THEand LED masks, with red, yellow or blue lightspromise to rejuvenate facial skin. Offered by beauty centers and pharmacies, do they really work?
«For now there is not enough scientific evidence to say that they effectively hinder the signs of aging, and are therefore able to stimulate the production of collagen and increase the elasticity of the skin» he declares Emanuele Bartoletti, president of the Italian Society of Aesthetic Medicine.
If “anti-aging lights” seem to be “more marketing than science” (as Bartoletti says), there are lamps that can cure some dermatological pathologies, such as acne, psoriasis, eczema and atopic dermatitis, with phototherapy, a medical treatment paid for by the National Health Service.
There is no evidence on the effectiveness of “anti-aging” light.
«The patient is exposed to ultraviolet rays two-three times a week, for one-two months» explains Piergiacomo Calzavara, professor and director of the dermatological clinic of the Asst Spedali civili of Brescia. «It especially benefits those with moderate forms of dermatological disorders, in which the disease coexists with periods of remission, without however responding to local therapies with creams. People who are not advised to use oral or injectable medications because they are very young/elderly or pregnant».
Instead, phototherapy is «the first choice against reactions to the suncutaneous scleroderma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and lichenoid pityriasis, a rare dermatitis.”
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