Anti-Aging LightStim
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free skin care · Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:41 am

I just gotta tell what I've seen so far.

I unfortunately had 'pushed' the new glycolic line I was using into my face a bit more than I should have and the overuse was evident. FORTUNATELY the LightStim is my healing wand and I can see results under my eyes in that it reduced the redness the glycolic had produced Smile

I remember reading about fillers and the affects from the LightStim on it. Some people thought it caused the fillers to dissipate; if I remember correctly the filler was Resty. In my experience resty has disappeared from my body within weeks-no LightStim in site. And the older we are the quicker our body re-absorbs it. So the point is I have Pearlane (a larger molecule than resty) in my Nasolabials from quite a while back. Well, from what I'm seeing my Nasolabials seem 'puffier' for lack of a better word. So I don't know what's going on there-but that is a very good thing for me. BTW I saw this after maybe two treatments and perhaps I'm exaggerating it in my mind Smile

but the photos will tell after a few more weeks right?

That's my update Very Happy

free skin care · Sat Nov 01, 2008 10:06 am

That's great that you are having such good results so quickly.. That was my experience too.

I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures, and yes, they certainly do tell the story whether it be good or bad. When I look back on my year in pictures I can't believe the changes that I'm still seeing. The most remarkable change for me is my skin tone. I went from sallow, to extremely fair now with pink undertones. (I didn't even think my skin looked bad a year ago, until I compare the pictures now.. Embarassed

) I also love how moist my skin is. It's just like baby skin, honest to Gawd.

If anybody out there is NOT having good results with their LightStim, please post your experience as well. Chances are good that adjusting the routine is all that's needed.. Idea

Here's the bottom line IMHO; if someone is willing to commit the time, they will get a great result..(And I believe that's the case for ANY of the quality LED's.)

free skin care · Sun Nov 02, 2008 9:55 pm

I'm going to say something really bitchy. *-)

I'm having fun with my younger sisters. We started out looking very much alike. Now they have the bags under their eyes and the sags above their eyes now that I had a few years ago and eliminated with my original LightStim.

When I went into decline first, all they could talk about was how young they looked. Now they stare at me a lot and don't talk about their looks at all, because I look better. Even my double chin is firmer and smaller than theirs.

They puzzle me. They don't seem to connect my improvement with anything I've done to myself. If they did, they would ask and push the question in the most public circumstances possible.

free skin care · Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:58 am

chinachatters wrote:

I'm going to say something really bitchy. *-)

I'm having fun with my younger sisters. We started out looking very much alike. Now they have the bags under their eyes and the sags above their eyes now that I had a few years ago and eliminated with my original LightStim.

When I went into decline first, all they could talk about was how young they looked. Now they stare at me a lot and don't talk about their looks at all, because I look better. Even my double chin is firmer and smaller than theirs.

They puzzle me. They don't seem to connect my improvement with anything I've done to myself. If they did, they would ask and push the question in the most public circumstances possible.

Bitchy, maybe, but oh so satisfying Laughing

free skin care · Tue Nov 04, 2008 10:47 am

Ok, I now have enough posts to permit me to include a link to my saggy neck photos to show the effect of the AALS. I'll leave them up for a week or so.
http://www.flickr.com/gp/25893073@N04/8RY8x1

Tessera

free skin care · Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:37 am

WOW Tess, that really is a great improvement in a couple of months... I wish you could figure out how to put the photo right in the thread.. If you figure it out and put it in here, I'll post a few of mine too so you won't be lonely.. Laughing

Who knows, maybe we'll start a trend on exactly what these LED's can and can't do..

I have a photobucket account that just lets me copy and paste the "IMG" tag right into my post and the picture just pops right in when I hit submit..

Would you be so kind to share your routine with everyone, and what you do to prepare your skin if anything... Thanks for sharing!

free skin care · Tue Nov 04, 2008 11:43 am

Fox wrote:

chinachatters wrote:

I'm going to say something really bitchy. *-)

I'm having fun with my younger sisters. We started out looking very much alike. Now they have the bags under their eyes and the sags above their eyes now that I had a few years ago and eliminated with my original LightStim.

When I went into decline first, all they could talk about was how young they looked. Now they stare at me a lot and don't talk about their looks at all, because I look better. Even my double chin is firmer and smaller than theirs.

They puzzle me. They don't seem to connect my improvement with anything I've done to myself. If they did, they would ask and push the question in the most public circumstances possible.

Bitchy, maybe, but oh so satisfying Laughing

I've had an ongoing 'bitchfest' with my 52 YO little Sissy since the brat was born..

Fool that she is, she still won't take my good advice.. She looks older than me, and won't go out the door without a face full of makeup every day.........I on the other hand, have yet to crack open the MMU I bought a month ago..(Hope I can find it.. Embarassed

)

Yeeeesh! Sisters are a pain in the arse...IMHO of course.. Bad Grin

free skin care · Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:00 pm

Kassy_A wrote:

WOW Tess, that really is a great improvement in a couple of months... I wish you could figure out how to put the photo right in the thread.. If you figure it out and put it in here, I'll post a few of mine too so you won't be lonely.. Laughing

Who knows, maybe we'll start a trend on exactly what these LED's can and can't do..

I have a photobucket account that just lets me copy and paste the "IMG" tag right into my post and the picture just pops right in when I hit submit..

Would you be so kind to share your routine with everyone, and what you do to prepare your skin if anything... Thanks for sharing!

Hi Kassy - I don't know if your cut-and-paste technique will work on photos marked "private" on Flickr. For some reason I'm squeamish about web-wide release of photos, but I'll probably work up the nerve to try it.

Here is my routine: I roll out of bed at 5:05 a.m., grab my mug of Lips2Kiss products, stagger to the coffee maker, then settle on the living room couch with my coffee, AALS and a book. The remnants of whatever I put on my face/neck the night before are presumably still there. Usually, that is F2F's LE (which contains, I believe, Matrixyl 3000)on the neck and under the eyes. I use the AALS for four minutes per area, which I time by putting a place marker in my book every 5 pages or so, so the timing is a rough estimate. It takes about an hour of reading time to do my mouth, pouches at corners of mouth, jawline, under jaw, front of neck (I'm ignoring the thyroid issue, for now, as I could probably use a little stimulus to the thyroid) and hands. Sometimes I also do the mid-chest from the collarbone down to mid-breast if there's enough time. (During this, I'm also applying Trind nail brightener to my nails, and cuticle oil.) It's a pretty relaxed routine. I don't shower until about 5 hours later, after exercising, but this could also be done straight out of the shower I would think.

This week I'm returning to Obagi Nu-Derm for pigmentation, and starting the dermaroller to see if I can further improve crepeyness and skin laxity. Wink

I would LOVE to see your photos!

Tessera

free skin care · Tue Nov 04, 2008 2:49 pm

Thanks so much for sharing your regime.. I think it is so helpful, especially for new users, to see that different techniques do indeed work..

The immediate thing that pops at me that differs in our two routines is that I;

1. Am just about getting comfy in my bed just before you get up.. Laughing

I do my LED treatments at night.

2. I always cleanse and exfoliate before my treatments.

3. I alternate doing treatments on a bare skin + with actives.

I totally understand your hesitancy about posting pictures for all the world to see.. I feel likewise, but sometimes I just really know that if I just post that darn picture, folks will know exactly what I'm talking about..

I wonder if we could do something with password protection.. hmm

!

I can't tell you how many *mostly* brand new members, PM me asking for my pictures.. It's quite eery to be honest.. Most times I don't respond, and have only sent my pictures to the members I feel confident are genuine. I also don't respond unless they are posting members, with a track record here specifically posting in the threads I'm even involved in..

free skin care · Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:51 pm

tessera wrote:

Ok, I now have enough posts to permit me to include a link to my saggy neck photos to show the effect of the AALS. I'll leave them up for a week or so.
http://www.flickr.com/gp/25893073@N04/8RY8x1

Tessera

That's fantastic, Tessera! Shock

free skin care · Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:59 pm

Kassy_A wrote:

WOW Tess, that really is a great improvement in a couple of months... I wish you could figure out how to put the photo right in the thread.. If you figure it out and put it in here, I'll post a few of mine too so you won't be lonely.. Laughing

Who knows, maybe we'll start a trend on exactly what these LED's can and can't do..

Yes! Start that trend! Ignite that fire!

That's what I was trying to do with my questionnaire, the one that was locked.

I have an experiment I really want to see happen: for people who've been using LED lights for their skin to have before and afters taken with an ultraviolet viewer. Dermatologists can use ultraviolet lights to see below the skin surface to measure sun damage, wrinkles and aging.

What would a before and after look like, I wonder? Good change? Bad change? No change at all? I'd love to see it. If there's a beautician on the board who's willing and able to do this study, I'd LOVE to see it.

free skin care · Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:50 am

I posted this in the 55 and over thread, and thought it might come in handy here as well....

Tess; Please let us know what you hear from LightStim regarding treatment times.

I don't think at 58 I will ever achieve maximum improvement short of a visit to a Plastic Surgeon... Laughing

I love my LED, but there is only so much it can do to keep up with the post menopausal aging process.. Sad

I've had the following improvements over the course of 1 year; (most happened within the first 5 months, and have remained)

** My skin feels like a baby's booty

** My skintone is very clear

** My pores are less noticable

** I never was a slave to makeup and only wore it occassionally, (because I'm a lazy slug, and have a DH who likes me better au natural), but I absolutely don't need any at all at this point in time.. Of course if I put some on I'm sure I would look much improved, but I don't find that I need it.

** The significant sun damage I had since my teenage years on my chest is totally gone (I referred to it like redish chicken skin, because that is what it reminded me of)

** I had similar skin on my neck and also deep lines. The redness went away very quickly, and the lines softened tremendously. I still have faint soft lines, but my neck looks more like that of a 35 to 40 year old I'd say.

** I had what I would call a moderate amount of tightening on all areas of my eyes, cheeks + jawline, and more significant results on my neck and under chin

At most I used the light about 4, sometimes 5 times per week in the first couple of months.. Then I went to every other day. I think it was around May that I went to a maintenance routine (on my own, nothing in the actual manual says to do this) of 2 times per week...

Since cutting down to 2 times per week I would say I've had no further tightening improvement, but my skin keeps getting clearer, and the fine lines + crows feet continue to improve. I also have a moistness and dewiness that I never had before... I haven't used or needed moisturizer in a long time..

Here's what else I've done since July that could account for some of the improvement also;

** Quit smoking ( Dancing

2 months yesterday in fact)

** Retin-A 2 or 3 times per week

** Viterol A For Face 2 times per wk at night (And a vitamin C experiment I'm almost ready to share with ya'll.. Laughing

)

** Vitamin C Serum (homemade) every other day

** A light coating of Avocado oil here and there, just because I love the goody's in it

Hope that updated info is usefull to all our LED girls..

free skin care · Wed Nov 05, 2008 12:46 pm

Kassy_A wrote:

1. Am just about getting comfy in my bed just before you get up.. Laughing

I do my LED treatments at night.

2. I always cleanse and exfoliate before my treatments.

3. I alternate doing treatments on a bare skin + with actives.

A nightowl, you are. So's my husband and one son; the other son and I are the morning larks. I wonder if I would get more results from exfoliating first Question

Of course, then I'd have to get wet first thing in the morning, ew. Is there a dry exfoliation method for the face that's not too irritating?

What actives do you use with your LED? I'm not sure how to distinguish between things it can push and things that will block it.

BTW - if I don't reply to a post, it's not because I don't appreciate it, just that I don't have additional info to add or questions to ask and I'm trying to avoid triggering e-mails to people who then find out it's only fluff...

free skin care · Wed Nov 05, 2008 4:46 pm

tessera wrote:

Is there a dry exfoliation method for the face that's not too irritating?

What actives do you use with your LED? I'm not sure how to distinguish between things it can push and things that will block it.

BTW - if I don't reply to a post, it's not because I don't appreciate it, just that I don't have additional info to add or questions to ask and I'm trying to avoid triggering e-mails to people who then find out it's only fluff...

** I'm not sure what you mean by "dry exfoliation"... All I use is a microfiber cloth. I do it morning and evening, and 'always', just before using my LED... I've used expensive ones and cheap ones, and have to admit they all do the same job. (The expensive ones just feel more substantial.)

** I alternate using my LED with bare face, or a light coating of whatever serum du jour I have on hand that is non-occlusive.....So in short, avoid occlusive oils + anything advertised as a 'barrier repair' formulation.. (THIS IS ONLY MY OPINION, AND WHAT HAS WORKED FOR ME....IF ANYBODY IS A CHEMIST OR PROFESSIONAL FORMULATOR, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JUMP ON IN AND CORRECT ME.. Very Happy

)

** And now for the *fluff*... Even though you are still a brand new member, IMHO you have already passed the *useless I think I'll try that, WOW, me too, sounds good, let me build up my post count in 24 hours fluff* test...

I can only speak for myself here, but I totally enjoy the *lighthearted, makes ya feel good banter, that all of the here quite a bit members, enjoy day to day, and especially the one liners that have us rofl

* It's also my opinion, that you fit right in... Laughing

And then you have a few like me, that ought to get booted out for writing a book, when a one liner would probably suffice.... Embarassed

free skin care · Thu Nov 06, 2008 9:58 am

Kassy, I think I remember that you have both an original and an anti-aging LightStim. I do, too, now. I've been using the anti-aging light exclusively since it arrived, a couple of months ago.

It just doesn't feel as powerful as the original, all red. I don't get that nice, "heated up," feeling inside my skin.

What about you?

free skin care · Thu Nov 06, 2008 10:35 am

chinachatters wrote:

Kassy, I think I remember that you have both an original and an anti-aging LightStim. I do, too, now. I've been using the anti-aging light exclusively since it arrived, a couple of months ago.

It just doesn't feel as powerful as the original, all red. I don't get that nice, "heated up," feeling inside my skin.

What about you?

I thought the same thing at first, until I did my homework.. So here's what I found out;

It's the red wavelength that gives off the most heat. The amber barely gets warm. The important thing to know, is that for prettying up your skin you don't need heat.

If you go back to the previous page and read the email I posted from Joniann at LightStim, I think it will explain why the 'Anti-Aging device' is superior to the original for skin *appearance*.

I found that I only began to build collagen and fill in the lines and sags when I used the AALS exlusively.... The red/infrared just wasn't making much of a difference, and then whammo in 2 months time when I added the 'amber', I started to see really significant improvements.

So to answer what I think your asking; The Anti-Aging LightStim is the best/strongest model for turning back the hands of time, and the Original LightStim is best/strongest for my aches and pains. (This is what the mirror tells me after 1 year of using both)..

Hope that helped..

free skin care · Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:28 pm

8-) I did my homework, too - I asked YOu!

I just read that note. I'm surprised because I'm one who had really nice tightening results with the red one. I loved the heat - every time I had a chance, I put it on because it felt so good!

I don't know if I'm getting more results or just maintaining now with the anti-aging amber/red.

free skin care · Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:55 pm

As promised here are a couple of pictures.. Unfortunately my main PC is on the blink, so this will have to do for now..

1st picture: December 2007... Embarassed

When I look at this picture now I'm horrified, so you can only imagine how embarassing it is to post it. And a lot of the sun damage/chickeny skin had improved by the time I took this one.. Shock

;

2nd picture: August 2008... Everything is much improved in my mirror, and I hope it's as apparent to you in this picture.. Notice the decreased wrinkles everywhere, tighter jawline + chin and no more dreaded chicken skin..(I know the lighting isn't as bright in this one, but hopefully you can still see the changes)

3rd picture: September 2008 (It's dated Oct, but was actually taken on my Grandson's BD in Sept. In fact my 7 year old DG took the pic with his new camera.. Smile

) So this picture is for you to get a good look at my skintone. I didn't crop DH or DG out so you could make the comparisons and see for yourself that my skin is more compatible to my 2 year old GS than my 60 year old DH.. I don't have a stitch of makeup on, and am most assuredly at my worst here, but it will really show you exactly how clear, plump and glowy my skin is these days.. Very Happy

ETA: Arghh!!! Will someone please tell me how the hell to change the size in photobucket? Why is the ugliest picture always humongous.. Embarassed

free skin care · Fri Nov 07, 2008 7:35 am

Kassy_A wrote:

Tess; Please let us know what you hear from LightStim regarding treatment times.

Kass - looking forward to coming back and examining your photos later, but I wanted to get this in right away, from LightStim:

Dear LightStim,

Last July I purchased an Anti-Aging LightStim from you and have been very happy with the results so far. However, a poster on the EDS Forum was concerned that my treatment schedule of 4 minutes per area per day might be excessive. Since I am recommending your product on that forum, I wanted to check with you regarding my schedule: Is 4 minutes per area per day excessive and, if so, why? What, if any, are the signs that usage is excessive? What are the consequences of excess use? The concerned EDS poster believes that there are new studies available to which you may have access and which may be illuminating on these issues.

(Here's their answer):

Hi T,

Please ask anybody who tells you that ANY particular treatment time is excessive, "to point you to the study they are quoting". In that way, we can all keep ourselves more educated.

I would really be interested to see any studies like that. There are scientific theories that say that a cell can only absorb so much energy at one time and that a cell can only absorb that maximum amount of energy once every 24 hours. Personal experience has led me to question these theories though and to not always believe everything I hear or read.

We, at LightStim, have a number of employees and distributors throughout the world that have experimented with using a light multiple times per day and for much longer than 3 or 4 minutes. They all saw faster results than they had been seeing. I should note here that all of them had been using their lights for some time prior to trying this and had definitely established that they did not have sensitive skin and had not had any type of negative reactions.

I myself tried this same experiment, using the light in one location for more time than I care to admit in writing. Within a few hours of usage and lasting throughout part of the following day, I noticed tiny little bumps on my skin at that location. It looked a little like the texture of an orange peel, but on a miniature scale. I have often wondered if it was tiny bits of collagen. They were only noticeable upon close inspection. They completely smoothed out in about 24 hours and the winkle that I was working on had a visible improvement. I have repeated this experiment about once a month for the last 3 months and achieved the same results each time. Again I should note that my skin is not the least bit sensitive and I am NOT recommending this to anyone. I am just sharing my personal experience.

I can also tell you that we have definitely established and recommend that you use a high quality anti-aging cream and thoroughly work it into the skin (leaving no residue on the surface) prior to using an anti-aging light. Using this technique, your results should come faster and be more pronounced. This should be the case with any manufactures LED light, regardless of how much power it has or what the quality of the components are. This does not extend to blue light acne therapy though. Blue LED's should only be used on freshly cleansed skin (no products of any kind).

As far as signs of excessive usage are concerned, I would look for reddening that does not subside within one hour. If that were to occur, I would definitely cut back on the amount of time. This would probably indicate that your skin was a little more on the sensitive side.

The main thing to remember is that LED's are a VERY safe and non invasive technology.

In closing I would like to thank you and the last poster on the forum (Kathy) who had written us with questions. Both of you asked questions that could help anyone using any LED light. We at LightStim are always interested in helping anybody in this field, regardless of what brand of light they are using, but we will not respond to questions that lead to comparisons between different brands.

Best wishes,
Steve
LightStim® International, Inc.

>
>

free skin care · Fri Nov 07, 2008 5:18 pm

Just my two-cents worth on over-usage of the light (taking into consideration that I am not a tech-head):

IMHO professional salon treatments such as Omnilux and Gentle Waves would have to be massively stronger than any home device. I wonder how many times you would have to use a home device to equal one treatment by a professional machine? (Probably someone like Mpstat would be able to work this out). Anyway, what I'm saying is that I couldn't imagine that by just increasing the treatment time of the AALS by one minute per spot that you would be over-doing it.

free skin care · Sat Nov 08, 2008 6:43 pm

Kassy_A wrote:

As promised here are a couple of pictures..

Kassy! You're a babe! Very Happy

I definitely see an improvement in the second and third photos - your skin is smoother,tighter and has lots of glow. And I have to say, you started out with pretty gorgeous skin - it doesn't look like you have any sun damage or pigmentation issues. Hurray for you, and thanks for sharing - that's really inspiring. As for comparing your skin to your husband's, I'm in the same situation, as my skincare efforts are gradually making me look younger than my same-age husband. I'm aiming to be mistaken for his trophy wife. Wink

I do find that I wear make-up less and less often after the improvements of Obagi,F2F and LightStim. Nowadays, I feel perfectly comfortable going out in only sunscreen (although I still have fun playing with the make-up). Thanks again for the photos.

T

free skin care · Sun Nov 09, 2008 4:34 pm

Kassy, I think you look beautiful! Very Happy

free skin care · Mon Nov 10, 2008 6:09 am

Kassy, your skin certainly has a wonderful healthy glow to it! You look great.

free skin care · Mon Nov 10, 2008 11:41 am

You are all very sweet, and I thank you for the kind words.

I wish I could do a better job at the camera, because I really do see drastic changes, but they aren't showing up well in the pictures.

Hopefully you got the gist of it though... Neutral

**Riley, the dreaded bags are almost gone, and I'm pretty sure it had to do with the cigarettes**

free skin care · Mon Nov 10, 2008 12:27 pm

tessera wrote:

[Dear LightStim,

Last July I purchased an Anti-Aging LightStim from you and have been very happy with the results so far. However, a poster on the EDS Forum was concerned that my treatment schedule of 4 minutes per area per day might be excessive. Since I am recommending your product on that forum, I wanted to check with you regarding my schedule: Is 4 minutes per area per day excessive and, if so, why? What, if any, are the signs that usage is excessive? What are the consequences of excess use? The concerned EDS poster believes that there are new studies available to which you may have access and which may be illuminating on these issues.
(Here's their answer):

Hi T,

Please ask anybody who tells you that ANY particular treatment time is excessive, "to point you to the study they are quoting". In that way, we can all keep ourselves more educated.

Best wishes,
Steve
LightStim® International, Inc.

Actually I said it this way;

["Maybe you could drop a line to LightStim, and see what they say about it.. Some new studies regarding LED treatments have come their way lately, so maybe treatment 'times' is somewhere in the mix as well... !"]

And what led me to make that assumption was this portion of the letter Joniann sent me;

What research will show is that red and infrared are what has been
used since the inception of the industry for medical means. This is
what NASA was using and almost every other medical study that
came after NASA. It's also been shown to reduce pain of many
origins and to increase blood circulation. It's been used in conjunction
with compounds to address skin cancer. It's also been used to heal
the sores in the mouth that result from chemotherapy. We have heard
about an eye surgeon in Boston who is using red/infrared LED's to
help heal the eye after surgery. I could go on and on regarding the
medical uses, which almost without exception were discovered before
people thought about using it for the purpose of anti-aging.
The problem you ran into in your research is that there are only one
or two RECENT studies which show the collagen/elastin building
benefits of amber LED's. But in my mind, the studies are secondary
to the results our customers have seen. It's the old, "The proof is in
the pudding".

It probably would have been nicer to end your letter right before the "Concerned EDS poster" comment.. Laughing

That last line made it look like they were deliberately hiding something, and that wasn't the case at all..

The only thing LightStim keeps under wraps is their proprietary information regarding specific wavelengths, and they have every right to do so.. And as I've said before so many times, I couldn't care less about the numbers, I only care about what the mirror says.. Dancing

And from what I'm hearing and seeing lately at EDS, other mirrors are telling the same story.. Very Happy

ETA: I really wish you guys that write to me privately day in and day out, would come out from hiding and start posting... wave

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