of the Brazilian Beauty team.