Blue and red light therapy
It has been noticed that skin conditions like acne and eczema clear up well when exposed to specified wavelengths of infrared rays or ultraviolet rays. This treatment called phototherapy is done by exposing the affected area to sunlight or laser means, TDP lamps, fluorescent lamps or even the full light spectrum at specific times and for a specified period. Not only is this effective in the treatment of acne, but it can cure other problems like eczema and psoriasis too.
Sunlight activates some porphyrins which kill all the bacteria in many types of acnes. No wonder you find acne so rarely in sun soaked climes. The bacteria do not have a chance! And the best part of this spectrum of the sunlight is that it does not turn you into a nut brown maid.
A three day application of this blue light in the spectrum reduces bacteria in the affected area by 99.9%. You normally need eye protection while undergoing this treatment. The blue light can be found in fluorescent lamps and dichroic bulbs.
With the application of red light to the affected parts , there is an immediate activation of ATP in the cells of the skin due to which the skin decides to cure itself. This treatment takes up to 3 months to show results and has up to 80 % success rates. This is more tolerated to the sensitive skin than a benzoyl peroxide treatment.
Some people can use light boxes at home instead of going to a clinic but then the price of a light box is almost as much as you are going to spend on benzoyl peroxide and moisturizers, along with facial washes. In cases of eczema and psoriasis, good results can be obtained by UVA band lengths or UVB light waves. The UVB treatment is a full spectrum one so it is better to use the milder UVA.
You can get tanned when your skin is exposed to UVA and also UVB spectrums. However the FDA does not approve of using blue light to cure acne. The idea of using this blue and red light to cure skin problems as well as tanning a body is now becoming a part of the beauty industry under the name of heliotherapy or curing through the exposure to Helios ‘ range of UVA and UVB soaked sunshine.
In this same manner apart from making up a vitamin K deficiency in sun deprived individuals, a little bit of exposure to red light, blue light and sunlight can keep your skin disease free, and help protect you from acne and eczema.
Sometimes a lot of exposure to sunlight can cause a body to release some endomorphins which make a person feel woozy. Now I know why I always fall asleep while basking in the sun.
However there are some disadvantages to blue light and red light therapy. This causes skin damage and cancer when you are exposed to it for long periods of time due to which a person can also suffer drastic sunburn.
The natural vitamins like A and C already present in the body is destroyed thus causing the skin to dry and get wrinkled due to collagen loss. Blue light which is visible is also supposed to affect the DNA but as it does not cause cancer through unlimited and unregulated growth of cancerous tissue, the cell enzymes repair the cell damage effectively.