Understanding the jargon of Blue Light Therapy

In this new and fast growing field of light therapy, its easy for even a sophisticated consumer of cutting edge skin care products to become quickly confused. This blog is intended to demystify the light therapy world and provide a resource for those who wish to better understand how to treat their acne and skincare needs. Today's post will cover the various "jargon" that will help you comprehend what exactly a particular company is talking about when describing their device. Please email us if you have any questions, or post a comment if we missed one!

PDT - Photodynamic therapy, or another way of saying using specific wavelengths of light to treat certain skin conditions. In most cases PDT also involves the use of Levulan (aminolevulanic acid) to greatly enhance the effectiveness of a treatment. This is solely done under the supervision of a doctor.

LLLT - Low level light therapy, the acronym used by the scientific community to describe all manner of light therapy options. These include applications for pain management, wound healing, anti-aging, and skin treatments.

Photofacial - A high intensity light therapy treatment, usually performed at a dermatologist office or medical spa, that attempts to remove discolored spots, wrinkles, or redness from the face, chest, or body of a customer. Can also be spelled fotofacial.

Nm - Nanometers, or how the wavelength of the light spectrum is measured. The human eye can detect light in the 390nm to 750nm range. Any light below 400nm is considered UV, or ultraviolet, and light above 800nm is considered IR, or infrared.

Blue Light Therapy - A specialized form of light therapy that singles out light in the 405-420nm wavelength range. This small spectrum of light has been proven to kill acne causing bacteria.