Hi, I’m Sam, my wife and I own Harrow Aesthetics, which is a specialist Electrolysis and Microneedling Clinic and I use the amazing EPN Pen from Lynton.
I’m writing this after a period of intensive research - I watched many videos, read loads of articles, and reached out to manufacturers, doctors and experts for their opinions.
I wanted to know WHY everyone is saying ‘YES use red LED straight after needling’, and why only a few are saying ‘NO, never use it immediately after treatment otherwise you will cause more harm than good’.
I’ve always heard ‘we always use red LED therapy straight after microneedling to maximise our client results’.
With confidence after all this, I now feel I have answers as to why you should NOT be using red LED straight after microneedling.
Here we go…Ready??
Collagen as found in a newborn
Collagen after trauma or injury
Collagen after microneedling
When observed under a microscope, scarring and baby skin are identical in composition i.e collagen. What differs between the two is the pattern of collagen deposition. The type of activity that produces the collagen has a huge bearing on the final result of how that collagen is laid down by the body.
At one end, you have collagen that’s created and laid down in such a manner that it forms a scar and at the other end you have collagen formation that produces soft, tight, plump skin, just like a baby!
Let’s break it down and investigate in more detail.
Collagen is at its highest and most perfect construction when we are born. With layers of collagen being perfectly weaved like a basket. At certain ageing milestones, levels of collagen start dropping, approx 1% per year, so that perfect weave starts to drop a stitch here and there which ends up giving us fine lines, wrinkles and imperfections in the skin that we’re all familiar with.
When injury or trauma occurs, collagen is responsible for that healing too. However as the body responds with massive inflammation to trauma, instead of a perfect basket weave, collagen gets deposited in the form of a ‘brick wall’ construction, which once healed, gives us a lumpy, hardened, raised scar.
You can clearly see the importance in the method of collagen formation, it’s vital to understand them both, because it matters greatly the timing of WHEN we use LED after microneedling treatments to produce collagen.
Microneedling is a very precise, controlled level trauma, which triggers the body’s natural wound healing response.
The first phase of wound healing is haemostasis where the blood clots very quickly to close the wound.
The second phase, inflammation, lasts for 24-48 hours and occurs almost immediately after haemostasis. It allows the body to prevent infection, which is so vital for effective wound healing, and is only problematic if prolonged or excessive. I’ll come onto this later.
Following this the cells shift into the proliferative phase and start to rebuild the wound with new tissue made up of collagen. This deposits in a haphazard and disorganised structure.
The remodelling stage, is where methodical and well-constructed collagen re-forms along lines of stress to give skin more tensile strength. This is so important for desirable results.
Microneedling encourages the natural wound healing response to run its course and allows each phase its ‘correct’ duration. This keeps collagen in the form of soft skin deposition and avoids any further inflammation than absolutely necessary so as not to interrupt the desired collagen formation.
Stand-alone red LED energises cells to accelerate renewal and produce collagen. So using red LED after microneedling seems sensible, as surely it would only further increase the collagen produced and this would potentially be a good thing? However in reality it results in an undesirable outcome, as it encourages the skin to lay down collagen closer to scar deposition rather than soft skin deposition.
To further explain this we need to understand just what red LED actually does.
Simply put, red LED strengthens the cell's mitochondria, which creates more energy. Energised cells can function more efficiently, rejuvenate themselves and repair damage. This is all great, but the timing of the application of red LED matters. If you apply the positive effects of red LED immediately onto inflamed cells from microneedling, you are creating excessive inflammation. How?
Red LED activates cells, you wouldn't want to activate an inflamed cell as it would only increase inflammation. Once cells are in a state of inflammation, you should not use red LED to further activate those inflamed cells. In this situation red LED increases cell activity in its inflammatory phase of the wound healing cascade, resulting in over-inflammation which is detrimental for effective wound healing and controlled collagen production. If one waited 5 days before using red LED the wound healing process would be well into the proliferative phase, where this type of activity would be most beneficial and devoid of causing any potential negative effect.
Using red LED immediately after microneedling would be akin to getting sunburnt and then immediately hopping into a sunbed and expecting a better tan.
I would advise using Red LED on day 5 post microneedling. After this you can be client-led (budget,time,travel etc) or manufacturer guided as to how often they can have red LED to aid further collagen enhancements outside of their microneedling sessions.
Please use this information to challenge your own opinions and thinking on the matter and please share it with me. I love to learn, I’m very passionate about microneedling and I’m always seeking information on how to get the best results for my clients.
Thankyou for taking the time to read this.
Samuel-Dean & Zaynub McMurran.
This document does not constitute any professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not Doctors.
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