is that a similar thing HAS been possible with blue/red light treatments for acne and aging skin. Dermatologists charge a lot for treatment sessions with the professional versions of these devices, which are VERY strong and couldn’t be sold to the general public without some major liability issues. The home versions of these devices DO work even though they are much less strong and require more frequent use.
Hope springs eternal . . .
There is no question that LED lights do have some effect on skin. This has been shown by histological studies of skin chemistry. What isn’t known is what this means. For example, I have attended many conferences and done some internal studies and I have serious questions whether there is really any effect on aging skin. We saw no change in our blinded studies and the results I have seen at conferences were non-existent as far as I am concerned. In other words, the presenter could have shown the slides in any order they wanted to. That was how impossible it was to see a difference. So as far as I am concerned, what people are selling with regard to aging skin and reversing long term skin damage is “hope in a flash of light.”
On the other hand, there does appear to be some benefit on acute (short term) damage. A great study was presented on preventing skin rashes on patients undergoing radiation for breast cancer. The results of using LEDs were impressive. And there seems to be a benefit for acne but that may be just the heat. No one really knows.
But here is the real issue. I can go to the hardware store and buy some lights and rig up a system that will be the equivalent of what the "professionals’ are selling. It won’t look as good aethetically but it will be the same functionally. These are just lights. And the professional systems have a very very high profit margin. I haven’t looked at home units, but my guess is that they also have a very very high profit margin and aren’t that different from the “professional units.” And by the way, the professional units I have looked at are not capable of hurting anyone.
But this is very different from lasers. You would not be able to build your own laser without a significant cost. The reason many companies sell IPLs is because they are much cheaper to build and the profit margin is much greater. The home lasers that are available are really very cheap low power lasers that are orders of magnitude different from the high power lasers that are used by reputable companies.