Skincare

Choosing the right skincare routine

No matter your skin type: oily, normal, combination or sensitive - start with a 3-step routine for best results every time. The first step is to cleanse your face. A facial cleanser can wash away impurities or environmental pollutants and avoid clogging pores, skin dullness and acne triggers.

Next step is to tone your skin. A toner can refresh your skin, clear away your skin residue and also to balance your skin’s PH. The third step is moisturizing. A face moisturizer can soften your skin and keep your skin hydrated. It can also help strengthen your skin barrier.

Besides the above basic 3 skincare steps, some of you may need some further treatments in between the basic skincare routine, depending on your skin type or skin problems, and the ideal skin results that you wish to meet.

How to get glowing skin with LUSTRE® LAB skincare?

Soothe and rebalance your skin's pH balance with our LUSTRE® LAB skincare range: LUSTRE® LAB Purifying Face Cleanser and LUSTRE® LAB Purifying Face Serum. (Redirect to the specific product page) Our range enhance LED light treatment results, and is suitable for all skin types.

Our Face Cleanser turns skincare into the most awaited moment of the day. It gently removes impurities without drying the skin, leaving you with a skin that’s velvety to touch. Made of 89% natural ingredients, it contains mild surfactants, clarifying wild mint leaf extract, and purifying tea tree oil. So, it feels and smells super refreshing.

The Purifying Serum is a little moment of magic. As you spread it gently around your face, it’ll work to decongest the pores and visibly reduce their size – in an instant. Feel your skin get smoother and softer and look more radiant. This dermatologically tested vegan serum is formulated with 95% natural ingredients.

Enhancing your LED light therapy results

The LUSTRE® LAB skincare range amplifies your daily skincare routine and is the perfect companion for your LED device. It’s designed to work together with our LED devices to create glowing results!

In a user trial:

77% of respondents claim that they skin feel instantly softer immediately after the 1st use when using the LUSTRELAB® skincare in conjunction with LUSTRE® ClearSkin SOLO vs only 60% for those only using LUSTRE® ClearSkin SOLO.

77% of respondents say their skin looks more radiant after 1 week of use vs 66% for those only using LUSTRE® ClearSkin SOLO

72% of respondents say their skin looks more even after 1 week of use 67% for those only using LUSTRE® ClearSkin SOLO

Source: User trial on 168 respondents November 2021.

The importance of SPF

Contributed by Dr Sam Robson, medical director at Temple Clinic, a specialist skin care and acne clinic in Aberdeen.

There are mixed opinions as to whether the sun actually helps with problem skin – some people find the sun is effective in drying up the spots whilst others find that in sweating more, their pores become more easily blocked and so cause more breakouts.

The most important consequence of sun exposure for people with acne is that inflamed and irritated skin is much more likely to become pigmented, which is the skin’s protective response as it tries to minimise sun damage.

So, whatever your personal experience of the sun, it is essential to protect your skin – ideally using a high factor broad spectrum SPF (which covers UVA and UVB) and with a formulation that won’t block your pores.

Our favourite recommendation is to use anything from the Heliocare range – SPF factor 50 and in a range of formulations which can include oil free, water-based gels or the more moisturising airgel. There are several tinted options which have the advantage of doubling up as a make-up base, ideal when you are looking for a bit of colour but not wanting the full make-up effect.

Acne

Causes of Acne

Acne is caused by the mixture of oil and dead skin cells that build up in the pores, producing blackheads and whiteheads or spots and pustules. The plug of dead skin cells turns black from exposure to air – not due to dirt. The Acne bacteria – now known as Cutibacterium Acnes – live on everyone’s skin, but they only cause spots when they get into the sebaceous (oil producing) glands or hair follicles. Factors such as acne medication, hormonal changes during puberty, stress and diet can all increase the swelling in your sebaceous glands which lead to an outbreak of pimples.

Types of Acne

Usually causing no problems, for those with Acne the build-up of oil is an ideal environment for the bacteria to multiply. This is accompanied by inflammation which leads to the formation of red, swollen or pus-filled spots.

Blackheads - open Comedones (no inflammation)

Whiteheads - overstimulation of the sebaceous glands (no inflammation)

Pustules and Nodules - proliferation of Cutibacterium Acnes (formerly Propionibacterium Acnes)

Nodules and Severe, Deep Inflammation - risk of permanent scars  

How does the LED light therapy device treat acne naturally?

Contributed by Dr Sam Robson, medical director at Temple Clinic, a specialist skin care and acne clinic in Aberdeen.

Acne starts with a blocked pore.

The oil becomes trapped and builds up behind the blockage. This oil, rich in nutrients, provides a perfect environment for bacteria to multiply - the healthy balance is lost and as the bacteria increase in number, they overwhelm the skin’s defences, causing inflammation. 

The inflammation is experienced as pain and redness. Surprise, surprise - you get acne.

Light therapy can be effective because it addresses many of these issues at a cellular level. Despite the blocked pore, light energy can penetrate the skin and exerts various effects depending on its wavelength.

Blue light (415nm-465nm) kills bacteria by interfering with the metabolism within the organism, causing it to self-destruct. Because there is no possibility of the bacteria becoming resistant to this process blue light is more effective than antibiotics which can very quickly lose their effectiveness.

Red light (~630nm) inhibits the pore blocking processes, reduces inflammation, as well as lowering excess oil/ sebum production.

It increases the supply of oxygen to the skin as well as improving the circulation. Red light also increases the production of collagen and elastin.

These processes serve to repair damaged tissue and thus improves the skin’s texture as well as enhancing wound healing. Red light can also help to destroy bacteria.

Patients with acne typically have sensitive and inflamed skin as a result of the acne-causing processes. Many topical products can often be harsh and further aggravate damaged skin. Using chemical-free, non-topical treatment such as red/blue light therapy has proved to be an effective treatment option since it addresses the underlying disease causing process whilst promoting and supporting healthy skin.

Pigmentation

Understanding pigmentation

Skin pigmentation is a common skin concern. It describes the areas which appear darken spots in your skin. The dark spots may be due to age spots, sun spots or post-inflammatory pigmentation caused by acne. 

When you suffer from acne, your skin around the acne may leave an area of discolouration behind. This is known as post-inflammatory pigmentation. As the blemish triggers melanocytes, which release excessive pigment granules to darken or discolour the wounded area, the pigmentation can stay in your skin for a long period.

Resolving skin dullness

Infrared LED is often used in skin treatment that focuses on skin rejuvenation. In other words, it promotes the renewal of skin cells through the stimulation of collagen. Because it penetrates deep into the skin, it is more effective in boosting its condition and repairing at the source, resulting in a plumper, more radiant complexion and effectively solving skin dullness.

Focus on uneven skin

Uneven skin tone is also one of the top skin concerns many of us have. It can also be referred as hyperpigmentation or may relate to skin texture issues and blotchy or red skin.

Numerous studies have found that red light therapy ( #630nm-640nm) improves skin tone and complexion as it calms and plump the skin by promoting the renewal of skin cells.

According to Dr Johanna Ward “ At home LED light therapy masks, like LUSTRE® ClearSkin RENEW Pro Facewear (link to RENEW), are great for the skin. They are used therapeutically; blue light technology is great at reducing inflammation and bacterial colonisation in acne. Red light is really good for activating the fibroblasts (responsible for collagen and elastin production) and stimulating the renewal and revitalisation process in the skin, as is infrared. These are clinically evidenced light therapies that are helpful for long term skin health.”

Another home LED therapy mask LUSTRE® ClearSkin REVIVE LED mask (link to RENEW)

Anti-aging/Skin rejuvenation

Skin elasticity

Our skin is made up of three layers. The outermost layer is called the epidermis. The second layer is called the dermis and the innermost layer is called the subcutis. The middle layer, dermis, consists of collagen and elastin which found in the skin connective tissues and responsible for the skin elasticity. As we get older, our face loses fat gradually and begins to fall and sag. Restoration of skin elasticity is one of the main goals of beauty light therapy. It’s an innovative way to improve the lost skin elasticity and restore its health by using high intensity light sources to stimulate collagen production and increase blood circulation, which is crucial for skin cell repair. It’s a natural treatment that painlessly improves skin elasticity, reduces wrinkles and improves the tone, texture and overall appearance of your skin.

How LED light therapy tackle skin-aging?

Different wavelengths of LED light can perform differently to tackle skin-aging problems.

Red light therapy (630nm) used in skincare contributes to tissue repair and has calming effects on damaged or sensitive skin. It promotes faster healing and supports smoother, younger-looking skin.

Infrared light (830nm), which is the most deeply absorbed wavelength from all the other LED lights in the spectrum, used in skin treatment focuses on rejuvenation. In other words, it promotes the renewal of skin cells through the stimulation of collagen. Because it penetrates right into the skin, it is more effective in boosting its condition and repairing at the source, resulting in a plumper, more radiant complexion.

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