Do you need an LED face mask? - Prof Caitriona Ryan
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Brendan O'Connor on RTE Radio 1. Practical matters now. Professor Catriona Ryan, consultant dermatologist at the Institute of Dermatologists. Good afternoon. Afternoon, Brendan. Now, Catriona, we're going to talk about skincare gadgets today because there's a lot of it around, a lot of various devices, electronic, non-electronic, making various claims. The big one at the moment, and people will have seen pictures of this if they haven't seen one in their own house, the LED face mask, which is that kind of, that's that kind of man in the iron mask kind of looking one. Scary enough looking. What is that? Do they work? How does it work?
Yeah, they've become very popular. I think everyone loves a gadget. So actually, it's one of the few things at home devices that does have some benefits. What it is, is it an LED sensor, light emitting diode. So they are emitting light, usually in the visible spectrum, some in the slight infrared as well. And there's two main types for your face or face and neck. One is the red mask, and that's to help promote collagen. It stimulates your fibroblasts to produce collagen, which helps with fine lines, wrinkles and tightening up your skin a bit.
This is elasticity the collagen gives you, yeah.
You're great at the skin stuff, Brendan. But it's a very moderate benefit.
What exactly are LED face masks and how do they work for skin?
You know, it's very mild. It's nothing like, you know, getting, you know, major procedures done or, you know, laser type of procedures in a clinic. But if someone is consistent and lots of people love them, I have two of them and they just sit on my bedside locker. I never get a chance to put them on and I always forget. But some people are really good at doing it. And if you can be consistent, that's using them three to five times a week. You're putting them on for 10, 20 minutes. Some people watch the TV with them on. I have one patient who hoovers with her LED mask on. She must hoover a lot. But with consistent use, they do have a moderate impact.
So the red light is for collagen and they do blue light as well, do they?
Blue light is an anti-inflammatory action. So blue light in the visible spectrum has good anti-inflammatory properties and that can help people with acne. Now, again, it's a very mild benefit. It's to do with the porphyrins and bacteria. So people with mild acne, it can make a little bit of an improvement too. It is not, you know, a substitute for medications. If somebody has acne Inflammatory acne, if they have any scars, straight to your GP. I would hate people to invest in one of these and think it's going to fix their acne.
But for someone who doesn't have like a full on acne or whatever, is the blue light is like helpful enough?
No, I'd use the red one. The red is the one, yeah. The red is the one. The other thing that people are using it for, Brendan, I have to say, I was a little bit cynical, you know, until I see evidence. Yeah. Actual studies. I, you know, I won't ever advise people to get things. But scalp LED masks for androgenetic alopecia, that's male pattern hair loss and female pattern hair loss, have shown benefit in clinical trials and even meta-analysis as well. So that is something that people are using more and more. And interestingly, men are using the face ones more too. We had a good few people come down to get them for Father's Day, actually for their husbands, because there's ones that men's skin is a little bit thicker.
Do red and blue LED lights really reduce wrinkles or acne and how effective are they?
Now, it would be fine to use the normal one, but it penetrates a little bit deeper.
Okay.
Yeah.
All right. I want one now, obviously. Now, cost. So you can get them for like 100 quid or you can pay like a grand or more.
Anything from like 50 quid to 2,000. And an increased cost, Brendan, doesn't necessarily mean it's better at all.
Right.
So, you know, as a consumer, what would you look for? I would say the first thing is to make sure that it's FDA approved or CE approved. Okay. Also, that they tell you the specific wavelengths. If it doesn't say what wavelengths they're using, you know, I would... What wavelengths do you want? So, for the red ones, that they will specify that red light wavelength.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–1:20
2
What exactly are LED face masks and how do they work for skin?
1:20–3:26
3
Do red and blue LED lights really reduce wrinkles or acne and how effective are they?
3:26–5:12
4
How often should you use an LED mask and what results can you expect?
5:12–9:48
5
Can LED scalp therapy help with pattern hair loss and who should try it?
9:48–11:22