Red light therapy sounds like something you would see an ad for online and brush off as a scam — but it’s not! There are thousands of studies done on the positive effects of red and near infrared light on the body, both inside and out.
What Is Red Therapy?
Red light therapy, also referred to as photobiomodulation, is the exposure of the skin to red light for about 10 minutes a day for health benefits. Why specifically red light? Different color lights have different wavelengths. All light penetrates the skin, however, different wavelengths penetrate the skin at different depths. Red light has the longest wavelength on the spectrum at about 600-700 nanometers (nm). This means that red light goes deeper into the skin and tissue than any other color of light, about 8-20 mm.
How Does It Work?
Red light therapy works on your body at the cellular level. Studies show that red light “stimulate[s] the mitochondria” and can boost the production of ATP, or the energy our cells use to carry out most processes. By boosting the production of ATP, your cells “‘can function more efficiently, rejuvenate themselves, and repair damage’”. Not only is this process good for your skin (for example, you might notice an increase in collagen production) but it’s good for your whole body!
The Benefits
Red light therapy has seemingly endless benefits. It is most popular for its effect on the skin. Because it increases your body’s production of collagen, red light therapy is great as an anti-aging treatment. It’ll leave your skin with a more elastic, fresh feel. It also works on your acne as it affects the production of sebum. Aside from skin benefits, red light therapy has a myriad of other health benefits. It affects the production of some hormones such as melatonin, meaning your sleep will likely see an improvement. Red light therapy has also been known to affect your body’s production of dopamine, causing many red light therapy-users to notice an improvement in mood as well. It can even decrease inflammation and reduce muscle pain! Check out this list to get the full scoop on the effectiveness of red light therapy.
Red light therapy really seems like a miracle therapy. But it’s very important to get the right device with the right wavelengths. If the device does not use wavelengths between about 600-700 nm it will not be as effective. Do some digging into red light therapy and you will find a well of research on the topic. Check out our red light therapy treatments, such scalp facials and scalp therapy. It is even used to process your hair in our cut and color services. See if red light therapy is right for you!