German scientists think LEDs are the new Botox

All of us here at Engadget are young, beautiful, and vigorous, but we understand that time is not always as kind to everyone else as it has been to us -- that's why we're giving you the heads up that German scientists claim that they can restore your youth in a whole new way. Researchers Andrei P. Sommer and Dan Zhu say that they were able to reduce wrinkles by subjecting a test subject's skin to regular ol' LED lights daily over a period of several months. It seems that at a certain intensity the light dives into skin tissue and alters the molecular structure of water that would otherwise immobilize elastin, a protein that keeps skin healthy and, y'know, elastic. The researchers believe the tech can be "converted to deep body rejuvenation programs," which we assume entails more than just taping our faces to our LED-backlit screens -- but we'll try it just in case.

[Via The Earth Times]

[Wwhat @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:00AM]

Yeah OK, 'as seen on TV'...

[Niels R. @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:04AM]

Another argument to convince your girlfriend you really need that state-of-the-art laptop/monitor (and lots of time spending behind it!) :)

[Valicore @ Oct 22nd 2008 11:25AM]

LOL. "Honey, I bought you a present! Now I know you're always worried about taking care of your skin, so I bought a new LED backlit 60 inch TV, it'll help get rid of the laugh lines you're alwa..." ::murder::

[Wwhat @ Oct 22nd 2008 11:10PM]

I like how you think practical and positive.

[Metkis @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:06AM]

Does anyone else think that picture looks strangely photoshop'd or just uses a bright light to reveal wrinkles that aren't visible under natural light?

[lepkirk @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:59AM]

Metkis: I agree. I'm a photographer and I can plainly see that in the before picture, strong directional light is used to exaggerate the wrinkles. In the after shot, soft light is used to make teh wrinkles appear less pronounced. Hardly a scientific comparison. Shame on you "Science"Daily!

[j_g_puff @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:10AM]

"...alters the molecular structure of water..."

that had the bullshit alarm ringing before I even looked at the pictures.

[Technex @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:45AM]

Totally exaggerated, I agree. Move along, nothing to see here..

[Ethan @ Oct 22nd 2008 11:00AM]

Yeah, you can also see from the picture that LEDs reduce the appearance of eyelashes.

[jim d @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:14PM]

Whatever, man. You may be a skeptic, but I am *sold*. Not only do these LED things remove wrinkles, but they can also TURN GREYING HAIR BROWN AGAIN. And also change the color of your eyes. And the shape of your nose.

SIGN ME UP!

[BlackCoffeeNoSugar @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:06AM]

Let's start to switch all the conventional light bulbs to LEDs!

[Rhuantavan @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:08AM]

LEDs? What LEDs, that happens only because us geeks spend more time in the dark, away from UV packed sunlight.

[Randavance @ Oct 22nd 2008 10:40AM]

Our generation is going to age really well.

With the acception of our monitor damaged sight and ipod wrecked hearing.

[irl @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:10AM]

Well, I'm pretty sceptical just going by these before and after pics. The before picture has a harsh light source that accentuates the wrinkles, and the after picture has a nice soft diffuse light source.

[merkley??? @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:10AM]

those are the WORST before and after photos, it's all in the lighting, no wrinkles have diminished at all. pay attention boys and girls. look at the lines, they are all still there, the lighting has been switched from harsh to soft. that's all.

no fountain of youth yet...

[tino @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:18AM]

Do you decrease eyesight at the same time?

Seriously, I am using my back lited LED MSI Wind, I feel I can't use the screen as long as my old EEE 900 (with yellowish LCD) before I get eyestrain.

[samoth @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:25AM]

yes...ok...but they should think about sunbazing Leds as well :D

[Cunthor @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:01AM]

Can they fit this into underwear? My wife needs some tightening in certain areas.

[gad get @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:01AM]

Um, wrinkles tend to be less visible in diffuse light, such as we see in the second photo.

[rita hainsworth @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:02AM]

I did this two years ago. Its been available in NYC from Dr Roy Geronemus for a long time. I always thought it was BS.

[NG @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:08AM]

flash me baby!

[Markus @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:09AM]

"Change the molecular structure of water"? How moronic. That was enough to convince me that it is a scam.

[Jonas @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:18AM]

c'mon. a picture with direct light vs diffuse light..

[Ian @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:20AM]

So what does water look like after you strike it with light?

[Wwhat @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:21AM]

What we should be talking about is why the hell this is an article on engadget, and perhaps do a guessing game as to what's next, magical beans?

[gad get @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:29AM]

Do you know something I don't? Because I'd love some magical beans right about now.

[LarryLarryLarry @ Oct 22nd 2008 9:22AM]

They're the secret surprise in a box of hurt.

[Alex Couey @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:32AM]

this would be a great reason to have a new macbook!

look younger feel younger an become younger!

[Amz @ Oct 22nd 2008 7:33AM]

but then you'd be stuck with a macbook.

[meist3r @ Oct 22nd 2008 7:31AM]

Has anyone of you read the scientific thesis? Seems everyone takes that one poor picture, the article and goes on a rant.

http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/cgdefu/asap/html/cg8000703.html

I've read the source and it makes SOME sense. Not completely, I still would like to see some more and better evidence.

The other image included in the study has more similar light conditions than what our beloved editors have put over their article:

http://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cgdefu/asap/figures/cg-2008-000703_0003.gif

For Christs' sake people. Before you start complaining at least read up on whatever you're criticizing. I'm not a chemist and don't know much about physics but we all know that water can take on crystalline structures (that's what you put in your Vodka in the morning) I'm skeptical alright but at least I read it ...

[solarbuddy @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:21PM]

Yes, water takes on "crystaline" structure--when it freezes. From your position as a neophyte in physics and clueless newbie in chemistry, can you please explain in simple English how standard garden-variety light can do anything like this article claims?

But I'm sure I'm taking the wrong tack with you. Here, let's try this. I have some amazing magnetic skin restoration pads that will help synchronize the DNA in your epidermis with the rhythms of the universe. If you don't look 10 years younger in a month I'll give you back the $100 you need to send me by Tuesday . . . .

[meist3r @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:27PM]

From what the thesis says water gets this special crystal structure under certain layer conditions. How that works I don't know quite frankly. Like I said, I'm not a chemist or physicist. But from what I understood these crystals already exist inside the skin because of the way the water is stored in the tissue. And the light merely stimulates solution of these crystals, If it was all figured out they wouldn't have to brand it as new. I can understand your healthy cynicism towards stuff like that, I have that myself. But I actually tried understanding it, did you?

[Jason P @ Oct 24th 2008 8:59AM]

I'm a biologist.

Im not a specialist in this area, but I can offer some words of warning (didnt take the time to read the ENTIRE thing though)

1. Theres no control, and the sample size is tiny (1?) - no conclusion can be made from this.

2. Water does form ordered structures around things dissolved in it, particularly hydrophobic compounds (the increase in entropy required to order the water is a reason why hydrophobic things dont dissolve in water) Im not familiar enough with this area (im a cell biologist) to say whether this counts as crystals.

3. Paper looks a bit dodgy. Published in a sub-par journal and not presented well (good data is usually easy to present).

Although, these people are physicists, so gotta give em some effort for trying to relate what they're doing to real life...

[Apreche @ Oct 22nd 2008 7:42AM]

Engadget needs a better snake oil detector.

[omf @ Oct 22nd 2008 7:48AM]

Reactions:

#1: Um, yeah, the lighting is totally different in those shots

#2: Even with the different lighting, the wrinkles don't look much improved

#3: And to think, they called me a geek for wasting my life away in front of my monitor! I'll have the last laugh at the 20-year high school reunion!!

#4: So, H2O becomes, what, O2H?? The Pentagon may be interested in this...

[meist3r @ Oct 22nd 2008 9:07AM]

#4: So, H2O becomes, what, O2H?? The Pentagon may be interested in this...

I share all other three views but that one is just utterly freaking stupid. Steel doesn't change it's molecule composition when it's hardened, yet, it changes structure. Crystallized water (read: Ice) is nothing but H2O either but with completely different features. You should have your nerd license revoked.

[LarryLarryLarry @ Oct 22nd 2008 9:27AM]

Water does not have a "crystalline structure" in liquid or gas states. It only has "crystalline structure" as ice.

So you're saying that ice forms under the skin when LED light shines on it? And this improves wrinkles?

Or is this ICE 9 from "Cat's Cradle"?

[meist3r @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:28PM]

@3Larry: No the other way around, the "crystals" or more crystal like structure of the layer of water under certain conditions gets dissolved by exposure to short length radiation (read: light). Not really uncommon.

[ScaryFast @ Oct 22nd 2008 8:29AM]

More like if you place an LED at the correct angle in front of the subject, take a photo, and then later removed the LED so that the light is diffused over the subjects face, the skin looks much better because of a reduction in highlights and shadows.

[antoniothomas @ Oct 22nd 2008 9:36AM]

Pay no attention to this research. It wasn't even published in a medical journal: Crystal Growth & Design.

[Helmut @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:02PM]

I really hate to see you guys for the oldest trick in a photographers toolbox.
Note how the light source on the Nov 2007 image is is a hard spot light that makes hard shadows
and therefor bigger wrinkles. The light source for the Sept 2008 image is extremely soft.
Show me the before and after images in the very same light then I might think they are not BSing me.

[cocoBwarez @ Oct 22nd 2008 11:06AM]

WTF engagdet?? Am I gonna have to stop reading this site? "alters the molecular structure of water"???
Then to top it off "meist3r" goes on about crystalline structure of water. That's called ICE and it's just an ordered arrangement of water molecules in a solution because of decreased heat energy. Real changes in molecular structure require a-lot of energy and believe me, your skin would be F*CKED.

[Fred @ Oct 22nd 2008 11:24AM]

Gross, but now you can see his blood vessels!

[Valicore @ Oct 22nd 2008 11:37AM]

"...we are justified in assuming that most of the mobile molecules surrounding the elastic fibers are water molecules."

Since when is assuming and hoping you're right scientific?

[gavinovz @ Oct 22nd 2008 2:03PM]

Sounds like a good reason to buy a Macbook.

[Blipittyblop @ Oct 22nd 2008 4:48PM]

This seems to be similar to the results seen with far infared saunas. I've got one, it really works.
http://www.hightechhealth.com/

[solarbuddy @ Oct 22nd 2008 5:22PM]

Egad, who woke up the toxin trolls?

[paul-engadget @ Oct 22nd 2008 6:10PM]

this is great advice for all of us!
to look younger, when you want to chat up girls in the bar, just set your portable LED-backlit 20" TFT to maximum and hold it close, and the diffuse light hides all wrinkles!

[Luis @ Oct 23rd 2008 7:57PM]

This is not new, look into this link...

http://lighttherapyoptions.com/

And other have try it in the past, but these guys at the link are of my trust.

Ciao