Wood lamp green glow. Wood lamp in cosmetology

For effective diagnostics, cosmetologists use many devices. One such device is a Wood's lamp. This tool can assist in the diagnosis process so that optimal treatment can be prescribed. What is the essence of the Wood's lamp and how do cosmetologists use it in their practice?

Origin and principle of operation of the Wood's lamp

As the name implies, this device was invented by an American physicist named Wood. The device has found its application in medicine, cosmetology and even in forensics. Everyone has seen in films how such a lamp is used to detect traces of organic matter (blood, saliva, urine, sperm).

The device itself is fluorescent lamp, which emits ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet wavelength ranges from 360 to 370 nanometers, and lamps with a wavelength of 366 nanometers are most often used. This instrument is often called a black lamp; in fact, it emits dark purple radiation, which remains invisible to humans.

The principle of operation is based on identifying certain formations on the skin, which are illuminated under the influence of a lamp. different shades. There is no fluorescence in healthy skin, so the reaction to light occurs only in problem areas. The dimensions of the lamp are quite compact, the length is no more than 20 centimeters. This allows it to be portable and used not only in beauty salons, but also during on-site consultations.

Application of Wood's lamp

Wood's lamp is one of the effective tools for diagnosing skin diseases. The lamp especially clearly displays the presence of hypomelanotic spots or areas without pigmentation. Where there is no lamp, it illuminates the translucent protein of the skin - . When treating vitiligo with a Wood's lamp, it is easy to monitor the presence of positive dynamics.

It is possible to use the device during chemical peeling. If the peel contains salicylic acid, you can use a lamp to monitor the uniform distribution of the composition on the skin. This acid will be highlighted green flowers by the light of a lamp. However, this practice is not supported by cosmetologists, because the light of the lamp will change the effect of the peeling agent.

Wood's lamp can diagnose such diseases:

• fungal infections skin (candidiasis);
• ringworm (trichophytia);
• inflammatory processes;
• dermatoses;
• systemic lupus erythematosus;
• leukoplakia;
• favus;

Glow different color will correspond different diseases. Let us list the main options for interpreting the shades of lamp light in response to diseases:

1. Light blue glow – healthy skin.
2. Turquoise glow – dry skin.
3. Purple glow – sensitive skin.
4. White glow – inflammatory processes.
5. Brown glow - pigmentation.
6. Green glow – fungal skin lesions.
7. Yellow dim glow - multi-colored lichen.
8. Coral red– erythrasma.

Diagnostic procedure

When diagnosing using a Wood's lamp, there should be no remnants of cosmetics or other products on the face. However, it is not recommended to cleanse the skin immediately before the procedure, since the products of microorganisms can be removed, which will make it more difficult to detect their presence and the result will be false negative. If there are lint, traces of soap or other microparticles on the face, they will give false positive result. And even the reflection from a cosmetologist’s white coat can give a blue glow. The procedure does not require additional special preparation.

To ensure safety, you should adhere to two basic rules:

• the light of the lamp should not be perceived by the eyes;
• The lamp should be kept near the face for about one minute, but no more than two.

During the procedure, the patient is asked to close his eyelids tightly and wear a cloth bandage or glasses that are designed for such procedures.

The procedure itself should be carried out in complete darkness. To do this, you can use a special bag that comes with the lamp. The device is warmed up a minute before the procedure, and then kept at a distance of 4-5 centimeters from the lesion. The one minute allotted for the procedure is quite enough to carry out diagnostics, since problem areas are identified instantly. If the time limit is exceeded, allergic reactions or burns may occur.

Ringworm is one of the most common forms of hair damage. Wood's lamp is a diagnostic tool with an ultraviolet light generator, which makes it possible to recognize the condition of the skin by its glow. It reveals ringworm, mycoses of the skin and appendages, inflammatory processes, pigmentation disorders, and vascular changes. Toxin particles and fungi glow in different colors under a Wood's lamp, for example, microsporum glows green. Luminescent examination is an accurate and accessible method in the diagnosis of dermatomycosis.

Principle of operation

Wood's lamp is a tool for examining affected areas in order to identify pathology and select appropriate treatment. The method is based on the use of black light. These are UV waves of a certain length that, when passing through glass treated with nickel oxide, appear violet. Modern sources of such light are diodes, incandescent lamps or light-isolating lamps. In addition, the device contains light filters to improve the quality of diagnostics.

Depending on the change in the shades of the glow, one or another change in the epidermis can be suspected. To identify dermatoses, ringworm, trichophytosis, candidiasis, leukoplakia, lupus, favus, and oncopathology, it is necessary to illuminate the affected area under ultraviolet light. UV screening subject open areas skin, scalp, eyebrows and nail plates.

Methodology for diagnosing ringworm with a lamp

Compliance with the rules of use guarantees reliable result and safety for both the specialist and the patient, namely:

• An important condition for conducting such a study is a dark room.
• To protect the eyes from burns, UV specialists wear a special protective mask, and the patient is asked to close his eyes.
• Diagnostic time is no more than 2 minutes.
• The distance should not exceed 10-20 cm from the skin.

Due to the relative speed of diagnosis of the affected areas, as well as the risk of allergic skin damage or pigmentation, it is recommended to carry out the procedure for no more than 1-2 minutes. Make sure the lesions have not been treated. Ointments and gels can distort information and give a false positive result. During the latent period of the disease, the lamp may not detect the presence of the fungus. In this case, it is recommended to repeat the study after 1-2 weeks. The presence of open wounds of the skin is considered a direct contraindication to diagnosis.

Decoding

Normal, unaffected skin glows blue.

Saturated blue paint serves as an indicator for determining the degree of dehydration of the skin. Overly sensitive skin glows purple. With a white glow, inflammation is suspected, however, it is possible to detect banal pollution with a low intensity of the shade. Brown light used to detect areas of increased or decreased pigmentation.

When the skin is illuminated with a Voodoo lamp, the color spectrum of the radiation changes depending on the type of lichen, as can be seen from the table:

The UV Voodoo lamp is compact and lightweight. In favor of using it for diagnosing skin lesions are efficiency, mobility, high accuracy and low cost of this method. The UV diagnostic method is not only safe and painless, but also allows you to instantly obtain results and, if necessary, prescribe additional studies, as well as appropriate adequate therapy.

Wood's ultraviolet lamp (also called a black lamp) helps forensic scientists to detect traces of blood and semen, bankers and store clerks to check the authenticity of banknotes, and summer residents to catch annoying insects(since midges, unlike humans, see UV rays very well and fly towards them), and dermatologists can diagnose certain diseases.

How does this diagnostic method work?

What is a Wood's lamp and how does it work?

Black lamps generate ultraviolet radiation- not as aggressive as in solariums, but softer, in the long-wave part of the range.

A dermatologist examines a patient's skin under the rays of a special portable Wood's lamp. The procedure must be carried out in a dark room. Normal healthy skin does not glow in UV rays, but some bacteria and fungi emit a characteristic natural glow. Also during the examination, pigmentation disorders and other skin pathologies can be detected.

Examination under a Wood's lamp helps in diagnosing various diseases:

• pityriasis versicolor (varicolored) - a chronic infection of the upper layer of the skin caused by the yeast-like fungus Pityrosporum;
• Vitiligo is a disease in which white spots appear on the skin, devoid of pigment, it is not contagious, and is presumably caused by autoimmune processes,
• disorders of the nervous and endocrine systems, injuries, skin inflammation;
• erythrasma is a chronic superficial skin infection caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium minutissimum, in which covered skin folds appear
• scaly, itchy reddish-brown spots;
• microsporia (ringworm) - a skin infection caused by bacteria of the genus Microsporum, affecting the skin, hair, eyelashes;
• porphyria (porphyrin disease) - hereditary disease, in which the exchange of pigments is disrupted, damage to various organs, including the skin, can occur.

Examination under a black lamp often helps dermatologists in differential diagnosis, when the disease needs to be distinguished from others with similar symptoms.

How is the procedure done?

The study is carried out in a dark room. The doctor brings a Wood's lamp to the patient's skin at a distance of approximately 10–20 cm and examines the skin. You will not feel any pain or discomfort, it is completely safe, soft ultraviolet rays cannot damage the skin.

If the skin does not glow under the rays of the lamp, the result is considered negative. For various diseases, the doctor will see luminous spots or a pattern; the color may be different.

Ringworm is called cutaneous infection caused by the fungus dermatophyte. Modern dermatology distinguishes several types of lichen, among which one of the most common is ringworm, the fungus of which lives in the soil and is able to survive in extreme conditions. That is why, as a result of the weak immune system Children most often become infected with ringworm from pets.

A wide range of products are used to treat lichen various methods, among which ultraviolet therapy, which is used not only to combat, but also to diagnose this skin disease.

What does ringworm look like under ultraviolet light?

Diagnostic capability various types depriving with the help of ultraviolet is due to the fact that under the influence of UV light, the colonies of the fungus that provoke this disease exhibit a fluorescence effect, that is, they glow in the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation visible to the human eye. To identify infected areas of the skin, ultraviolet lights and lamps with a wavelength of 320-400 nanometers can be used (preferably with a black filter that cuts off the visible light spectrum).

At the same time, various skin pathologies under the influence of UV radiation look different:

• chelase is characterized by a clear blue glow due to an increase in the level of melanin in cells;
• Vitligo and hypomelanosis give a bright blue or yellowish-green glow;
• pityriasis versicolor under the influence of a UV lamp acquires a yellow or orange light;
• the so-called multi-colored lichen does not change color under ultraviolet light, but its spots become more pronounced;
• with folliculitis in areas of the affected skin, hair follicles begin to fluoresce in a bluish-white color;
• the fluorescence characteristics of ringworm depend on the type of fungal infection, the color of which can vary from pale blue to blue-green;
• Lichen planus can be identified by the presence of whitish-yellow spots under UV rays.

Treatment of deprivation with ultraviolet light

Features of the treatment of lichen in humans using ultraviolet radiation depend on the type of disease present, the degree of skin damage, and individual characteristics, which ultimately determines the dosage of ultraviolet radiation, the number of procedures, and the need to use additional treatment methods, for example, medications and vitamin therapy.

The essence of treatment for lichen is to expose the affected areas of the skin to UV rays, which, on the one hand, inhibits the development of the fungus, and on the other, provokes a powerful local immune response of the body to foreign cells. This method of treating lichen has virtually no contraindications and shows positive remission in more than 75% of patients.

Our online store offers a wide selection of medical ultraviolet lanterns, lamps and other devices, including for the diagnosis and treatment of various types of lichen. All models of UV devices are certified and meet all quality and safety standards.

Before using ultraviolet light, be sure to consult your doctor!!!

Diseases of the skin require the most attentive treatment, and all diagnostic methods that are currently used make it possible to identify them with great accuracy and attribute them to a specific type. Diagnostics is a key point in the process of skin restoration, since it makes it possible to draw up an effective treatment regimen.

The use of Wood's lamp is widely used today, since this diagnostic tool allows us to identify even the initial stages of many pathological processes occurring on the surface of the skin. This device is familiar to almost every pet owner: it is also used in veterinary clinics when certain skin lesions in animals are suspected.

What is Wood's lamp

Having very small external dimensions and light weight, this diagnostic device can be used to examine the skin almost anywhere on the body. Detecting even the initial stages of fungal infections, the Wood's lamp is easy to use and provides the most full information both the location of the infection and the extent of its prevalence.

The peculiarities of the use and operation of the lamp require certain conditions for its operation, and the information obtained during the study makes it possible to create the most effective treatment when identifying fungal disease skin.

How ringworm glows under a Wood's lamp (photo)

Who is diagnosed?

• Because the this device allows you to identify the current fungal process on the surface of the skin; it can be used in case of suspected fungal infection, demodicosis, inflammatory processes of any nature.
• Such a skin examination can be prescribed for both people and animals with abnormalities in the condition of the skin or coat, as well as after contact with patients with any skin diseases.

Areas of application

The use of Wood's lamp is due to the need to identify many skin diseases that can be transmitted healthy people and are dangerous with a number of complications. Such a procedure may also be recommended after contact with an animal whose health status is in doubt.

Performing a skin examination using this diagnostic device does not pose a risk to human health.

There is no limit on how often a Wood's lamp can be performed, but because it involves some exposure to radiation, exposure to the lamp should be minimized for pregnant women and children under 1 year of age.

Types and methods

Using a Wood's lamp to identify many skin lesions is not particularly difficult due to the simplicity of its operating mechanism. The lamp operates in complete darkness; when working, you should wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from negative impact irradiation.

In the light of a lamp, healthy skin has Blue colour, with lesions various types skin diseases, the shade of the glow changes, which becomes visible even to the naked eye:

• when the color of the glow changes from blue to yellow;
• with the current inflammatory process, the skin becomes white;
• when infection activates on the affected skin, the glow turns green.

Due to its ease of use, the Wood lamp can be used not only in medical offices, but also at home. There are no different types of use of a Wood's lamp; it can be used specifically in the form of illuminating the skin in a completely dark room.

Indications for testing

Having high sensitivity to skin lesions and various dermatological diseases, the Wood's lamp is indispensable for identifying diseases that may be invisible to the naked eye.

Indications for examining the skin include the following conditions:

• mycosis;
• skin dermatoses of various types;
• candidiasis;
• lupus erythematosus;
• microsporia;

The listed conditions can have any stage of development; even in the initial stages, when external manifestations have not yet become noticeable externally, they are easily detected using a Wood's lamp.

Wood's lamp is widely used in cosmetology. It allows you to detect pigments, protein substances in the skin, as well as places of papules and follicles with causative agents of certain infectious diseases.

Contraindications for use

During pregnancy and childhood the use of Wood's lamp as a diagnostic device should be significantly limited to avoid possible negative health effects future baby and a child.

There are no other contraindications to the use of this diagnostic method.

Pityriasis versicolor under Wood's lamp is shown in this video:

Safety of the procedure

The complete safety of this type of diagnosis of skin conditions allows it to be used as widely as possible. In areas such as medicine, cosmetology, dermatology - everywhere this lamp becomes an indispensable assistant, which will allow timely identification initial stage skin lesions, which can be completely cured during this period.

A doctor can prescribe such an examination if there is a suspicion of any skin lesion or for the purpose of prevention.

Preparing for it

No special preparation is required before examining the skin with a Wood's lamp.

• It will be enough to remove makeup from the skin of the face, as well as cosmetical tools to eliminate the possibility of distortion of the survey data obtained.
• Also, before starting the procedure, it is recommended to remove clothing fluff, fluff and hairs from the surface being examined in order to also get a complete picture of the skin being examined.
• You should not wash your face or use special cleansers so as not to change the skin microflora.

We will describe below how fluorescent diagnostics are carried out using a Wood lamp.

Features of the event

During the use of a Wood's lamp, the patient feels virtually no sensations. Compliance with the basic requirement - complete darkness in the room - allows you to get the most reliable result, which will help you make the correct diagnosis, and then create the most effective treatment regimen.

Decoding the results

The results obtained become visible already during the research process, and they are deciphered by a specialist dermatologist.

Wood's lamp in dermatology (table of glow colors)

Price

The cost of a Wood's lamp examination is not high and may vary slightly among different medical offices. The price of the study ranges from 850 to 1,250 rubles per session, depending on the pricing policy of the medical center.

This video will tell you how to make a Wood's lamp: