Jenni Gilbert A couple of weeks ago I had dermal filler injections to offset hollows under my eyes. As a souvenir, I came away with a whopping shiner that looked like I’d gone 10 rounds with Rocky Balboa.
It’s an unfortunate but well known possible side effect when having injectables that bruising and swelling can occur for up to a week, even longer, if the needle nicks a blood vessel. This is especially so beneath the eyes, where the skin is much thinner and more delicate than elsewhere on the body and circulation slower.
The possibility of bruising is also increased by such factors as hormone levels at the time of treatment, if the body is depleted through stress or fatigue, poor diet, smoking and alcohol, or taking painkillers or fish oil supplements within roughly a week before treatment. And, of course, some people are far more susceptible to bruising than others.
To me, getting a bruise is not that big a deal in pursuit of ultimately looking perkier; well, that is if you don’t mind 100 people a day pointing out that you have a black eye. Oh no, really? Thanks for letting me know!
But more than a week later my black eye was still big, dark and ugly and I was beginning to feel nervous that it would still be visible by the time I left for my Roman holiday. I mean, when in Rome … you just can’t have a black eye.
(Note to anyone considering fillers ahead of a special event: make sure you don’t have them only a few days beforehand, and certainly not the day before!)
With serendipitous timing I was invited to have the Comfort Zone Sublime Facial Treatment (and sublime it indeed was, but that’s the subject of another story) followed by a 20-minute session under LightStim Professional LED.
Julie Fitzhenry, Education Associate for BLC Cosmetics (distributors in Australia of LightStim, Comfort Zone and Thalgo, among other premium skincare, makeup and technology brands) told me the LightStim session would be the ideal panacea for accelerating the fading of the bruise, as well as generally revving up my skin.
She also offered to loan me a LightStim handheld (which can be used in-salon but is also a retail offering for home use by clients) until I left for Italy, to ensure my shiner lost its lustre in time.
And lucky for that. It had barely budged in the week until I had the LightStim treatment. I came home armed with my baby pink hand-held and gave myself a good “zapping” (I use that term frivolously; it’s a warm, relaxing and pleasant sensation) that evening to top up the in-treatment session.
Julie says it can be used safely up to three times a day. Great thing is that you can “zap” while watching TV, or such.
I swear that, by next morning, the bruise had faded at least 50 percent. I continued zapping 2-3 times a day and within three days the bruise was the tiniest shadow of its former self and my skin looked a lot more “glowy” than it had done in months.
I loved this little baby so much I asked to buy it – and it’s coming on holidays with me. It’s the ideal travelling companion, too, being compact and light as a feather, with a handy little carry purse.
Using LED light therapy to deliver a healing concept to skin and body tissues in a similar way a plant absorbs light energy from the sun.
LightStim emits UV-free, beneficial light rays that energise cells and stimulate the body’s natural process to build new proteins and regenerate cells.
Originally used by NASA scientists to test plants’ abilities to grow in space, LED’s healing benefits were discovered when they realised any wounds or pigmentation on their hands repaired quickly due to the exposure to the light and its ability to promote tissue growth.
Now internationally acclaimed by the world’s leading aestheticians, dermatologists and plastic surgeons, physical therapists and medical doctors, LightStim has advanced NASA’s LED technology with patented MultiWave technology to simultaneously emit multiple wavelengths (colours) of light.
When applied directly to the skin, these wavelengths work together to increase collagen and elastin production, reduce in ammation, speed the healing process and increase micro-circulation.
A dedicated LightStim smart phone app accompanies the product to help users track treatment progress and perfect techniques.
LightStim for Wrinkles is designed to penetrate the epidermis layer of the skin, stimulating the skin’s natural ability to produce collagen and elastin. It is complemented with a peptide serum to enhance progress and a full skincare range is available for added skin support.
It is the first and only device to be US FDA-cleared to reduce the appearance of wrinkles on the entire face, including the forehead, crow’s feet, cheeks, nasal labial folds, jawline and lips, and is proven to help minimise the appearance of pore size, promote even skin tone, ease eye puffiness and help restore skin’s radiant glow.
Supported by the top physical therapists, chiropractors and medical doctors LightStim for Pain is designed to temporarily alleviate body aches and pains naturally while accelerating the body’s healing process.
The device emits wavelengths of light to increase micro-circulation, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues to help relieve arthritic pain, reduce inflammation, relieve muscle and joint pain and stiffness and diminish bruising.
