LED therapy gives skin a nice glow

I have had issues with dry skin ever since high school, when I went on Accutane for a second round. Those two sessions of taking that pill may have removed my acne, but left me with rosacea and eczema-like symptoms for more than 10 years.

Shortly after getting my first facial, Barbie Winterbottom, the owner of Advanced Aesthetics in Tampa, reached out to me and said I should try LED light therapy. Knowing that it assists many patients who have rosacea and eczema, I jumped at the chance to give it a go.

Winterbottom told me that to achieve the best results she was first going to give me a deep cleansing facial, which she includes with every light-therapy treatment. She cleansed and exfoliated my face, and for the most part, this was relaxing. However, there was a bit of pain when she used an acid to assist in the exfoliation of my skin, then extracted the congestion, dead skin buildup and impurities from deep inside my pores.

On the plus side, the facial also included microdermabrasion, which is something I never had done before, either. It felt like a cat was licking my face rapidly. It was an interesting sensation, to say the least.

Once all the pain was over, Winterbottom added serums, masks and nice-smelling stuff to my face to fully prep me for the best possible absorption of the red LED lights.

She placed a protective cloth over my eyes and told me to stay still under the red lamp for 20 minutes. Moving would not have ruined the absorption of the light, but since it was close to my face, I could have bumped my head had I moved. Staying still for the 20 minutes was the most relaxing part of the experience. I just daydreamed until the timer went off, indicating my light treatment was complete.

After the light came a vitamin C mask. My skin was further soothed with hydrating and replenishing serums and DNA repair.

Winterbottom uses products based on your skin's needs rather than just using the same stuff for everyone. Whatever she did worked well for me. I had a little bit of redness for a few hours after the treatment and a little light peeling, but my skin was soft and silky afterwards.

The results lasted a week, but I'm already craving another treatment because of my own bad skin-care routine. I hope to visit with Winterbottom again and learn proper daily facial care.

— My First Time is a column about Ashley Grant trying new things in Tampa Bay. Email her at famousashleygrant@gmail.com.