Light Therapy

Salons are in the business of making skin beautiful, and nothing enhances a golden tan like radiant, firm, youthful-looking skin. Scientific advances in light technology are providing salon owners with solutions to help customers take their quest for beautiful skin to the next level.

Light therapy is fast becoming an important revenue stream for many tanning salons because it offers benefits including increased skin firmness and hydration, improved tone and texture, reduced hyper-pigmentation, and diminished fine lines and wrinkles. It’s also an effective treatment for acne and helps reduce pore size, which are common concerns for young clients.

“Light therapy increases revenue by fulfilling customers’ needs,” says Bill Pipp, CEO of Indianapolis, Ind.-based ETS Tan, manufacturer of the Rejuvasun™ spa bed. “Tanners are interested in looking their best, and this new technology is a breakthrough way to help them rejuvenate their skin and feel better about themselves and their appearance.”

Treatments are affordable, fast and gentle, and the largest target demographic for the service is looking for skin rejuvenating alternatives to cosmetic surgery.

The Target Market

“Light therapy allows salons to market to a substantial market,” says Tony Case, president of Carlsbad, Calif.-based Raymond Anthony International (RAI), manufacturer of the Lumière Light- Thèrapie™ system. “The market for tanning has shifted somewhat in the past few years because the baby boomer generation has begun moving out of the tanning market and into the anti-aging market. This market shift will allow salons that provide light therapy the opportunity to market to the baby boomer generation all over again.”

Not only are baby boomers the largest marketing demographic that has ever existed, they will be the wealthiest group of elderly in history with $1 billion in disposable income, according to BusinessWeek. Furthermore, boomers are more interested than ever in looking and feeling younger, longer.

In 2006, the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (AACS) found that nearly one in five hopes to someday undergo cosmetic surgery, and according to a poll by market research firm Harris Interactive® 14 percent of American adults said they’ve already undergone some type of procedure. However, the AACS survey also found that the appeal of cosmetic surgery was tempered by financial costs (54 percent) and the fear of appearing unnatural following recovery (48 percent). More than one quarter of the survey’s participants (27 percent) feared that they would be unhappy with the outcome of their surgery.

Such concerns about undergoing surgery have sparked interest in non-invasive cosmetic treatments such as light therapy. These “lunch break” treatments are relatively gentle, often take less than an hour, and are fast becoming popular alternatives to chemical- and surgery-oriented cosmetic treatments.

“Women who have had or are considering having facelifts or other types of facial cosmetic surgery are prime candidates for light therapy,” says Paul Spivak, president of Chardon, Ohio-based Light Therapy Systems (LTS), manufacturer of the Skin-Rejuvenation system. “Potential customers also purchase anti-aging face creams, serums and lotions, and get facials or dermatologic treatments such as microdermabrasion or Botox® injections.

Light therapy also is catching on with younger customers, and not only as an acne treatment. This market already understands the value of prevention and using quality skincare products and is taking active steps to keep their skin youthful.

“We have customers of all ages and ethnicities who receive light therapy treatments,” says Kylie Mamolo, spa director of a New Orleans Planet Beach® tanning spa™. “In the beginning, it was popular primarily with older customers; however, younger customers now are using it to help prevent the signs of aging.”

Light therapy appeals strongly to those willing to spend time and money to improve their appearance and already purchase skincare products and services. The strong similarity in terms of customer demographics makes it a natural complement to the indoor tanning industry.

Light therapy exposes skin to certain wavelengths of light for a prescribed amount of time to treat specific health conditions. The type commonly used in salons uses light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to activate skin cells with pulses of low-level, non-thermal light energy. LED treatments give skin a “light bath” that targets specific cells that absorb a specific wavelength of light. It works with the body’s own natural processes to convert light energy photons into cellular energy to energize the skin cells responsible for collagen and elastin production.

The wavelengths are non-laser, non-thermal and non-ablative; therefore the treatments do not require operator licensing or certification and can be performed by salon employees. “It delivers results without pain, discomfort or risk,” Case says. “Its ability to correct problem skin conditions puts it in high demand.” Because treatments do not produce discomfort, redness or inflammation, downtime is not required. This makes it a popular choice for those with busy lifestyles.

To help customers take the next step toward beautiful-looking skin, salon owners and employees must be confident in their knowledge how this treatment affects the structure and function of skin.

Anti-Aging 

As skin ages, collagen and elastin breaks down and gravity begins to take its toll. The result is often in fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration and loss of firmness. Additionally, skin can be damaged by pollution, harsh soaps and chemicals, cigarette smoke and poor diet. Light therapy can help improve skin tone and rejuvenate its overall appearance by triggering skin’s repair mechanisms.

Salons that offer light therapy treatments should appeal to customers concerned with skin already showing signs of aging and to those concerned with prevention.

“Demand has existed throughout history for products to make one look younger,” Spivak says. “Women as young as age 25 represent a growing market for services that reduce the signs of aging.”

Anti-Acne 

Acne can cause permanent physical scarring as well as emotional hardship both in adolescents and adults. It’s an inflammatory condition primarily caused by changes in hair follicles and sebaceous glands. For most people, acne diminishes or decreases during their 20s; however, many have acne in their adult years.

Acne is conventionally treated with topical and oral therapies including skin exfoliation, sulfur, alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids, benzoyl peroxide, antibacterial products, Accutane®, antibiotics, etc. However, these treatments are not 100-percent effective and side effects include dryness, flaking, hyper-pigmentation, increased sensitivity to light, etc.

Light therapy destroys pore-clogging bacteria and has a calming effect on skin. One study found red wavelengths had a significant benefit on acne, and resulted in a 76-percent reduction of lesions after three months of daily treatment for 80 percent of patients. Overall clearance was similar or better than with benzoyl peroxide.

When is comes to light therapy systems, salons have several high-quality options. For instance, the patented Lumière Light- Thèrapie device features an array of LEDs that deliver pure, uniform, narrowband red light to treat a number of skin conditions and works in conjunction with Lumière Topical Skincare.

The Rejuvasun Spa Bed from ETS Tan offers tanning and light therapy in a single unit to help salons increase revenue per customer per session. The company designed the combination unit to allow salons to maximize their return on investment for their equipment and provide a convenience for tanners who want to combine light therapy and tanning during one session.

The Skin-Rejuvenation system from Light Therapy Systems’ smoothes and reduces lines and wrinkles by penetrating deep beneath the skin surface and providing photon energy to the skin cells directly, thus increasing collagen and elastin production.

It features a patent-pending microprocessor-controlled cooling technology for its LEDs which guarantees that photons are emitted at a precise wavelength, making it possible to provide effective, high-quality treatments during short sessions.

Topical skincare products specially designed to be used in conjunction with light therapy can enhance effectiveness by providing nutrients skin needs to maximize the effects of the light-generated energy. Additionally, they provide salons an additional revenue stream.

Lumière Topical Skincare works in conjunction with Lumière Light-Thèrapie to activate a series of responses in the skin that convert light energy into the cellular building blocks required by the body. The topical products also promote rejuvenation by nourishing the skin with vital precursors, stimulate production of collagen and elastin and promote DNA repair, cell regeneration and proliferation, the company says. Additionally, the regime strengthens vascular walls while oxygenating and detoxifying the skin.

The RejuvaSkin™ line from Australian Gold is specially formulated to work with the ETS Rejuvasun spa bed. The skincare is a three part process to refine, repair and rebuild skin and includes a double-sided, pre-moistened cleansing and exfoliating towelette, a mask to improve skin tone, and a restructuring cream that provides essential vitamins and nutrients that are lost during the normal aging process.

Salons can draw attention to such complementary skincare products by differentiating them from tanning lotions and by displaying them in clear sight.

Salons that offer light therapy have the opportunity to differentiate themselves from their competition as providers of a convenient high-end service. However, because it is more expensive, it requires different sales techniques and options. Many salons have found success including the service in their higher-end, all-inclusive membership packages.

“Light therapy has been instrumental in helping us sell our new all-inclusive VIP membership package which represents yearly revenue of $30,000,” says Rick Rooney, owner of Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Sun Spot Atlantis. “We wouldn’t have that if we didn’t offer this service.”

Regardless of the way salon owners choose to package it, they must enthusiastically train staff about its benefits, because employees who embrace the idea of skin rejuvenation will have the confidence to sell this higher-end service.

“My best light therapy salesperson is Barb, my 54-year old sales manager,” Rooney says. “She embraced the concept quickly and has pocketed a nice commission from her sales. Her success has helped assure my other employees that they, too, can sell this service.”

It’s important to differentiate light therapy services from tanning to help customers understand the pricing.

“We have set up our light therapy unit in our ‘relaxation room’ that has a spa-like feel,” says Heather Sollar, owner of Miamisburg, Ohio-based Solar Tan. “Not only do we have a separate room for it, we sell it apart from tanning as an exclusive spa service. Our most expensive light therapy package is $576, and we have sold several.”

Light therapy is attracting significant positive media attention and its benefits are scientifically supported, which is increasing public interest. Salons, and the industry as a whole, can benefit from the positive image associated with this treatment.

“The local media is now looking at my salon differently because we offer a skin-repairing service,” Rooney says. “This time of year they usually run hatchet stories about tanning, but this year we successfully managed to get a local newspaper to come to the salon to see what we’re all about. Our light therapy system really caught their eye and that gave us an opportunity to explain that we are using light to repair skin. Now they see the good we are doing.”

A salon trend is to offer certain spa services, including light therapy, to help enhance the salon’s image and change the way potential customers and the media think about the industry. “We’ve positioned our salons as tanning spas and light therapy has helped us integrate this concept very well,” says Grant Miller, owner of Erie, Pa.-based Sun your Buns.

According to many industry insiders, this approach can help salons position themselves as part of the skincare solution.

“Light therapy can help change the image of tanning,” Pipp says. “It’s the best way to take our industry to the next level of success.”