Red light therapy is one of the most popular treatments for various skin conditions for a good reason. But what’s the fuss all about?
Can red light therapy really make you look younger? Eliminate wrinkles? Or even improve your skin tone?
For many years now, radiation has been known to have a soothing effect on the skin. In many of their consecutive experiments, NASA found out that infrared and red LED could help in healing wounds, minimizing pain and assisting in medical therapy.
In recent years, scientists have focused their research on the precise properties that make LED so effective at healing the skin. The resultant studies have found that when a very specific spectrum of red light is directed toward the skin, it can cause deep-cellular healing with longer lasting results.
You certainly know that the body has a high amount of water and blood. As a result, it is easy for the skin to let in red light wavelengths. When these wavelengths penetrate the skin, they aid in the production of collagen and elastin, increase blood circulation, stimulate the growth and repair of cells, and boost oxygen transfer to the part of the skin that is being treated.
The result? People who treat their skin with infrared LED see significant changes—their skin looks brighter, nourished and youthful. Remember that light therapy is a deep cellular level treatment that heals the skins from the inside.
As research into LED continues, more and more benefits of red light therapy continue to emerge. Some of these include:
- Minimizes wrinkles and fine lines
- Reduces aging blemishes and scars
- Smoothens out skin tone
- Makes pores smaller
- Firms up the skin
- Diminishes signs of aging
- Alleviates early rosacea
- Soothes inflammation from acne and sunburns
- Aids in the synthesis of elastin and collagen
- Gives skin a nice glowing appearance
Choosing the right light therapy treatment for your skin
Red light therapy can be done at a doctor’s office or you can do it yourself at home with a hand-held device. The hand-held devices are certainly more convenient and when used properly, they are safe and effective at healing the skin gradually.
The first thing you want to look for in an LED device is the range of wavelengths. For red LED, the recommended wavelength is 625-660 nanometer while for infrared red devices, the recommended range is 880 nanometers or more.
Wavelengths are important because they determine how deep the healing will be. The stronger the wavelengths, the deeper the penetration and thus the faster the healing.
It is also important to do your research and see what others are saying about a device before investing in it. The truth is, there are just a handful of red light therapy devices that actually work and are manufactured by companies with a good reputation.
"The stronger the wavelengths, the deeper the penetration and thus the faster the healing."
Whether you opt for a hand held or a hands free device, be prepared to make a significant investment. If a device is too cheap compared to others on the market it likely will not give you the results you are looking for. Units that emit strong, high quality wavelengths will require a bigger investment.
If a device is too cheap compared to others on the market it likely will not give you the results you are looking for. Units that emit strong, high quality wavelengths will require a bigger investment.
Speaking of hand held and hands free units— hand held units have been found to be more effective given that the LED bulbs are closer to each other and therefore do not scatter too much light. It is also easier to bring the hand held device closer to your face, compared to the hands free lamp. However, the hands free unit does a better job of radiating your entire face while the hand held device requires you to move the unit across different areas of the face.
Overall, there is a lot of evidence showing that red light therapy has long-term positive effects on the skin. The availability of do it yourself devices makes it easier to heal and rejuvenate your skin in the convenience and privacy of your home.