The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
Beauty bible
Lisa Armstrong sees the light (treatments)
DON’T SAY I DON’T do anything for you. For the past couple of months, I’ve endured sniggers and closet photography (don’t think I didn’t notice) as my family observed my journey into the (LED) light.
I don’t just mean infrared, the palpable benefits of which (mood-enhancer, muscle-soother, collagen-production-booster, healer and all-round winter ally) have been recognised for the best part of a century. I mean blue, green, white and yellow lights (all with different wavelengths), which the beauty world is getting excited about.
There’s a ton of research about their efficacy. In a nutshell: blue light can decrease the level of propionibacterium, which is implicated in causing acne.
Green light helps decrease pigmentation, is good if you suffer from rosacea and, says dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon Dr Maryam Zamani, it’s ‘calming as well as a potent mood booster’.
White light reduces inflammation and sensitivity, while yellow improves lymphatic drainage, helps smooth fine lines and is an all-round complexion-enhancer and regenerator.
Lights of varying hues have been popular in salons and some medical centres long enough for us to be confident about their safety when dispensed correctly. But they’re increasingly becoming a feature at home. Dr Dennis Gross, one of New York’s premier dermatologists, recently brought out the Spectrallite Eyecare Pro (£168, sodasays.co.uk), a hands-free eye mask that zaps crow’s feet for three minutes. While you crack on with brushing your teeth, it delivers what it says is a full spectrum of therapeutic light. It gets mixed reviews, but that’s the nature of something that delivers subtle effects; some changes are almost imperceptible. It has definitely refreshed my eyes and made them feel less tired so as a portable, pre-party fix, it’s useful. I’ll report back again when I’ve been using it for longer.
The big beast of home light devices and the source of mirth in my house is the MZ Skin Light-therapy Golden Facial Treatment Device from Dr Zamani. It’s gold. It’s a mask. It wouldn’t look out of place in Star Wars. But it’s good. It’s also slightly different in that it offers all five lights, so you can use them individually, in sequence, or as a combined programme, at higher doses than most other light gadgets. It’s not as powerful as what you’d get in a clinic, obviously. ‘I’d use it for 30 minutes, whereas with a professional instrument you’d only need 15,’ says Dr Zamani. She recommends using it three times a week to begin with, then weekly, for maintenance.
I’ve tried it for a couple of months. Does my skin look younger? Well, it’s impossible to say what it would have been like without, but I haven’t had a single breakout and it’s looking pretty perky and glowy for February. The mask isn’t cheap at £385, although for some this is loose change. For the rest of us, maybe we should share the purchase with friends or family; get them invested and they won’t be laughing any more.