Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1539961
68 ASCP Skin Deep Autumn 2025 cooling effects to protect the skin's surface and deliver better client comfort. As with the microcurrents, RF devices come in a variety of sizes and intensities, ranging from free- standing units to tabletops and handhelds. Benefits of RF include: • Smoothing of wrinkly or uneven skin • Better definition of facial features around the eyes, jaw, and neckline • Smoothing and toning of bulges, dimples, and wrinkles on the face and body LED Light Therapy To rejuvenate the skin, treat acne, decrease inflammation, and stimulate collagen and elastin production, one of the best modalities is LED light therapy. LED light therapy is noninvasive, painless, and requires no recovery time. It's safe for all skin types and tones, and a full treatment requires only 20 minutes. Each LED wavelength (color) of light provides unique therapeutic benefits—blue kills the C. acnes bacteria, amber stimulates collagen and elastin, red stimulates circulation and calms inflammation, and infrared heals and calms the skin while improving product absorption. The best combination of lights to target signs of aging and skin rejuvenation is red, infrared, and amber. This type of light synergistically increases moisture retention, prevents environmental damage, renews the skin, and encourages new collagen production. LED light therapy is in the scope of practice and can be used by estheticians in all states with no physician supervision. Panel LED lights are the most potent and convenient type of phototherapy equipment, since they don't require direct, hands-on supervision, and cover a larger treatment area than a handheld device for a full 20 minutes. Panels have significantly more LEDs and are more powerful and deliver more results than flexible silicone masks, which can be purchased by the public. (Read more about at-home LED devices on page 96.) This type of treatment can be added as an à la carte item to the service menu and is easily incorporated into facial services with clear serums, creams, and masks. Clear products work best, because they allow the light to penetrate, uninterrupted. Using an LED panel with peptide-rich products increases the efficacy of the light and promotes instant and cumulative skin tightening and reduction of wrinkles. An LED panel typically costs $2,000–$5,000, and handheld devices or silicone masks are $200–$250. Consider retailing FDA-cleared handheld LED devices to clients to enhance their at-home results and maintain their skin between visits. CONTRAINDICATIONS When providing a treatment with any of the modalities mentioned in this article, it's crucial for the esthetician to obtain a client consultation form at every visit and to be certain that the client is not contraindicated to receive an electrical treatment. Contraindications for electrical devices include: • Epilepsy • High blood pressure • Pacemaker • Pregnancy If the esthetician isn't trained on treating a client with a certain medical condition, it's best to wait and have the client come back with a note from their doctor. In advanced esthetics, knowing when not to treat is just as important as knowing how. GETTY IMAGES