The Benefits of Red Light Therapy
There are numerous potential benefits of seeking Red Light Therapy (RLT) treatment.
Skin Rejuvenation
With consistent use, red light therapy has anti-aging properties.
In one study involving 128 participants, researchers tested RLT's effectiveness in treating aging, fine lines, wrinkles, and skin roughness.
The test group enjoyed significant improvements in skin feeling, appearance, and intradermal collagen density. This study led to patient satisfaction and the support of these researchers.
Increased Collagen and Elastin Production
RLT treatment stimulates collagen synthesis and helps promote the optimal organization of collagen proteins. This is most noticeable on delicate facial skin, where users report seeing significantly reduced fine lines and wrinkles after one to four months of regular use.
Intradermal collagen density increase is essential for reducing crepey skin and regaining firm youthful skin.
Red and NIR light treatments also promote the synthesis of elastin, the protein that gives skin its youthful elasticity, treating stretch marks treating stretch marks as well.
Acne and Facial Blemish Treatment
Aside from the red light wavelengths, PlatinumLED panels include traces of blue light that resonate at 480nm. This treats the surface of the skin and can help clear up acne, eczema, and psoriasis.
In a study involving 81 patients who suffered from atopic dermatitis, 830nm treatment effectively decreased itching and skin eruptions. These researchers used lower-power laser therapy than what is found in the much more powerful PlatinumLED red light therapy devices.
Reduced Inflammation
Consistent red light therapy treatment can reduce inflammation.
This, in turn, helps treat numerous other conditions that are caused by or worsened by chronic inflammation.
Improved Circulation
Treatment increases blood circulation as well as lymph circulation in the skin tissue and beneath the skin, bringing more oxygen and nutrients to the treatment area and removing waste and toxins.
Faster Wound Healing
Due to the energy it delivers to the mitochondria, red light therapy treatment can speed up wound healing. The above study found that treatment increased fibroblast proliferation as well as collagen synthesis, and the formation of granulation tissue. This showed that RLT was a new way to deliver light photons to the cells, whereas previously, doctors and medical researchers had just used lasers. This advanced LED treatment is now available affordably and conveniently in a consumer device that allows for home treatment.
Scar Reduction
Red light therapy supports tissue regeneration. When used immediately after injury, red light shows great potential for reducing the growth and appearance of scars. If a scar has already formed, regular use of red light can gradually soften the scar and reduce its appearance as new, normal, healthy skin cells work their way to the surface.
In 2015 MDs Mamalis et al. discovered that treatment with 633 nm light has been shown to inhibit the migration of skin fibroblasts involved in skin fibrosis, which is excessive growth of scar tissue.
Faster Recovery From Workouts or Injury
Red light therapy can be used to precondition muscle tissue before a workout to enhance performance and stimulate faster recovery of workout-stressed muscle tissue. A review of 46 studies involving 1,045 participants used red/NIR light to increase muscle mass and decrease inflammation. In fact, the benefits outlined in this review are significant, leading the review’s authors to question whether red light therapy offers an unfair advantage in athletic competition.
Weight Loss
An exciting development in red and NIR light therapy is its potential to help you lose excess fat. A 2015 study by researchers from Brazil tested whether a combination of red light therapy and aerobic exercise could reduce obese women’s chances of developing heart disease. The researchers gave 62 women an exercise regimen. The participants were randomly assigned to receive red light therapy or a placebo for four months. At the conclusion of the study, the red light group had greater losses in waist circumference and other measures.
How does red light therapy help with fat reduction? Research has shown that red and NIR light cause temporary perforations in fat cells that allow lipids to leak out; then, they are naturally expelled by the body. This shows potential for targeted fat reduction and body contouring.
This does not mean, however, that red light therapy is a “miracle weight loss” approach – because there is no such thing. You can achieve the best results by combining LED light therapy with a healthy diet, exercise, and stress management techniques.
Hair Growth
Hair growth is one of the most popular uses for red light therapy because results have been promising. One study, for instance, found significantly greater hair counts in men with androgenetic alopecia (male- and female-pattern hair loss) who self-treated with 655 nm red light once daily for 16 weeks. Red light stimulates the cells in dormant hair follicles and promotes two important hair growth phases in hair follicles: anagen (growth phase) and telogen (reentry from dormancy). At the same time, the treatment inhibits early transition to catagen (regression), keeping hair follicles in “production” mode longer.
Pain Relief
Whether you’re injured or are looking at treating rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis pain, red light therapy could help.
A large, promising study on university athletes with a variety of injuries found faster return-to-play after 830 nm near-infrared LED treatment.
In another double-blind study, elderly patients with degenerative knee osteoarthritis and similar pain levels were randomly split into groups receiving red light treatment, NIR light treatment, or a placebo. The patients self-applied the treatment to their knee for 15 minutes twice daily for 10 days. After the 10-day treatment, pain had been reduced in the red and infrared groups by more than 50 percent. The red and infrared groups also experienced functional improvement after treatment, with no improvement in the placebo group. And the red and infrared groups experienced longer intervals between the need for additional pain relief treatments.
Other Benefits of Red Light IR+NIR
Improved Blood Flow: Red light therapy boosts nitric oxide production in the body. This is a vasodilator that increases the diameter of blood vessels to encourage better blood flow.
Reduced Inflammation: Red light therapy reduces inflammation to support normal metabolic functioning and weight loss.
Reduced Insulin Resistance: Red light therapy and exercise together can reduce insulin resistance and body fat in overweight and obese adults.
Increased Lean Muscle Mass: Red light therapy can support muscle growth, resulting in higher calorie burn when at rest.
Thyroid Support: Red light therapy can reduce the autoimmune activity in the thyroid to support normal thyroid function.
Appetite Reduction: Red light for weight loss helps to control ghrelin, the “hunger hormone" and causes a significant decrease in ghrelin concentrations.
Better Sleep: Red light therapy promotes melatonin production to help you sleep better.
