Rebuilding Collagen and Elastin in Aging Skin: Cold Lasers & Red Light Therapy

Sagging and thinning of skin is the visible result of a structural collapse within the dermal layer of skin during aging. The breakdown occurs when collagen and elastin fibers become less abundant, disordered, and fragmented. This decline is driven by a myriad of age-related factors, including decreased cellular production, chronic inflammation, glycation, cellular senescence (cells that stop dividing but won't die), and daily exposure to UV radiation and free radicals.

As our fibroblasts (the specialized cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin) age, their output drops. Simultaneously, processes like glycation (where sugar molecules stiffen collagen) and mitochondrial gene mutation accelerate the degradation of the fibers we already have. This all results in skin that loses its structural integrity, leading to the visible loss of flexibility, firmness, and that youthful "bounce."

The Dilemma: Repair vs. Rejuvenation

When we look to fix aging skin, we often turn to trauma-based treatments like microneedling or aggressive chemical or laser peels. While these are effective, they work by creating a level of controlled damage that triggers a wound-healing cascade. This results in Type I Collagen being laid down in dense, parallel bundles, essentially microscopic scar tissue. While this provides excellent stiffening and tightening in, for example, a sagging jawline, it doesn’t mimic the soft, elastic, basket-weave lattice of childhood skin which is primarily made up of Type 3 Collagen. To truly restructure the skin, we need to move beyond just repairing it. We need to energize the cells to enhance youthful production of Type 3 Collagen and elastin.

Skin Rejuvenating Light: Photobiomodulation

This is where light therapy changes the game. Specific wavelengths of light have been shown to stimulate the fibroblasts to create more cellular energy and it is thought that through a complex cascade of cellular events, to upregulate (increase the expresssion of) genes responsible for creating not just elastin and Type 1 Collagen, but the spongy, Type 3 Collagen of our youth. Additionally, red light therapy is also believed to downregulate the process responsible for the breakdown of existing collagen fibers.

The Power of Precision Wavelengths

While the visible light spectrum for red is considered to be 620nm - 700nm, the most common wavelengths used in at-home red light therapy devices and studied and shown to provide the benefits are 630nm and 660nm. The near-ifrared (IR) range is from 700nm - 2500nm and well studied wavelengths include 808nm, 850nm and 880nm. Main benefits of each wavelength and penetration depths (determined by the point at which the light intensity decreases by 37%) are shown below. Different wavelengths promote skin health and anti-aging effects differently and devices that integrate multiple wavelengths provide the best outcomes.

• 630 / 660nm - Penetrates skin 1.5mm - 3mm. Stimulates surface collagen; reduces inflammation; decreases collagen-degrading enzymes.

  
  

• 808nm - Penetrates skin 5-10mm. One of the best wavelengths for reducing inflammation, wound healing and for penetrating bone, specifically the skull.

• 850nm - Penetrates skin 5-15mm. Stimulates collagen and elastin production in the deepest dermal and subcutaneous skin layers.

  
  

• 1072nm - Penetrates skin, fascia, muscle and bone up to 25+mm. Boosts circulation and cell renewal, enhances topical actives' penetration, helps cells detoxify and reduces inflammation, promotes healing, boosts collagen and elastin and stimulate proteins that ensure that new collagen is folded and organized into a healthy, youthful lattice rather than disordered clumps.

The Difference in Results: LEDs vs. Cold Lasers vs. Trauma Treatments

While both LEDs and cold lasers (light intensity is below the level of creating heat, vs. regular lasers) deliver the photons needed for Photobiomodulation, they differ in how that light is packaged and delivered to your tissue. LED light is often called "disorganized" because the waves are out of phase and naturally spread out as they leave the source. This is practical for covering large areas although power density is lost quickly the further the light source is from the skin. LED light-color therapy has been extensively studied and the benefits supported. Not just wavelengths in the red and infrared spectrum for healing and anti-aging, but including wavelengths outside of the red band, for example, blue light at 415nm has been well documented to reduce the appearance of acne.

In contrast laser light is considered "organized" as the light waves are in phase with each other, or coherent, and travel in a perfectly straight, narrow beam. This allows even "cold" lasers to maintain an higher photon density and it is thought to more intensely and quickly stimulate the process of collagen and elastin production. While a device large enough to cover the entire face with pure laser power would be too unwieldy for home use, the ideal solution lies in a hybrid design. By combining a wide-reaching LED matrix for overall regeneration with targeted cold laser diodes for structural remodeling, the newest light therapy face masks provide the best of both worlds in a single, wearable format.

Trauma from needling, clinical radiofrequency, deep peels or hot laser treatments promotes stiff, dense pillars of collagen. If done correctly and carefully the results are skin contraction and visible tightening. This is why procedures like radiofrequency microneedling are considered gold standards for skin laxity, even though the collagen produced is structurally scar-like. Overdoing trauma-based treatments can cause excessive scar tissue and result in an unatural, plasticy look. A best-practices approach includes gentle levels of trauma-based treatments paired with healing, skin-renewing light therapy for maximum skin thickening and firming with a natural, youthful look.

Thriving Through Science-Backed Skincare

At the time of this writing, I am only aware of one at-home device that effectively combines the best-studied wavelengths with both LED for full coverage and lasers for deep, targeted skin restructuring, though I'm confident this hybrid design will become the norm. As far as I know, the SolEos 4D face, neck and chin mask is the only consumer product available that does this.

Restructuring your skin is a two-fold process: providing the stimulation to build (light therapy) and providing the raw materials to work with (topical nutrition). To maximize the effects of anti-aging Photobiomodulation, we recommend pairing your light therapy with the high-potency formulas found at Platinum Skincare. Whether it’s using copper peptides to support the remodeling phase or microneedling to maximize collagen and elastin production, the combination of professional-grade topicals and combined LED-laser light technology allows you to intervene in the aging process at a foundational level.

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Resources

Li WH, Seo I, Kim B, Fassih A, Southall MD, Parsa R. Low-level red plus near infrared lights combination induces expressions of collagen and elastin in human skin in vitro. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2021 Jun;43(3):311-320.

Stirling RJ, Haslam JD. A self-reported clinical trial investigates the efficacy of 1072 nm light as an anti-ageing agent. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2007 Dec;9(4):226-30.

Wunsch A, Matuschka K. A controlled trial to determine the efficacy of red and near-infrared light treatment in patient satisfaction, reduction of fine lines, wrinkles, skin roughness, and intradermal collagen density increase. Photomed Laser Surg. 2014 Feb;32(2):93-100.