Wrinkles and overall skin improvements
A 2007 study recruited 76 people, all of whom had noticeable facial wrinkling. The participants received two light treatments a week for four weeks: red near-infrared LEDs or sham light placebo treatments. Compared to the placebo group, the people receiving the red light treatments reduced wrinkles by up to 36%. And their skin became 19% more elastic, thanks to increased collagen and elastic fibers, which help keep skin firm and smooth.
A 2014 study explored the effects of LED PBM treatments of different wavelengths to improve skin appearance and feel and found similar positive results. Volunteers who received the treatments showed significantly improved skin complexion, feeling, roughness, and collagen density compared to controls.
Pain relief – knee pain from osteoarthritis
One early study explored how low-power light therapy could help older adults with knee pain from osteoarthritis. Researchers divided 50 participants into three groups, each receiving treatment with either red light, infrared light, or a placebo (a machine that looked like the light emitters but didn’t do anything). The participants used the lights on their knees for 15 minutes twice a day for ten days.
The red and infrared light groups experienced more than a 50% reduction in pain, while the placebo group saw little change. And the people treated with red and infrared lights showed improved mobility. Even more exciting, the red and infrared participants went several months without needing further treatment.
Shoulder pain from rotator cuff tendinopathy
In 2022, researchers explored whether LED RLT could reduce shoulder pain caused by rotator cuff tendinopathy. They tested both infrared light, which penetrates deeper into tissues, and visible red light, which is absorbed closer to the surface (both are standard forms of red light therapy and not placebo treatments). The participants, all aged 45–70, had three sessions a week for four weeks and were evaluated on pain levels, shoulder movement, muscle strength, and overall quality of life.
The researchers found that each treatment was effective, with infrared light having a slight edge.
Mood, depression help
Could PBM help people with major depressive disorder by boosting brain function, lifting mood, and cutting down on stress and inflammation? In a 2018 study, participants received near-infrared LED light therapy on their heads twice a week for eight weeks, a protocol known as t-PBM (the “t” stands for transcranial, which you’re unlikely to hear on Sesame Street). On average, they showed a medium to large improvement in symptoms. And unlike pharmacological antidepressants, t-PBM wasn’t associated with any serious side effects.
A 2024 meta-analysis looked at lots of studies on PBM and depression. It found that PBM can reduce symptoms of depression. Interestingly, systemic PBM (s-PBM), in which PBM is applied to other body areas, such as the back, thighs, neck, or acupuncture points, was found to be effective in easing depressive symptoms in people who had lower back pain or were addicted to alcohol. Both laser and LED light showed promise in helping people cope with depression.
Joint and muscle relief for athletes
Wouldn’t it be exciting if you could point a light at your aching joints and muscles and get relief? Well, there’s some compelling evidence from studies focused on high-level athletes that RLT might be able to help.
In a 2009 study, researchers investigated a special kind of light therapy, cluster multi-diode light emitting diode therapy (thanks to the wonder of acronyms, we can call it LEDT). The researchers focused on ten male professional volleyball players. They found that the athletes could do 12.9% more bicep contractions and lasted 11.6% longer before getting tired when they received the LEDT treatment than when they got a fake treatment. Plus, after exercising, their blood showed lower lactate, creatine kinase, and C-reactive protein levels, which are markers of muscle fatigue and damage.
Then, a 2016 study explored how photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) could help rugby players recover faster and perform better. The researchers wanted to see if using light from lasers and LEDs on the muscles before exercise could reduce fatigue and improve performance in real-life sports settings.
To test this, they conducted a study with 12 high-level rugby players. The players received either the actual PBMT treatment or a placebo. Those who received PBMT had better average sprint times and felt less tired than those who didn’t get the treatment.
A 2019 study replicated the 2016 study with 22 high-level male soccer players. After the treatments, the players did a challenging running test to see how far they could go before getting tired. The results were promising: The players who received active PBMT showed improved oxygen uptake, allowing them to run longer and harder compared to those who got the placebo. Additionally, they experienced less muscle damage and inflammation after the workout.
Hair Growth
We know that light makes plants grow, but how about human hair?
A 2018 study looked into whether low-level light therapy (LLLT) can help people with androgenetic alopecia (a fancy name for male-pattern baldness, although it can also affect women). Researchers conducted a 24-week trial with 100 participants assigned to receive LLLT on one side of their head and a sham treatment on the other three times a week for 30 minutes each session.
After 24 weeks, the side treated with LLLT showed significantly more hair coverage (14.2% compared to 11.8% on the placebo side). I think it’s pretty fascinating that a placebo treatment could grow that much hair — although it also seems possible that it benefited from treatment on the LLLT side since, as far as I know, both sides of the scalp were connected. There were also improvements in hair thickness and count.
A 2024 study tested 650-nm LED red light therapy to treat androgenetic alopecia. Researchers conducted experiments using human hair follicles taken from patients undergoing hair transplants. They cultured these follicles and treated them with 650 nm red light, measuring the length of the hair and noting changes in cell activity and gene expression.
Red light therapy increased hair shaft length and delayed processes linked to hair loss. It promoted cell proliferation and activated several important biological pathways related to immune response, breaking down amino acids, and cell recycling and metabolism.
How to Use Red Light Therapy
Many protocols and types of red light therapy have been shown to help relieve and improve different conditions. It can also be used almost anywhere on the body; some protocols target the light (for example, only on the face or the cranium), while others shine the light on wide areas of the body.
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Red light and ultra-sound PEMF unitR3,500.00
The number of sessions you’ll need depends on the condition you want to treat.
For general skin health (keeping skin firm and minimizing wrinkles), a general recommendation is 2–3 sessions per week for 4–8 weeks. Session times vary, but the average length used in studies is around 20 minutes. At-home devices and professional treatments may have more specific recommendations.
For pain relief or muscle recovery, you may want to increase the frequency of treatments to 3–5 sessions per week.
Regarding the best red light therapy dose, there is no one-size-fits-all. Some people may see a benefit with very low light dosages, while others will get better results with big doses. The differences may be due to genetics and individual variations in mitochondrial function. So, just like we won’t all tan the same if we go out in the sunlight, we also may respond differently to red and near-infrared light.
It’s important to follow instructions for the device if you’re using an at-home treatment; professional treatments are done under the supervision of a technician who can guide you on dosage and frequency of treatment.
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