How Exactly Does Red Light Therapy Work?

Red light therapy is a non-invasive treatment for a number of skin conditions. With the use of LED lights, cells are stimulated through deep near-infrared light waves to promote healing. Despite what some might say, the proper use of red light therapy is a perfectly safe procedure that you can do daily.

Once upon a time, you could only go out to spas to get red light therapy done. Nowadays you can do it from the comfort of your own home. To understand how red light therapy works, we’ll need to step back in time to 1903, before LED lights were even invented. This article will cover some of the history behind red light therapy, then go into how it works, what the benefits behind red light therapy are, and some general tips on how to get the most out of it.

A brief history of light wave therapy

A Scandinavian scientist by the name of Niels Ryberg Finsen had a disease known as Niemann-Pick disease, a debilitating disease that causes anemia, and extreme tiredness. Finsen found that days spent sunbaking would make him feel stronger, so he turned to researching light waves as a method of treatment for diseases. This method is known as phototherapy. With phototherapy, in 1893 he began treatment for smallpox, and in 1895 advanced his research for treating lupus.

During experiments involving the use of refractive rays from the sun, he was able to demonstrate that it had a stimulating effect on tissue, but would eventually result in tissue damage (sunburn). Nonetheless with controlled, and lower-level rays of light, Finsen was able to prove that light waves are effective in treating tissue-damaging diseases such as lupus and skin damage such as scars and pockmarks.

Finsen’s methods eventually gained so much traction in the medical field that a Finsen Institute was erected for the treatment of skin related diseases and damage using phototherapy. This was a monumental discovery for the time, and he was rewarded for his efforts with a Nobel Prize in 1903.

How does red light therapy work?

Within our bodies we have cells known as mitochondria. Mitochondria supply our bodies with energy, and we are able to stimulate and strengthen our cells with light waves. The problem found with light waves, as Fensen reported, is that despite their healing agents for under the skin, they can damage the surface layer.

It has been found that red light therapy is a lot less damaging than laser surgery, as that leaves burn marks, and can damage the skin. The idea behind laser surgery is that the damage done by the laser induces a state of repair within the cells. Red light therapy instead directly stimulates cells for growth without the need for damage, so it’s a much less invasive and painless experience compared to other light therapy methods.

Red light works because it has a lower level of heat than most colours on the spectrum, yet is strong enough to illuminate deep into the skin tissue. The red light then stimulates the Mitochondrions we mentioned before, and other cells within our body so they can begin the repair work.

What are the benefits of red light therapy?

It’s been proven that red light therapy using mito wellness mini red light therapy panel is a method of treating tissue damage and even vitalising hair growth. It goes further than that though, as there are multiple benefits to red light therapy. Keep in mind that red light therapy shouldn’t be used as a primary method for treating anything, and without the consent of a doctor. It’s been shown that red light therapy has the subsequent benefits:

• Tissue repair: This is the main one, as spoken of before, red light panel therapy allows cells to do extensive repair to any previous damage done to the skin, such as scars, stretch lines, pockmarks, and even wrinkles.
• Wound healing: Open wounds can be slightly repaired with red light therapy, but this doesn’t mean it should be used as a primary method for healing wounds. Stick to going to the doctor for serious wounds. But, in saying that, with red light therapy smaller, slow healing wounds, such as ulcers can be stimulated to heal faster.
• Cancer treatment: Some cases of cancer have been found to be treated with red light therapy, by stimulating cells to heal and regrow previously damaged cells.
• Pain relief: Pains from stiffness and even arthritis can be relieved through the usage of red light therapy.

Some final tips for red light therapy

Before we leave, we’ll give you some tips so you can get the most out of your red light therapy treatment.

1. Be consistent: It may seem obvious, but it’s easy to lose track or interest in something if you don’t see instantaneous results. Remember, this will be a relatively slow process, but worth it, so keep at it around 3-4 times a week to ensure you’re activating the cells often enough.
2. Clothing: You don’t want to be wearing any kind of clothing or jewellery over the skin you’re targeting whilst going through the therapy, as it won’t allow the light waves to penetrate deeply enough into your skin.
3. Make sure to use the device correctly: If you have a home kit, make sure you’re following the instructions as closely as possible. It’s easy to get absent minded and stray too far or too close to the device, and lose track of time. Keep within a 15-30 cm range, and generally run your sessions for 10-20 minutes.
4. Keep hydrated: Not only is it a good idea to keep hydrated for your health, but cells also work better whilst they’re hydrated, as they use the energy gained from hydration.
5. Keep track of progress: Much like going to the gym, it’s a great idea to keep track of how your progress is going. Tracking progress is a great way to keep motivated, as you can see how far you’ve come. Keep a record of photos, so you can see the changes and compare them with the originals.

That’ll be it for the lesson on red light therapy. An interesting method of therapy that has roots all the way back to the late 1800s because a man got curious. Remember to keep at it, and track how you’re going. Don’t use it in excessive amounts, and don’t use it for any kind of treatment for illness without approval from a doctor.