What Serum to Use With LED Light Therapy: Everything You Need to Know

Throughout the past several years, LED light therapy has been gaining popularity as a dermatological treatment option.

Research continues to prove light therapy’s effectiveness against ailments such as acne breakouts, signs of aging, and even herpes outbreaks. But when used in conjunction with a powerful serum, LED light therapy can really help your skin reach its full potential.

In this article, we’ll review a few different serums to use with LED light therapy so you can make an informed decision based on your skincare needs!

What Is LED Light Therapy?

First, let’s review the basics of LED light therapy and explain how it can benefit your skin.

As the name suggests, LED light therapy uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to emit specific wavelengths of light — red and blue most commonly — to treat a variety of skin conditions. Note that LED light therapy does not include ultraviolet rays, which have a myriad of damaging side effects, making LED light therapy a safe choice for all skin types.

Blue Light

Blue wavelengths of light penetrate the outermost layer of your skin, targeting the oil-producing sebaceous glands. These glands keep your skin moist, but when they produce too much oil, you can experience clogged pores. Clogged pores, especially in conjunction with the presence of the acne-causing bacteria P. acnes, often lead to breakouts.

That’s where blue light comes in. Blue light decreases overactive oil production and kills bacteria like P. acnes, preventing pesky future breakouts.

Red Light

While blue light kills the bacteria and reduces the oil that contribute to new acne breakouts, red light helps heal existing ones.

Red light penetrates deeper into the layers of your skin than blue light, boosting your skin’s healing process at the cellular level. Your skin responds by producing more of the collagen protein, and you’ll notice improved circulation and reduced inflammation.

The result is both enhanced healing and an anti-aging effect that improves the appearance of wrinkles, redness, acne scars, and breakouts.

What Serum to Use With LED Light Therapy

Want your acne-prone or wrinkly skin to reach its fullest potential? Apply a serum immediately after each LED light therapy session. This will really optimize your light therapy results and take your skin rejuvenation to the next level.

But how to choose the right product?

When you search for a serum to use with LED light therapy, don’t pick blindly. Think about your skincare goals and what you hope to achieve from your light therapy sessions. Then, consider the most common ingredients found in serums and ask which ones align most closely with your objectives.

Not sure what those ingredients are or how they can improve your skin? Don’t worry — we’re here to help!

Hyaluronic Acid

In recent years, hyaluronic acid has become a buzzword among skincare afficionados, and that buzz is well earned! This active ingredient boasts some pretty amazing results for a variety of conditions.

When combined with LED light therapy, hyaluronic acid can:

• Increase the skin’s hydration
• Improve the skin’s ability to retain moisture
• Reduce signs of aging and improve the skin’s elasticity
• Brighten the skin while reducing redness and age spots
• Strengthen the skin’s natural barrier
• Prevent toxins from damaging the skin
• Stimulate cell regeneration for faster healing
• Help heal damage caused by acne breakouts

One of the biggest reasons hyaluronic acid can help achieve such a long list of results is its hydrating power. Achieving adequate hydration is the first step to strong, clear skin that’s protected against environmental damage and signs of premature aging.

Green Tea

Another common ingredient present in serums to use with LED light therapy is green tea. This powerful ingredient is rich with antioxidants, tannins, and nutrients such as vitamin B and vitamin E.

The high concentration of antioxidants in green tea serums can prevent and/or delay cellular damage. Antioxidants also have impressive anti-aging effects, and they can effectively reactivate dying skin cells.

Tannins are a type of water-soluble biomolecule that have many skincare benefits. They prevent clogging by shrinking the pores and reducing oil production from the sebaceous glands — a great way to reduce acne breakouts. Tannins also diminish redness and inflammation.

Healthy skin is nothing without vitamin B and vitamin E. The vitamin B in green tea encourages collagen production, while the vitamin E improves hydration and the rate of cell turnover.

In addition to all these skin-healing benefits, green tea serums have been clinically shown to improve the effects of red light therapy, making it a smart choice to use in conjunction with LED light treatments.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C serums are in a class of their own. Dermatologists highly recommend this active ingredient for all skin types due to its wide variety of benefits.

A vitamin C serum will boost:

• Hydration
• Brightness
• Wound healing
• Collagen production

...and reduce:

• Signs of aging
• Redness
• Hyperpigmentation
• Darkness under the eyes

A serum that contains vitamin C will also protect the skin from damage dealt by ultraviolet light, air pollutants, and other irritants. Plus, like green tea, vitamin C serums are packed with antioxidants that protect the skin from toxins.

And here’s the cherry on top — research has proven that vitamin C serums can improve the healing effects of light therapy by reducing inflammation!

Final Thoughts on Serums to Use With LED Light Therapy

When starting LED light therapy treatment, there are many questions to ask: How will light therapy affect your skin? How will it help you achieve your goals? And which serum will help you see the most optimal results?

Ultimately, the serum you use with LED light therapy should align closely with your skincare goals, whether they be healing acne breakouts, reducing redness, or boosting collagen production. There are a lot of options out there, and finding the right serum can be overwhelming. However, if you choose a serum with one of the active ingredients listed above, it’s tough to go wrong!