When it comes to light therapy for acne and other conditions, some websites throw around very scientific sounding terms that can be intimidating to normal people. A couple of these are 415nm and 660nm. Those terms simply define the color of the light as follows:

A little more explanation:

The sun emits an unthinkable amount of energy, generally called electromagnetic radiation or the electromagnetic spectrum. This energy travels to earth in waves, and the wavelengths are measured in meters.

Most of the sun’s energy (radiation) is harmful to us (gamma rays, x rays, most of the UV rays), and so is blocked by our atmosphere. But some of this tremendous energy reaches earth, and we call the visible portion of this energy “light.”

The wavelengths of visible light are tiny, ranging from 400 to 700 billionths of a meter. A billionth of a meter is called a nanometer, or nm.

White light, as you likely know, contains all the colors of the rainbow. And so a color can be defined by a range of tiny wavelengths, in nanometers, or nm, like this:

So “415nm irradiation” is very simply violet light, and that’s really all there is to it. Calling it “radiation” makes it sound potentially dangerous and expensive, but “radiation” is just energy, in this case light energy, and it’s not dangerous or expensive, in fact, it’s life sustaining and it’s free. If you step outside into the sunlight (always avoid sunburn), you will be bathed in 415nm and 660nm light. That may be one reason your acne improves in the spring and summer months. Another reason may be the Vitamin D produced when the sun bathes your skin.

Does this mean that any light that shines blue or violet contains 415nm light, and any light that shines red contains 660nm light? That will be a topic of another post.

Photos courtesy of Sci-ART-Global.com – Understanding Color Therapy

On November 14, 2008, the Charlottesville, VA  newspaper, Daily Progress, reported on a recent study conducted by Iggy Provencio of the University of Virginia. That study suggests that some who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may have a genetic predisposition to the malady.

In the study, 220 people were tested. Of the 220, 130 were diagnosed as having SAD. Also of the 220, 7 of them were found to have two mutated copies of a gene that directly affects the photopigment in the eye called melanopsin*. While a number of people were found to have only one mutated copy of the gene, all 7 of those with the double mutation were among the 130 diagnosed with SAD.

Exactly what this means, or how it will help, is yet to be determined.  Standard treatment for people with SAD is bright light treatment with full spectrum lights, but this treatment is purportedly only effective in about half of all cases, which leaves a large portion of those affected without an effective treament. Study into the genetic aspect may help bring about more information on how to more thoroughly treat this disorder.

http://www.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/education/article/seasonal_sadness_possibly_genetic/31318/

*Melanopsin is a photopigment found in our eyes that is, by design, reactive to light, whether as part of or when removed from the body. This makes is a Photorecptor. For those of us who graduated from high school before 2002 (melanopsin was first discovered in 1998), we may remember the other two types of photoreceptors in the eye, the rods and cones. Melanopsin joines them as a newly discovered 3rd.

Unlike the cones and rods, however, melanopsin does not seem to be related to the processing of images or motion. Rather, it seems intrinsically linked to automatic and reflexive responses within our bodies. Among these processes, melanopsin seems to be linked to our body’s circadian rhythms. Our circadian rhythms are what tells us when its time to sleep and wake up. They dictate our daily ‘flow’, of which daylight is a major influence.

Melanopsin was originally discovered in the skin of frogs by Ignacio Provencio and his colleagues in 1998.  In 2000, Provencio showed that humans and other mammals also produce Melanopsin, and that for us, it is only found in our retinas.

Blue light is one of the best natural acne treatments available. It works by destroying acne bacteria on and just under the skin. But how can you prevent acne from ever developing in the first place? A recent Australian study shows your diet may have a lot to do with it.

In the study, as reported in the 2007 Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1/2 the young men were given a high protein, low GL diet. The others were instructed to eat a typical Western teenage diet, heavy on sugar and processed foods. After 12 weeks, those following the high protein, low GL diet had over a 50% reduction of acne lesions.

So a low GL diet gets right to a major cause of acne, hormone imbalance.  Meals and snacks with a low Glycemic Load keep insulin under control, which helps with general hormone balance, which naturally reduces oil production in the skin, which leads to less breakouts.  You will also likely lose weight and save money following a high protein, low GL diet.

“The research clearly shows that your daily diet can improve acne symptoms. This is highly significant and contrary to current recommendations that say that what you eat plays no role in acne. A healthy diet with low GI carbohydrates and higher levels of protein is now the first line of treatment for anyone suffering from acne, in addition to any cream or ointment your dermatologist recommends. When used for acne in its early stages or for mild to moderate cases, this may mean up to 100 per cent improvement in symptoms.”

Catherine Saxelby
Accredited Practising Dietitian

Click here for the full study, as published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Recommended Reading:

The Teenage Anti-Acne Diet Booklet. The doctors who did this study created this booklet to help parents implement a high protein, low GL diet for their teenagers.   It is an excellent publication, and it’s free.

The Schwarzbein Principle: The Truth About Losing Weight, Being Healthy, and Feeling Younger
by Diana Schwarzbein, M.D and Nancy Deville.  This book explains food in relation to your hormone balance and provides practical ways to make the necessary changes in diet and lifestyle.

The Easy GL Diet Handbook: Lose Weight with the Revolutionary Glycemic Load Program – A great little ‘quick-start’ guide to eating well.

More studies on acne and diet:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20361171

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21335995

“Vitamin D” is actually a pre-hormone, not a vitamin.  Given that a widely accepted cause of acne is hormone imbalance, it is very easy to see how adequate, steady levels of Vitamin D3 would lend itself to a “cure.”  In the October 2008 issue of the Vitamin D Council’s newsletter, there was a connection made between vitamin D3 and acne.  Although the mention in the newsletter was brief, they linked to a very thorough and detailed study done by AIERLIN T.-R. MAYNARD, M.D. in 1938.

Here is the segment from the Vitamin D Council’s October 2008 Newsletter:

Dear Dr. Cannell:

My teenage son has type 2 diabetes.  I started him on 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day about 6 months ago.  Three things have happened so far, he started losing weight, his blood sugars improved, and his acne went away.  I know you have written about diabetes and weight loss with vitamin D but I can’t remember anything about acne?

Mary, North Dakota

Dear Mary:

I have had some reports that vitamin D cured acne but frankly, I didn’t believe them.  Then I ran across this 1938 paper.  You can read the entire paper yourself and see what 5,000 to 14,000 IU per day did for these patients with severe acne.  When I was a kid, I always wondered why my pimples got better in the summer and worse in the winter.

Here’s the link to the 1938 study:

Maynard MT. Vitamin D in Acne: A Comparison with X-Ray Treatment. Cal West Med. 1938 Aug;49(2):127-32.

Of the 132 acne patients he studied, 28% were “much better” at three months.  47% were “healed at three months.”

Here is the doctor’s summary:

I believe I may say that at no time in my dermatological experience have I felt such complete satisfaction with a treatment as I have with the cases of this series. I know that vitamin D is an imperfect weapon to slay this disfiguring disease, but it undoubtedly gives one a feeling of being well defended. From the patients’ viewpoint, it has left little to be desired, as they find themselves improving, both in appearance and in general well-being. Many have expressed the sentiment, “Never felt better.”

I’d love to sell you a blue light for natural acne treatment, but I’d much rather if you did not need acne treatment at all.   Vitamin D3 is safe for all ages in the proper dosage, easy to get, and cheap.

Click here for Three Easy Ways to Test for Vitamin D Deficiency
Please visit the Vitamin D Council for recommended dosage.