• 1. Does Red Light Therapy Work?
• 2. Red Light Therapy Benefits
• 3. What is Red Light Therapy Used for?
• 4. Choosing the Right Red Light Therapy Device
• 5. FAQs about Red Light Therapy

Does Red Light Therapy Work?

Yes! Research shows, again and again, that shining a light on your skin can truly improve your appearance. Red light therapy is extremely well-studied, and its benefits are clearly outlined in the scientific literature.

This phototherapy is conducted with LED lights that emit light at a wavelength between 620 and 750 nanometers. While this light doesn’t feel like anything, its wavelength is capable of penetrating through the skin, where it can directly impact its activity. Exposure to red light is totally safe yet the light is able to spur cells deep within the dermis into action, speeding their ability to repair and regenerate.

The amazing ability of red light to influence the human body was actually first discovered by NASA. At the time, NASA was experimenting with using red light to help plants grow. During these experiments, scientists noticed that the red light also seemed to impact their skin, helping wounds heal.

 After that discovery, the benefits of red light as a healing technology were studied closely. Nowadays, red light therapy is being studied as a treatment for everything from muscle pain to certain types of cancer, while in the beauty industry, it’s valuable for addressing a broad range of aesthetic concerns.

Red Light Therapy Benefits

The key benefits of red light therapy are the following:

• Skin rejuvenation: Red light therapy stimulates fibroblasts in the skin, to promote better collagen and elastin production. This helps to reduce wrinkles, fine lines, and even sagginess. The result is firmer, younger-looking skin.
• Healing and soothing: Red light therapy is also promising when it comes to healing the skin since it’s able to mitigate inflammation. If you suffer from sensitive skin or you’re prone to irritation, it can speed up your skin’s ability to recover.
• Fades blemishes and breakouts: Acne is an inflammatory skin condition, so red light therapy can also aid in its appearance by addressing that underlying irritation. Research shows that regular treatments with red light were able to visibly reduce blemishes, leading to clearer-looking skin.
• Appropriate for all: Finally, one of red light therapy’s key benefits is that it’s gentle and non-invasive. Many other skin rejuvenating treatments can be painful or require downtime, but red light therapy is a gentle option that works for all skin types!

What is Red Light Therapy Used for?

Beyond its aesthetic benefits, red light therapy has been studied for a very broad range of concerns! Here are some of the ways in which red light is used in clinical settings.

• Signs of aging: As we already touched on, red light therapy is remarkably effective at stimulating repair and improved collagen production, for firmer-looking skin and a noticeable reduction in fine lines.
• Breakouts and acne: Thanks to its soothing and anti-inflammatory effect, red light therapy can help with inflammatory conditions like acne.
• Other sensitive skin conditions that benefit from red light therapy include eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea.
• Red light therapy for hair loss: Research shows that red light therapy may also improve hair follicle function, helping to promote better hair density in those experiencing hair loss.
• Red light therapy for weight loss: Red light therapy has been studied as a potential treatment to aid with weight loss. Research so far showed that red light treatments visibly reduced the circumference around the waist, hips, thighs, and arms. What’s fascinating is that the results were localized to the treatment area, so red light might be a useful accompaniment to diet and exercise, especially if you’re trying to achieve a firmer look in certain areas.
• Wound healing: One of the first benefits of red light ever discovered was the fact that it can promote wound healing. In the future, it could become a useful recovery tool, especially post-surgery or for those living with diabetes.
• Depression and anxiety: While the research is very limited, some patients with depression and anxiety found that red LED light therapy was able to offer some relief.
• Sleep: One study found that red light therapy has been found to improve sleep quality in athletes.

 Finding your Light: Choosing the Right Red Light Therapy Device

When choosing the best red light device for you, make sure to consider the different options on the market. Here are some of the basic things to know:

Red Light Masks
If you’re only interested in red light treatments for your face, a mask can be a nice option. With LED masks, you just pop it on, lie back, and let the light do its job. Unlike wands, you don’t have to use your hands with masks, and one treatment covers your entire face quickly. That said, masks lack the versatility of wands, so you can’t use them on other parts of your body like the neck or chest. Additionally, LED masks normally require eye protection to prevent any damage to the retina - something that is not an issue with handheld devices. Finally, some people find that using red light masks can make them feel claustrophobic, since they’re often quite large and heavy.

LED Panels
LED panels are incredibly expensive to purchase, so they’re normally only available at spas and clinics. In a salon setting, a facial under an LED is often combined with peels, massages, or masks. The main benefit of panels is that they can usually cover the face, neck, and chest all at once. As for drawbacks, their size means that eye protection is a must to avoid hurting the eyes. Additionally, a single treatment is usually very expensive, often costing the same as purchasing a device for home use.

Handheld Wands
Red light therapy wands make it easy to treat your face and body at home whenever you have the time! Since wands are handheld, you can easily use them wherever you have skin concerns, concentrating on areas where you have more fine lines or you’re more acne-prone. Another major benefit of handheld devices is that they can combine a few effects into one tool, for more comprehensive skin rejuvenation. For example, the Evertone Infrawave is a red light therapy wand that also emits a microcurrent and provides a stimulating facial massage. This combination of effects makes it a powerful tool not just for skin rejuvenation but also for immediately lifting the skin, reducing puffiness, and addressing dark spots or other imperfections. A daily five-minute treatment is all it takes to see dramatic results!