Home LED (Red Light) Device to Promote Collagen Production - San Francisco, CA

I bought this because I read a lot of information stating that LED lights stimulate collagen production. I would like to firm my face and neck, although it is not imperative just yet. The light is supposed to be used for 2 short treatments per day. I haven't been very dedicated in using it, but that could be because I'm not seeing results. I'm still using it but may switch to something more powerful. The one I have is an inexpensive Pretika.

So I'm updating my opinion of LED therapy based on some experimentation. It seems that amber is just as good, or better, than red light at stimulating collagen production and increasing elasticity. I also like blue for occasional breakouts. Blue is seriously effective, and quick, for acne. I don't have much of an acne issue so I just use the blue light from my tooth whitening kit and it speeds healing by maybe 2X.

I have very few lines or wrinkles, but I am starting to loose elasticity. Dr. Oz taught us all the great trick of looking at your mother's skin to see what type of skin aging you will most likely have to contend with. My mother has almost no wrinkles, few age spots, but lots of sagging. I'm focusing the majority of my effort on elasticity so the LED treatment is a good fit for me. I got a mask style light with a mixture of colors, which gives more obvious results than the hand-held red light I was using before.

One thing I've heard is that using green tea for cleansing increases the effectiveness of LED therapy. The light speeds healing while the cleanse gets rid of toxins in the body, so they're a good combo.

So I started with a handheld red LED which didn't do much and was a bit too much work to use ($50).

My next product was a mask with a range of colors from red - infrared ($30). I took before and after shots and could see a noticeable difference after 30 days. The only problem was that the mask style device I used dies after 30 uses and the supposedly available controller (for another 30 uses) seemed impossible to find.

My third, and hopefully final, LED light is actually a lamp style ($249, but can be found on deal sites for 1/2) that has a panel of LEDs from red - infrared. This works well and is more convenient to use than the other two. I use it for 20 minutes, holding it a few inches from my face. My skin tone seems very even and I don't have to cover redness anymore. I've had friends ask what I'm doing so I think the results are good. Ideally, I'd be using it every day, and I did for the first month, but I'd say I use it about twice a week. I'd like to up that to 3-4 X.

I'm using it in conjunction with lots of other things but I'd say thins is one of my top "worth it" products. I also have a microcurrent device which has more of an immediate effect but is a little painful. I'd say the LED is a long-term investment like exfoliating. The Microcurrent is great for a quick lift before going out but the effects are temporary, although they are somewhat cumulative. It's a bit like a work out for your face.