The question of the best approach to treating hyperpigmentation is one of the most commonly asked questions in skin care today. Hyperpigmentation remains a tenacious and frustrating condition to successfully master even for the most seasoned skin care professional.
Melanin plays an essential role in preventing ultraviolet light-induced skin damage. Stimulation of the melanocytes results in the release of tyrosinase, an enzyme that converts tyrosine through chemical reactions to produce melanin. Melanin is then transported through the dendrites to the keratinocytes. Deposition of melanin is determined by whether these dendrites are epidermal or dermal. Hyperpigmentation results from an accelerated increase in production of melanin by the melanocytes.
There are multiple factors that increase the incidence of pigmentation including ultraviolet radiation, hormonal alterations, genetic predispositions, ethnicity, and inflammatory processes. There is increasingly more awareness of the negative impact of environmental pollution and its role in pigment. Constant exposure creates a low-grade inflammatory reaction in skin, leading to an increase in sensitive and reactive skin, pigmented lesions, and uneven skin tone.
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THE FACTS
There is little quality research published about treating hyperpigmentation with light therapy. However, in a recent clinical study on hyperpigmentation, near-infrared light energy was demonstrated to reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation because it easily reaches the dermis, down-regulating hyperactive dermal melanocytes without side effects.
In other research, near-infrared LED light therapy is shown to be effective in treating hyperpigmentation. LED light energy “significantly reduced melanin production and tyrosinase expression, not only in a normal human melanocyte monoculture both with and without forskolin stimulation but also in a three-dimensional multiple cell type culture. It reduced melanin content via inactivation of the apoptosis signal-regulating kinase and extracellular signal-regulated kinase half pathways. The level of phosphorylated cyclic AMP, a response element-binding protein, was also decreased by LED irradiation. Moreover, LED irradiation reduced melanogenesis through decreased expression of tyrosinase family genes, tyrosinase-related protein-1 and 2, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor. These results indicate that LEDs could potentially be used to treat melanin-overproducing skin conditions.”2
WAVELENGTH WISDOM
When it comes to LED light therapy, depth of penetration is determined by wavelength. The longer the wavelength of light energy, the deeper it reaches into the tissue within a well-defined range. Therefore, these findings demonstrate that deeply penetrating red and near-infrared wavelengths of light energy are more effective in reaching the target tissue in the treatment of hyperpigmentation. These finding do not negate the fact that some skin care professionals occasionally report favorable anecdotal results using green light to treat hyperpigmentation. However, this wavelength is not supported by robust, peer-reviewed and published clinical data. Green wavelengths are simply too short and shallow-reaching to affect the melanocytes in the dermal layer.
Additionally, as red and near-infrared wavelengths already do everything that green is reported to do, red and near-infrared are infinitely more valuable wavelengths because of their ability to reach deeper into the dermal region of skin and treat a far wider variety of skin issues. It is not clinically relevant to use green light since there is no evidence-based proof to validate its efficacy.
It is important to point out that no low-level light therapy device has ever been FDA-cleared or medically CE-marked for the treatment of hyperpigmentation, so the burden falls to the skin care practitioner to do their own their research and to understand and apply clinically proven techniques, including some popular combination therapies when tackling this common and difficult to treat condition.
While there are various modalities available to treat hyperpigmentation, which modality will achieve the best result is dependent on the causative factor. A detailed skin assessment including medical history and social lifestyle will guide skin professionals to the appropriate and effective pathway.
References
- Barolet, Daniel. “Dual Effect of Photobiomodulation on Melasma: Downregulation of Hyperpigmentation and Enhanced Solar Resistance – A Pilot Study.” The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology 11, no. 4 (2018): 28-34.
https://jcadonline.com/effect-photobiomodulation-melasma. - Kim Mo, Jeong, Kim, Nan-Hyung, Tian Shun, Yu, Lee Young, Ai. “Light emitting diodes at 830 and 850nm inhibit Melanin Synthesis In Vitro. Acta Derm Venereol” Acta Dermato-Venereologica 92 no. 6 (2012): 675-80.
https://doi.org/10.2340/00015555-1319.
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Denise Ryan has over 30 years of sales, marketing, and product management experience in dental and medical device manufacturing. Ryan’s secret weapon is her unique ability to uncover what is special about a product or service and then passionately enroll others in that belief. She is an expert on light therapy and has been with BioPhotas since January 2012 as Celluma’s product manager and director of sales. She currently serves as their global vice president of brand management.
