| LIGHT-BASED DEVICES | INDUSTRY INSIDER
conditions. Today, light therapies are growing not only to treat skin diseases, but to rejuvenate the skin and tackle skin problems such as acne. More than skin deep, phototherapy can make us healthier and treat a host of health conditions, from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) to more serious illnesses such as cancer and stroke. This article will shed light on new therapies using all the wavelengths ® from UV rays to visible light ranges to infrared light ® to improve both skin and health.
D
Ultraviolet light The ultraviolet (UV) range is light with a short wavelength from 10–400 nm and represents less than 10% of total solar radiation. UV light is mainly known for its
ERMATOLOGISTS were among the first specialists to harness the power of phototherapy to ease skin
harmful effects ® too much can cause sunburn, skin cancer and DNA damage; but in the right dosage, UV rays have health benefits, such as producing Vitamin D ® a key vitamin to keep us healthy and protected from serious diseases. On the skin, UV light therapies can help treat skin conditions. Although the rays cause damage in high doses, in small, moderated amounts, UV light is thought to reduce inflammation, helping stifle conditions such as eczema, acne, psoraisis and vitiligo. Dr William B. Grant, who runs the
Sunlight, Nutrition and Health Research Center in San Francisco, thinks that in the future, we might look at UV light differently. The health benefits of ultraviolet-B (UVB) irradiance and vitamin D are coming into sharper focus as more research results are published. There are now approximately 100 conditions and diseases linked to low serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D concentrations.
Visible light Visible light is also being used to treat skin conditions. One such popular treatment is known as photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT comprises the topical delivery of photosensitising
drug
5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), or methylaminolevulinate (MAL), followed by irradiation with light to destroy tumour cells. Over the past 25 years, PDT has been useful in the treatment of actinic keratoses and certain non-melanoma skin cancers, such as BowenÕs disease and basal cell carcinoma. It is a simple treatment; dermatologists apply the photosensitising agent topically, which needs to sit on the skin for 3 hours before a red or blue light is irradiated. Today, we are seeing a new generation of medical at-home light devices that enable the patient to return home rather than waiting 3 hours in a doctorÕs office. Ambulight PDT, developed by
Ambicare Health (UK), is a single-use, on-the-go light device with a peak
prime-journal.com | January/February 2013
EMMANUELLE BASSMANN is Managing Director, In-Trend Ltd., Consulting on Cosmetics and Anti-ageing/Aesthetic medicine innovations
www.in-trend-ltd.com
email:
eb@in-trend-ltd.com
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