How Does Red Light Therapy Work?

December 6, 2022 Written by:Joel Gottehrer

How is Red Light Therapy Good for Health?
What is Red Light Therapy?
How Does Red Light Therapy Work?
The Difference Between Red and Near-infrared Light
Is Red light therapy Safe?

Just as plants need light to grow, light provides functional support for the human body. People of all genders and skin types may consider red light therapy.

How is Red Light Therapy Good for Health?

People from all walks of life are embracing the advantages red light therapy offers over more invasive approaches like drugs, injections even surgery. Light therapy has shown positive effects on anything from skin surface and anti-aging treatments to accelerating wound healing and helping to manage aches, tension and many chronic conditions.

Some of the more popular benefits of using a red light therapy include;

- boosting blood flow and lymphatic fluid movement, known to be beneficial for a number alleviating a range symptoms

- to relieve pain and reduce inflammation due to exercise or injuries, arthritis or joint pain, and many other chronic issues.

- to repair the skin surface and treat wrinkles, and sunspots, and heal sores and scrapes, ideal for eczema and psoriasis.conditions

We dove into some of the more popular ways to use red light therapy in our earlier article Red Light Therapy: Everything You Need to Know

What is Red Light Therapy?

The skin is our largest organ, and the role it plays in our health is diverse. Its main purpose is to defend and protect us from whatever our day exposes us to. It plays a vital role in how our body detoxifies, regulates temperature and it gives us our sense of touch, our ability to feel.

What we can see and feel as sunlight is just a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum casting over the earth as wavelengths of light. Within the light of the sun there are particular wavelengths that are referred to as infrared, visible light (red light), and ultraviolet light.

Infrared and the visible light (red light) are the “good” wavelengths, they offer healthy, nourishing benefits to our bodies - just like plants need light to grow.

The ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths can be unhealthy - potentially harmful in fact and the reason we often wear sunscreen or protective clothing to reduce exposure in the sunlight.

Red light therapy is a very small, specific range that does not include the known to be harmful ultraviolet (UV) light. It is safe for delicate and even problem skin and passively helps manage aches and pains on or below the skin surface. Seek a device that best compliments your needs.

Lifepro offers a variety of self care tools each designed with different types of applications in mind. Some red light therapy devices cater better to a small specific area while others are better to treat larger areas or whole body sessions.

How Does Red Light Therapy Work?

Over time our skin can show signs of stress and aging that can be corrected, even improved with the use of red light therapy.

It’s believed that red light therapy stimulates our mitochondria, the “engine” that creates energy for our cells, energizing and improving how they perform their various functions. It helps our cells break down and absorb nutrients, making them do their work more effectively, reducing inflammation, expediting healing, skin rejuvenation and new cell development.

A 2014 study titled A Controlled Trial to Determine the Efficacy of Red and Near-Infrared Light Treatment in Patient Satisfaction, Reduction of Fine Lines, Wrinkles, Skin Roughness, and Intradermal Collagen Density Increase examined the efficacy of red light therapy and near Infrared light therapy - their findings were significant. From this study;

Results: The treated subjects experienced significantly improved skin complexion and skin feeling, profilometrically assessed skin roughness, and ultrasonographically measured collagen density. The blinded clinical evaluation of photographs confirmed significant improvement in the intervention groups ¹

The Difference Between Red and Near-infrared Light

Most of us have heard about the potentially harmful effects of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light - UV is not present in any of our Lifepro light therapies - so there’s never a risk of damaging sore, delicate, frail or fair skin. Where the magic really happens and is our focus are 2 specific types of light therapy. Two specific wavelengths, red light and infrared light.

Red light therapy is most effective for treating or improving the skin surface, and can help speed up healing of scrapes or lesions, and of course many have heard of how it can brighten skin tone, reduce lines, scarring and other imperfections. Red light is visible to our human eyes. Lifepro recommends protective eyewear if treating an area that may require them.

Infrared light therapy penetrates deeper, going through and below the surface of the skin however infrared light therapy is not visible to our human eye but you sure can feel the warm embrace this range presents as heat felt on the body. You will see this term being used in Lifepro saunas, wraps and other infrared or far infrared (FIR) devices.

Infrared brings soothing relief to achy muscles and joints, aids to repair tissue damage, speeds up recovery and the warmth helps you relax…. Melt away that stress and tension. It can assist in weight loss while smoothing skin tone and texture making it a popular choice to manage cellulite and tighten up loose or excess skin.

Some massagers or similar home wellness devices offer heat as an optional add on or feature. Foot massagers are popular for those dealing with poor circulation or neuropathy. WIth the right red light therapy tool, you can gain similar effects and treat your feet to relief from aches and pains even swelling throughout your day. Think of it as a portable foot massager, to dissipate symptoms or flare-ups and keep them under control as they surface - instead of letting them build up until the end of the day.

InfraGlow Red Light Therapy lamp is one such product…one of the many portable red light therapies devices offered by Lifepro. It’s important to select the right tools to best compliment your intended use and overall goals.

Experts at Harvard Health revealed that red LED light acts on cells in the skin known as fibroblasts, which play a role in our body’s creation of collagen. This protein makes up much of our connective tissue and can help our skin to recover from damage.

Phototherapy can boost cellular activation - an important factor for the treatment of cellulite. Researchers combined LED therapy with treadmill training in 2011 primarily as treatment for cellulite noting a reduction of saddlebag and thigh circumference and “can result in a further improvement of body aesthetics”. ²

Is Red light therapy Safe?

Red light therapy has been shown to be safe & effective therapy and is well established in a number of fields from beauty applications to treating chronic issues in medical settings.

More and more research is exploring the positive effects as more and more satisfied users want to include red light therapy in their self care for a variety of health, fitness and esthetics goals.

Lifepro recommends you discuss use with your care provider or dermatologist before trying this treatment if you are currently being treated for a condition or if you are taking medications that may make you photosensitive.

Red Light Therapy is not meant for use over the eye area (unless specified) nor for brain entrainment or similar therapy. Be cautious if you are dealing with epilepsy or similar so not use the pulsing mode on your device unless discussed with your care provider.

Sources:

Wunsch A, Matuschka K. A controlled trial to determine the efficacy of red and near-infrared light treatment in patient satisfaction, reduction of fine lines, wrinkles, skin roughness, and intradermal collagen density increase. Photomed Laser Surg. 2014 Feb;32(2):93-100. doi: 10.1089/pho.2013.3616. Epub 2013 Nov 28. PMID: 24286286; PMCID: PMC3926176.
Paolillo FR, Borghi-Silva A, Parizotto NA, Kurachi C, Bagnato VS. New treatment of cellulite with infrared-LED illumination applied during high-intensity treadmill training. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2011 Aug;13(4):166-71. doi: 10.3109/14764172.2011.594065. PMID: 21740089.

Author

Joel Gottehrer

Joel Gottehrer is the Co-Founder of Lifepro Fitness and has dedicated his life to helping people transform theirs. With over 12 years of experience in the fitness industry as a personal trainer and owner of two personal training studios, Joel has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to helping transform lives. After suffering from physical injuries, Joel and his business partner, Abraham Brach, came together with a common goal to alleviate the pain caused by their injuries.

They continued to find themselves disappointed with the results stemming from various products promising to relieve their pain, and with that – Lifepro Fitness was born. Joel's mission is to have a positive impact on millions of lives with the Lifepro brand. Whether it's finding new and innovative ways to help people recover from injuries or developing products to improve overall wellness, Joel is always looking for ways to push the boundaries. Thanks to his commitment to help people live their lives free of pain, Lifepro has been able to do this for thousands of people since its founding in 2017.

Back to blog