One of the most promising and popular treatment that is free from any danger or side effect is light therapy. It is a safe form of treatment that targets a multitude of different aspects and problems.
However, in order for this treatment to work, you need to begin with a clean skin that is free from any products. This is to prevent from creating any form of barrier between the skin and the light to promote deeper level of penetration of the light. The deeper the light is able to penetrate, the more effectively it will be able to reduce inflammation, promote circulation, and even out skin tone.
Therefore, the answer to – should I put anything on my skin before red light therapy is – ideally no. More about this is explained down below in this article.
Things You Need To Look for While Taking Light Therapy
Light therapy is a common and reliable form of treatment that is non-invasive and effective in terms of bringing about results. While it is considered to be free of side effects and dangers, there are certain aspects you need to know and consider before getting it.
Some factors to consider are as follows –
Brightness
The brightness on red light therapy devices should be maintained carefully and with precision. No matter how bright the light is, it has nothing to do with emphasizing or speeding up the process of healing. That said, the brightness from the device could possibly generate too much heat. The heat generation could lead to burning sensation or even surface level burns as well. Therefore, it is recommended by professionals not to seek out too much brightness or try to speed up the process.
Heat generated from the increased brightness can tissue damage as well as cellular damage. Red light therapy is known to help regenerate cells and cellular health. However, too bright of red light or powerful light therapy lamp devices can cause the opposing effect and damage the cellular structure.
Wavelength and Frequency
When getting red light therapy, you must be aware of the wavelength and the frequency the light is emitted at. This emission plays an important role in terms of how effective the thrapy is going to be. Although there is no proven side effects of red light, imbalanced wavelength and frequency may possibly be responsible for damaging skin tissues. Upon severe cases, individuals may also experience burning sensation when the frequency and wavelength are not taken into account.
Increased wavelength and frequency are not responsible for any different results. In fact, increased wavelength and frequency may damage your skin tissue, leave surface burns, or even cause overstimulation of collagen. Increased collagen production can also lead to increased oxidative stress, which is the opposite of what red light therapy is supposed to do.
Distance
No matter whether your body is familiar with red light or not, maintaining a certain range of distance from the light device to your skin is always important. You must also always keep in mind that the skin on your face is much more sensitive and delicate than compared to the rest of your body. This means, the distance from the device to your face should always be more than when exposed to the rest of your body. Similarly, your intimate areas should also be well protected from direct exposure to light within close range.
The ideal range of distance from the skin to the light device should be anywhere within 6-12 inches apart. This distance is going to ensure not ot overstimulate your cells or overdo the effects of the light.
Duration
Although there are no proven side effects or damaging results from red light therapy, it is best not to overdo it. While there is no side effect to red light, overdoing it doesn’t help in anyway either. You are not likely to benefit in any way from neither overdoing nor underdoing it in terms of the time spent exposed to the light. Sticking to a certain duration limit for your sessions will allow your body to get used to to the exposure without stressing the body.
Initially, you should begin with no longer than 10 minutes sessions for a week for the rest of the month. However, you can increase your duration to your liking over time once your body has had enough time to get used to to the light.
Consistency
Although red light therapy is considered to be safe and an effective form of treatment, it does not show results after a few sessions only. In order to visibly notice any change, or effect, you need to keep up with the treatment on a regular basis. Maintaining consistency with the treatment is going to help you achieve a visibly even and a flawless looking skin.
Maintaining consistency ensures you get the desired results within the expected time period without having to extend your sessions. You will also notice reduced inflammation and aches with consistent exposure to red light at a certain wavelength and frequency. Getting red light therapy multiple times a week and sticking to the regime will promote improved blood flow and better circulation.
Possible Drawbacks You Might Face if You Put Something on Before Light Therapy
Ideally professionals recommend not to have anything on your skin when getting light therapy. This is to maximize the effects of the therapy and promote effective and visible results from it. However, there are certain drawbacks to keep in mind when you put something on before light therapy.
A few of these drawbacks are mentioned down below –
Minimum Results
Red light therapy should be aimed on bare skin in order to receive results at fullest extent. Having products on the skin would prevent the light from penetrating deep within the skin. If the light is unable of penetrating deep within the layers of skin, it is not going to provide with any visible or evident result no matter how good the device is, or how consistent you are with the therapy.
Exposing red light on skin with product on will allow some light to penetrate through. Therefore, minimum light penetration results in minimum healing, therefore, minimum results. While the results may not be as visible and evident, you are likely to notice some form of changes in terms of healing. This blocked penetration of light may promote cellular health but it won’t be as effective in reducing inflammation, or evening out skin tone.
Uneven Results
One common use for red light therapy is to achieve even skin tone and remove any hyperpigmentation or discoloration. Red light is also used as an anti-inflammatory which is responsible for visible hyperpigmentation and is supposed to reduce its appearance. However, when your skin is exposed to the light with products on the skin, you are more likely to achieve an uneven skin tone with patchy results. Depending on the product you have on and how thick it is, the penetration of the light may vary which could lead to uneven results and appearance on the skin.
Instead of achieving a smooth and even toned skin, you are likely to be left with blotchy, patchy, and inconsistent healing of the skin along with uneven tone. However, how uneven the skin gets also depends on how thick the product you used was.
Poor Penetration
Red light therapy is supposed to be emitted on bare skin with no products on. Lightweight and non greasy products are known to be forgiving and let the light penetrate somewhat deep into the skin. However, the same can not be said when thick and gloopy products are applied on the skin. These product creates a barrier between the light and the skin, preventing deep penetration of the light.
In order to reduce hyperpigmentation, inflammation, and increase blood flow, the ligth needs to be able to reach deep within the layers of the skin. Such thick products prevent penetration, therefore, resulting in poor healing. Therefore, the thicker the product, the more likely it is to struggle to penetrate and bring about a nice glow and even tone on the skin.
Bottom Line
Light therapies are required to be able to deeply penetrate through the layers of skin in order for it to bring about a visible and an effective result. Having any product on the skin prior to getting light therapy may hinder its effectiveness and is ideally recommended to take off. However, certain lightweight products and moisturizers will still allow the light to break through the barrier between the skin and the light and work its magic.
Getting light therapy on bare skin is the best way to maximize and optimize the results of the therapy. This is why clean skin is always recommended by professionals in order to prevent you from wondering should I put anything on my skin before red light therapy.
