What Is Rosacea?
Rosacea is chronic disorder that predominantly affects facial skin. Symptoms include redness, which affect the forehead, cheeks, nose and chin. Rosacea is usually chronic and can reoccur following periods of remission. In rarer cases rosacea will also occur on the neck and torso and sometimes can be found on the ears or scalp. What usually begins as a mild red appearance will slowly become darker red. Often blood vessels will be noticeable in the cheeks. Many people realize they have rosacea when a flushed face doesn’t seem to go away, they appear to be constantly blushing. Another symptom that occurs is a hot and stinging sensation that tingles and can feel itchy. Dryness can occur, and skin can also thicken as fluid is trapped in the tissues (called edema).
If untreated, rosacea will create undulating blemishes and pimples. Eyes can also be effected appearing bloodshot and feeling irritated, and untreated can result in damage to the cornea and vision loss. Excess swollen tissue can become permanent (called rhinophyma).
According to the National Rosacea Society:
“While the cause of rosacea is unknown and there is no cure, today medical help is available that can control the signs and symptoms of this potentially life-disruptive disorder.”
Triggers for Rosacea
The National Rosacea Society lists the following as triggers for Rosacea, gleaned from surveys of 1,066 patients:
|Factors||% Affected||Factors||% Affected|
|Sun exposure||81%||Skin-care products||41%|
|Emotional stress||79%||Heated beverages||36%|
|Hot weather||75%||Certain cosmetics||27%|
|Heavy exercise||56%||Medical conditions||15%|
|Alcohol consumption||52%||Certain fruits||13%|
|Hot baths||51%||Marinated meats||10%|
|Cold weather||46%||Certain vegetables||9%|
|Spicy foods||45%||Dairy products||8%|
Treating the Symptoms with PEMF
PEMF stimulates the blood flow, and increases the amount of ADP production in the cells. This enhances the bodies natural ability to heal.
Many studies have reported on the ability of PEMF to help skin disorders such as swelling and wound healing:
“Pulsed EMF (electro magnetic field) has been reported to reduce edema, increase blood flow, modulate upregulated growth factor receptors, enhance neutrophil (cells used to attack harmful bacteria) and macrophage attraction (white blood cells that engulf and digest cellular debris and foreign substances) and epidermal cell (skin cell) migration, and increase fibroblast (cells used for wound healing) and granulation tissue proliferation (new connective tissue and tiny blood vessels that form on the surfaces of a wound during the healing process).” – A. Pilla in the Handbook of Biological Effects of Electro Magnetic Fields, Third Edition, 2007
Studies on Low Level Laser Therapy
The following is the conclusion of a study entitled, Is light-emitting diode phototherapy (LED-LLLT) really effective? by Won-Serk Kim, (Department of Dermatology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine) and R Glen Calderhead (Korean Institute for Photomedicine and Photosurgery Research)
Photos (above) from the report show improvement in a 24-year-old female patient with treatment-resistant post-chemical peel irritant contact dermatitis before and ten days after 3 LED treatment sessions, 3 days apart, 20 minutes per session.
While the study was still underway, preliminary results were positive about the effects of LLLT and Rosacea:
Photos (above) illustrates a typical result 10 weeks after 6 sessions over 6 weeks, 20 min per session, from a clinical trial the first author has conducted on LED therapy for rosacea with neutrophilic dermatitis. Although not very well noted in the grayscale illustrations, the small acneiform papules have disappeared, with a clear decrease seen in the redness on both cheeks. This trial is as yet unreported because the full 12-week follow-up time has not yet been reached in all patients. However, preliminary results are very encouraging with no recurrence seen at 10 weeks in those patients who have reached that point. – (Won-Serk Kim, Department of Dermatology, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine)
PEMF, Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
Curatron has developed a combination of PEMF and LLLT targeted phototherapy that enhances the efficacy of both technologies to produce superior results.
Phototherapy with red LLLT activates skin cells with pulses of non-thermal light energy, deep under the skin. The cell converts light energy into fuel (like photosynthesis in plants) in turn stimulating the cells to produce proteins and lipids essential for building and repairing of the skin.
Red Low Level Laser Therapy with sufficient power and density results in improved oxygenation and circulation. This is followed by restoration of ATP and results in reduction of oxidative stress. Normal mitochondrial function is restored and cell metabolism improved, speeding up the healing process.
Exposure to red low-level monochromatic wavelengths releases cytokines. Cytokines stimulate fibroblast proliferation and production of growth factors, influencing the inflammatory process, healing and wound repair, including improvement of postoperative open wounds.
Curatron combines both PEMF and LLLT to bring the best of both worlds in its LLLT Combo device.
Feel free to email us if you want more information on the LLLT.