Which RLT/LLLT unit?

[Twickle Purple]

1 - Which LLLT unit do you use?

2 - Where did you buy it?

3 - What is your opinion of the build quality of the unit?

4 - How, and how often, do you use it?

5 - Do you apply it over cream or on clean skin?

6 - What benefit have you experienced?

7 - Tips or other comments.

[Artist]

Originally Posted by Twickle Purple

1 - Which LLLT unit do you use?

2 - Where did you buy it?

3 - What is your opinion of the build quality of the unit?

4 - How, and how often, do you use it?

5 - Do you apply it over cream or on clean skin?

6 - What benefit have you experienced?

7 - Tips or other comments.

Hi Twickle:

1) Red and near infrared combo single head lamp
2) acnelamp.com
3) build 8/10
4) 15 minutes in the morning before I get up, about 3 inches from my face. So, my nose is pretty close in order for my cheeks to be about 3 inches away.
5)Clean skin - before washing but in the am so there is nothing on it or whatever I applied the night before is all soaked in.
6)I can eat more foods and push more triggers. Almost two months now and, especially recently, skin is even smoother and softer, more even, less reactive after triggers like foods, washing, etc.
7)Patience is required. Takes several weeks to see big results.

Artist

[Quench]

Can we also add the question

8 How much did it cost?

[Peter]

1. Dermalux converted all red 6 fluorescent tube acne lamp. Have recently been experimenting with their all red LED unit.

2. Intercal (Dermalux).

3. Very good build quality. Remember tubes need replacing every 2 – 3 years and this is simple to do. Replaced my original 4 tubed lamp in 2004 with the newer 6 tubed version. Unit is fairly large and heavy so not really suited to traveling unless going by car. Their hand held LED unit comes in its own traveling case and is small / portable.

4. Used daily for 15 minutes usually in the morning. Built a special table which I lay underneath. As I have been using for so long now I can miss days or even a week with no deterioration in my condition.

5. Used it prior to washing or application of any topical. Just wiped away any obvious oil, grease etc.

6. Significant benefits since 1998 when used in combination initially with more conventional treatment. Removed redness, softened skin, removed inflammation and reduced flushing attacks. Made skin less sensitive. Probably the major contribution to my rosacea apparently going into remission.

7. Be patient and don’t expect miracles overnight. Take your time getting use to RLT and slowly build up your exposure to it over a couple of weeks. Try and keep the rest of your daily routine the same when starting i.e. don’t try anything else new at the same time e.g. drugs, topicals or foods. You need to ensure it becomes part of your daily routine otherwise you will not get the full benefit, however to do this does mean a lot of motivation. Try and use your lamp at round about the same time everyday so it becomes a matter of habit but don’t feel guilty if you do happen to miss the odd day. Get yourself as comfortable as possible so that you can relax and enjoy the experience. Try and visualize the red light having a positive effect and making you better. Pretty obvious but if you flush to fluorescent lighting etc don’t use the tubed lamp and go for LED. The tubed lamp does give out a small amount of heat so take time to workout the most suitable distance your face should be away from the unit. If you can, take a picture of your face before your start the treatment, so you can look back later to gauge your progress or ask a friend, partner or medical person to remember what your skin is like.
Some changes may be very subtle and might not be obvious unless you keep a constant check on your progress. I was told that my skin looked less red after a few weeks but I noticed myself how much softer my skin became. Remember as with any rosacea treatment there are never any guarantees that it will work for you but if you think it could help then only way to find out is to give it a try.

8. Fluorescent (6 tube) lamp £200 approx UK delivery. The hand held LED one I purchased recently was £280 with UK delivery.

Hope this helps someone.

Peter

[Twickle Purple]

I have different types so I will post them individually.

1 - Which LLLT unit do you use?

LEDMAN handheld 96 LED unit

2 - Where did you buy it?

Online from the LEDMAN http://www.theledman.net/

3 - What is your opinion of the build quality of the unit?

It is simple in design: a plastic case the size of a deck of cards. I think it's pretty much indestructable with normal use.

4 - How, and how often, do you use it?

I hold it to the area I want to treat.
Everyday, in the evenings while reading. It's very portable.

5 - Do you apply it over cream or on clean skin?

Depends, I make no special effort one way or the other and have used it with clean skin and with cream (mixed with vaseline).

6 - What benefit have you experienced?

I am pale most often now. I still have little flushes everyday but they are narrowly defined, not diffuse, and my facial swelling, if it occurs, is very short lived. It also stops the facial pain that comes with, or independently of, the flushing.

7 - Tips or other comments.

The first few times these units warm up they will smell a bit. It's the 'burn-off' stage from fabrication I suppose. I have an all red, red+yellow and all yellow and these units heat up very quickly -- that dictates the length of time I use it. The heat is not from the LEDs per se, the manufacturer runs them hot to increase the brightness (which I'm not sure makes a difference). Heat's good when I am using these on areas other than my face though.

I both use it directly on my face (no cream) or hold it a few inches away (when wearing cream). I also use it on places that give me any ache or pain (hands, wrist, jawline, etc.) because it works as a pain reliever (this is there I find the heat feels good sometimes). I haven't used advil since I started with RLT.

8 - Cost

The exact cost depends on the colour, they're under $200 each.

[porcorosso]

1 - Which LLLT unit do you use?
2 - Where did you buy it?

Mainly IowaDavid's, made of 6 large 660nm panels.
Recently added Ledman's 880nm array (size is about half of one of David's panels)

3 - What is your opinion of the build quality of the unit?

ID: home made, cables are all over the place but it does the job nicely at a fraction of the cost
Ledman: much better finition.

4 - How, and how often, do you use it?

Around 45mins daily, used to be in 1 session but now I do 3 smaller ones, 1 hour apart.
Been using it for 4-5 months?
Stayed far from the unit at first then progressively got closer til I was touching it. But the leds are a bit too warm which is a problem if heat is a trigger. So I now stay about 15cm away from the panels with a fan blowing.
I wear tanning goggles so I can't do anything at all while using it, it's a pain in the bum...

5 - Do you apply it over cream or on clean skin?

I clean up my face properly after the last session, but I usually remove my moisturizer with water before the first session.

6 - What benefit have you experienced?

Attention ...in a more positive way anyway... Mainly a lot less flushing for sure (partly caused by IPL), perhaps less irritation/oiliness ?
Can't seem to get rid of the base redness...

7 - Tips or other comments.

Lots of people use this after IPL which they forget to mention (and so do I), difficult to tell how efficient it would be without it, but IPL without RLT will get you back to square one quick because of the constant flushes.

[GJ]

Which? Where? 84x660nm (red) units from
www.elixa.com

I have a couple 84x880nm units too. Haven't tried these over an extended period yet.

Build quality? Pretty reasonable. They are less chunky than they appear on the site.

How often? Pretty much every day, last thing at night or first thing in morning for 10-30mins.

Applied over clear skin? As a general rule I do not use topicals of any sort over the Winter. Come Summer, I will wipe off physical sunscreen before use.

Benefits? Improved skin texture. Base redness (prolonged low-grade flushing?) considerably improved. Inflammation reduced. Some improvement in flushing response, duration, intensity etc. As yet, little impact on Winter evening flushes.

Tips? If buying from Elixa and in the UK, you need to spell out - loudly and clearly - the need for a three pin 240v adaptor.

Buy/contrive a system that will enable you to relax/lie down during treatments.

[Artist]

Elixa sounds like a mixed drink. ha ha!

Wow the Elixa and Ledman are much less expensive than my acnelamp. I'm not sure if this makes it worth the extra cost, but the thing I like about acnelamp is the flexible neck I can use to aim it at me when I'm lying down. Also, it sounds like the Elixa and Ledman emit a bit more heat. Hard to tell for sure unless compared side by side. Perhaps I'll try one of the other brands in the future. They look more portable. Might be useful for trips, etc. Although, I do have the small handheld acnelamp. I'm swimming in lamps and lights, but it's been worth it!

Artist

[northernguy]

Artist,

i was wondering whether you use glasses/goggles infront of your lamp? because you mentioned that you're using the red and near-infared acne lamp...if you are, could you let me know which ones you're using

thanks

[Artist]

Hi northernguy: I use the ones that came with the lamp. They are plastic with a dark center. I can see through the dark center slightly. I think they are the same ones one would get at a tanning salon. Artist