Blue Light Therapy for Better Skin | Treatment for Acne, Blackheads and Blocked Pores

From actresses like Emma Stone, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba to musicians Victoria Beckham and Rihanna, it feels like every celebrity is posting shots of themselves at dermatology clinics or spas getting LED light therapy. Not everyone can afford those high-tech, full-body treatments, so we have developed a product with built-in light therapy for at-home skin care!

From actresses like Emma Stone, Kate Hudson, and Jessica Alba to musicians Victoria Beckham and Rihanna, it feels like every celebrity is posting shots of themselves at dermatology clinics or spas getting LED light therapy. Not everyone can afford those high-tech, full-body treatments, so we developed a product with built-in light therapy for at-home skin care!

WHAT IS BLUE LIGHT THERAPY?

Visible or white light is actually made up of a spectrum of colors that all have different wavelengths. (Think about how a prism or raindrop can split light into a rainbow of different colors!) Blue light covers a wavelength range from 400-500 nanometers, and it has been shown to help your skin in repeated, low-duration exposures from LEDs.

SKIN BENEFITS FROM BLUE LIGHT THERAPY

You might be thinking: “Wait, doesn’t blue light from electronics hurt your eyes? How can it be a skin therapy?”

Light stimulates the enzymes in your skin cells, often getting them to slow down or speed up their activity. These enzymes produce Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) as a side product of their normal activity. ROS can cause cell and DNA damage, which is why your body makes antioxidants to get rid of them every day. Depending on the dose, blue light changes the production of these harmful ROS; high doses and long-term exposure to blue light from the Sun or electronic screens can increase ROS and cause skin damage, but low doses and short-term exposure from blue light therapy are actually safe and decrease ROS in skin cells, preventing skin damage (1, 2).

TREATING PIMPLES + ACNE WITH BLUE LIGHT THERAPY

Blue light therapy reduces the proteins in skin cells that cause the inflammatory response (2, 3), and patients who self-treated noticed reduced inflammation over time (3, 4). Blue light therapy also decreases the number of cysts, blackheads, and blocked pores at a speed that’s faster than normal skin healing (2, 4, 5). Many inflammatory skin issues are caused by blocked pores, often due to over-producing sebaceous (oil) glands in the skin. Blue light therapy reduces the amount of oil produced by these glands and decreases their overall size (3), helping to clear up your skin. Blue light therapy also stimulates the production of antimicrobial peptides in your skin and causes structural damage to acne-causing P. acnes bacteria, ultimately decreasing the amount of this pesky bacteria in your skin (2, 6, 7).

CLARA: 4-IN-1 PORE CLEANSER WITH BLUE LIGHT THERAPY

Clara comes with a blue light option for spot treatment of pimples and mild inflammation in your skin. We recommend using it for X minutes per day to see the gradual healing that blue light therapy provides. For better results, combine the blue light therapy with Clara’s microdermabrasion, as well as skin treatments like facials (8).

However, it’s important you do NOT use blue light therapy if you’re on Accutane or other treatments like antibiotics that make you sensitive to light, as any light exposure could further damage your skin. Always personalize the skin care to your current routine!

WHAT IS BLUE LIGHT THERAPY?

Visible or white light is actually made up of a spectrum of colors that all have different wavelengths. (Think about how a prism or raindrop can split light into a rainbow of different colors!) Blue light covers a wavelength range from 400-500 nanometers, and it has been shown to help your skin in repeated, low-duration exposures from LEDs.

REFERENCES

(1) Coats JG, Maktabi B, Abou-Dahech MS, Baki G (2021) Blue Light Protection, Part I - Effects of blue light on the skin. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 20(3): 714-717.

(2) Bonnans M, Fouque L, Pelletier M, Chabert R, Pinacolo S, Restellini L, Cucumel K (2020) Blue light: Friend or foe? Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology 212: 112026.

(3) Kwon HH, Lee JB, Yoon JY, Park SY, Ryu HH, Park BM, Kim YJ, Suh DH (2013) The clinical and histological effect of home-use, combination blue–red LED phototherapy for mild-to-moderate acne vulgaris in Korean patients: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Dermatology 168(5): 1088-1094.

(4) Gold MH, Sensing W, Biron JA (2011) Clinical efficacy of home-use blue-light therapy for mild-to moderate acne. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy 13(6): 308-314.

(5) Gold MH, Andriessen A, Biron JA, Andriessen H (2009) Clinical efficacy of self-applied blue light therapy for mild-to-moderate facial acne. Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology 2(3): 44-50.

(6) Kawada A, Aragane Y, Kameyama H, Sangen Y, Tezuka T (2002) Acne phototherapy with a high-intensity, enhanced, narrow-band, blue light source: an open study and in vitro investigation. Journal of Dermatological Science 30(2): 129-135.

(7) Ashkenazi H, Malik Z, Harth Y, Nitzan Y (2003) Eradication of Propionibacterium acnes by its endogenic porphyrins after illumination with high intensity blue light. FEMS Immunology & Medical Microbiology 35(1): 17-24.

(8) Wheeland RG, Dhawan S (2011) Evaluation of self-treatment of mild-to-moderate facial acne with a blue light treatment system. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology 10(6): 596-602.