Professional treatments
Why Red Light Therapy is the Gold Standard Treatment
Blotchy, inflamed and red—sound familiar?
Or maybe your skin is showing signs of stress? With a routine all over the place.
Then, you will need to press reset with red light therapy.
It has numerous healing and skin-rejuvenating benefits.
That goes far beyond what is possible with a topical.
Bringing calm and radiance to your complexion.
In this article, we discuss with our founder why she loves red light therapy.
Contents
You’re a big advocate of red light therapy; why?
I’m a licensed esthetician, skin educator, and the founder of the Naked Chemist range. I have over 30 years of experience working directly with the skin.
The reason this is my go-to treatment is that you can roughly break down the client’s skin concerns into four groups:
- 20% of them have oily/combination skin (blue light therapy is excellent for this)
- 30% are concerned with conditions associated with ageing
- 30% of them are concerned with skin conditions presenting on their skin, like rosacea, inflammation, psoriasis, ageing and acne inflammation
- 20% of them have post-procedure side effects due to harsh treatments like micro-needling, chemical peels or laser
80% of clients with sensitivity, ageing concerns, or post-procedure problems will benefit from red light therapy.
Red light therapy protects your barrier.
I also love this treatment because I work holistically, and red light therapy fits my philosophy.
What I mean by this is that when I’m working with clients, I always want to come from a place of keeping the protective barrier functioning at its optimal potential and the delicate microflora that makes up the acid mantle intact.
This holistic approach keeps the pH balanced and the skin healthy and free from conditions.
Why destroy something that is there to protect you? To then build it back up again? It makes no sense to me.
Exciting research
The following studies are exciting in terms of how red light therapy can improve skin conditions:
A considerable body of research (1) suggests that LED light therapy helps improve skin conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis, and solar keratoses—those scaly, dry patches of skin damaged by the sun.
This study (2) found that red light therapy significantly increased cellular growth by 150 to 170%, promoting wound healing and reducing associated pain.
One important process inwounds andscar healings is the production of new collagen, which this article discusses.
This study (3) on skin cells found that red light therapy significantly boosted collagen production and improved skin texture.
Red light benefits
It is an excellent treatment for facial rejuvenation, wound healing, and pain.
These are just some of the benefits that can be gained from this gold-star treatment.
- redness
- sensitivity
- rosacea
- immune health
- heals wounds
- sagging skin
- post-procedure care.
- acne inflammation
- fine lines and wrinkles
- sluggish lymphatic system
- strengthen the immune system
- protects against pathogens and diseases
So you can begin to understand why I like this treatment.
Alongside these skin rejuvenation benefits, research on red light therapy shows it can help with pain, which is why it is often used in sports injury rehabilitation.
Moving forward, the possibilities of red light therapy to treat a variety of health and aesthetic concerns are emerging rapidly.
This is all thanks to interest and research from hospitals and universities, and the at-home devices are making their use more accessible.
At-home treatments
Red light therapy is a non-invasive treatment that uses specific wavelengths of red light to promote healing, reduce inflammation, and improve skin health.
These devices typically take the form of tools like wands, masks, or lamps with dozens to hundreds of tiny LED lights attached.
The company Therapeutic Beams offers a range of red light therapy devices designed to provide safe and effective treatment for various conditions.
I also really like Omnilux. Our clients have seen great results when using these two products at home.
However, if you experience side effects, I recommend immediately consulting your doctor or dermatologist and stop using the device.
You recommend it for post-micro-needling; why?
Yes, because red light therapy stimulates the lymphatic system and helps to strengthen the immune system—your body’s internal army that protects you against toxins, pathogens and disease—a topic I discuss in this article on sensitivity.
Why don’t you recommend laser treatments or peels as post-procedure treatments after micro-needling?
Microneedling creates maximum barrier disruption.
Immediately after treatment, the channels in the skin are wide open, and any active ingredients, like peels or vitamin C, are in their ascorbic acid form (the clue being in the word acid).
When applied to your skin during and after treatment, it penetrates to the deeper layers, irritating and causing inflammation beneath the skin’s surface.
As a result, we see more people presenting with skin problems and systemic illnesses.
Why is inflammation harmful to the skin?
The short answer is that it is the route of all premature ageing.
Think sun-damaged skin: thick, leathery, and heavily lined. This is due to inflammation in your skin tissue, a topic I discuss in greater detail here.
Understanding LED therapy
You’ll have to bear with me here as I get a bit skin sciency.
LED (Light-Emitting Diode) devices have a lot of science behind them, and what’s more, NASA has also studied them, which is impressive.
Different wavelengths of visible white light are used to change the behaviour of your skin cells. The wavelengths used for LED light therapy are:
- Blue LED: 450-500 nm
- Yellow LED: 570-590 nm
- Red LED: 610-760 nm
- Near Infrared: < 760nm
Different lights can offer additional benefits for the skin; I discuss this in more detail in the article LED light therapy.
Blue light therapy is excellent for oily skin. It kills acne-causing bacteria if you suffer from breakouts.
When red light therapy and blue light are used in combination, it can make a massive difference to the skin, especially if you have many conditions.
When red light therapy is combined with near-infrared light, often used in masks and at higher strengths in clinics, it makes a powerful combination for cellular restoration, warding off premature ageing, immune health and healing sensitive skin.
How long before you see results with Red Light Therapy?
Patience is key in most skincare treatments, and red light therapy is no exception.
While the treatment can start working immediately, visible results typically take one to three months, depending on factors such as your skin condition and the consistency of use.
For example, a 10- to 15-minute session, two to three times per week, is often recommended.
Consistent use of red light therapy can help with acne, scar reduction, and dark spot reduction, among other skin concerns.
Buyer beware
You may be surprised to learn that there are impostors in RED light therapy.
Unfortunately, copycat machines make claims and even provide results they say are based on actual, tested, and genuine reviews. Yet, these copycat machines are poorly executed.
One company offers “full body red light therapy”, which utilises fluorescent tubes emitting red light.
However, the colour of the light is not equivalent to the amount of light energy emitted by a light-emitting diode (LED). Fluorescent tubes can’t produce a stable light spectrum like LEDs because of the variables involved in their production and application.
It is important to understand that fluorescent tube lights can be off by as much as ±10 % of their original specifications; this can vary widely depending on the equipment used.
Other variables may include the power supply, the lamp’s proximity to the skin or body, the types of acrylic shields and reflectors used, the lamp’s temperature, and even the bulb’s age.
These variables cause the 633-nanometer spectrum to become entirely different; they have not been resolved with fluorescent tube-type, and consequently don’t produce sufficient verifiable stability in output.
Therefore, these are not actual red light therapies but rather an attempt to lure the unsuspecting user with a marketing message based on real-world LED results.
The FDA has prohibited the use and/or modification of these copycat products until they are proven not to be harmful and/or produce the claimed results.
To conclude. The naked truth
While research on red light therapy is ongoing, it remains exciting because of all the proven positive effects that are coming to light (excuse the pun) regarding facial rejuvenation.
Its benefits for sensitive skin are wide-reaching, and it has the potential to help treat acne inflammation and reduce redness.
I also see excellent results in my clients’ skin when their healing time post-procedure decreases after treatments like micro-needling. It might even stimulate hair growth and general skin rejuvenation if that’s not enough.
There are some copycat machines out there, so do your research well, and if you are in doubt, read this by Omnilux (4), a company I mentioned above that has years of research behind it and with integrity.
With red light therapy reading like a beauty resume, you’d agree that your skin could benefit from some red light therapy if you have sensitive skin or conditions associated with inflammation or premature ageing.
References
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Phototherapy with Light Emitting Diodes
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Effect of NASA light-emitting diode irradiation on wound healing
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Skin photorejuvenation effects of light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
- Omnilux medical treatment protocol.