Red Light Therapy, Explained

Whether you’re eyeing red light therapy lamps, wowed by red light therapy before and afters, or just want to stay on top of the latest beauty and health trends, we've assembled this useful guide to red light therapy for you.

Red Light Therapy uses low wavelength light to attempt to address a range of skin issues. It’s sometimes known as low-level laser light therapy. We’ll look at these in more detail below, but purported benefits of red light therapy include a host of common skin issues, from acne to aging. Of course, like all skin treatments, it’s no miracle cure, and there’s lots of research still to be done. But if you’re battling to love the skin you’re in, there’s good reason to consider it. 

Fancy a space-age treatment? Red light therapy, or RLT, was used in the 90s for a vastly different purpose- to help plants grow in space.

While that was shelved, some potential for medicinal use was spotted. It was hoped that a similar process could boost the energy in our own cells. It was intended to help address medical issues like slow healing, muscle atrophy when bedridden, and even astronauts’ lowered bone density due to lack of gravity.

Luckily, it’s a super simple treatment. It doesn’t matter whether it is red light for the face or body. Your skin will be exposed to red light at the relevant frequency.  For full body treatment, this might use a red light therapy bed instead of a wand. 

As this form of light can penetrate much further into the skin, it could be absorbed and used at a level other therapies can’t. Due to this, it can be absorbed by mitochondria in the skin, producing more adenosine triphosphate, or ATP (see this scientific study for more technical info). 

What does that mean in normal terms? ATP is an energy source for cells. This means they could possibly restore and rejuvenate cells from the inside-out. This could, in turn, majorly contribute to overall skin health, as well as assist with specific issues. 

Unlike lasers, there’s no surface skin damage from RLT. It works about half a centimeter below the surface. This means there’s potential to achieve the same effects as IPL and other laser treatments, but without the controlled surface damage.

As this is still a new technology, we’re only in the early research phase. More scientific examination of the exact potential and benefits of red light therapy is needed. But initial studies look promising.

While RLT does need some further research, infrared light therapy already has potential for key issues, including: 

We’ve known for a long time that sunlight can help certain cases of acne vulgaris. It calms overactive sebum production. But sunlight exposure comes with risks. Both UVA and UVB rays cause other skin issues, including skin cancers. 

Imagine being able to harness all the good things about the sunlight spectrum, without the bad? That’s the potential that red light therapy for face acne has. It’s often combined with blue light therapy and other treatments, as more research is still needed. But the potential to reduce inflammation and irritation whilst reducing sebum overproduction is huge. 

Rosacea is a condition where the face appears permanently ‘flushed’ due to dilated blood vessels. We already use an array of lasers to ‘zap’ away spider veins. However, because rosacea is caused by immunity and inflammation issues, that therapy is not particularly useful. They come back.

Red light therapy has the potential to both calm the inflammation and remove the damaged vessel. Rosacea light therapy is being investigated for its potential in a range of chronic inflammatory diseases and autoimmune issues, actually, for that reason. 

RLT may be able to rejuvenate the skin. It may increase collagen and fibroblast production, blood circulation, mRNA stimulation, and reduce cell damage. What does that mean for you? Younger, smoother skin, hopefully! Red light treatment could be a valuable anti-aging tool.

Besides these key areas, what other red light therapy benefits are there?

Many of the same benefits that could make it powerful in anti-aging would help speed wound healing. This has massive potential for surgical recovery, scar reduction, and so much more. 

Alopecia and hair loss is a confidence killer. RLT has already shown some potential, in a specific bandwidth, for increasing hair density. 

You’ve probably noted that inflammation is a common thread in the best red light therapy treatment potentials we’ve noted. Chronic inflammation is the root cause of many debilitating issues. RLT does seem to have consistent anti-inflammatory results, making this a very powerful possibility.

Already thinking of trying out red light therapy at home? SolaWave incorporates microcurrent, red light therapy, lifting massage, and therapeutic warmth to bring you real results and incredible self-care- all in one! If you’re keen to try out the remarkable potential of red light for yourself, why not pick one up today?