🔗 Share this article

Light therapy is clearly enjoying a moment. There are now available glowing gadgets targeting issues like complexion problems and aging signs along with sore muscles and oral inflammation, the newest innovation is a dental hygiene device outfitted with miniature red light sources, described by its makers as “a significant discovery for domestic dental hygiene.” Worldwide, the sector valued at $1bn last year is expected to increase to $1.8bn within the next decade. Options include full-body infrared sauna sessions, where instead of hot coals (real or electric) heating the air, the thermal energy targets your tissues immediately. As claimed by enthusiasts, it’s like bathing in one of those LED-lit beauty masks, stimulating skin elasticity, soothing sore muscles, alleviating inflammatory responses and persistent medical issues as well as supporting brain health.

The Science and Skepticism

“It sounds a bit like witchcraft,” notes a Durham University professor, who has researched light therapy for two decades. Naturally, certain impacts of light on human physiology are proven. Our bodies produce vitamin D through sun exposure, crucial for strong bones, immune defense, and tissue repair. Light exposure controls our sleep-wake cycles, additionally, triggering the release of neurochemicals and hormones while we are awake, and signaling the body to slow down for nighttime. Sunlight-imitating lamps frequently help individuals with seasonal depression to elevate spirits during colder months. Clearly, light energy is essential for optimal functioning.

Various Phototherapy Approaches

Although mood lamps generally utilize blue-spectrum frequencies, the majority of phototherapy tools use red or near-infrared wavelengths. In rigorous scientific studies, such as Chazot’s investigations into the effects of infrared on brain cells, identifying the optimal wavelength is crucial. Photons represent electromagnetic waves, extending from long-wavelength radiation to high-energy gamma radiation. Light-based treatment employs mid-spectrum wavelengths, with ultraviolet representing the higher energy invisible light, then visible light (all the colours we see in a rainbow) and finally infrared detectable with special equipment.

Ultraviolet treatment has been employed by skin specialists for decades to manage persistent skin disorders including eczema and psoriasis. It works on the immune system within cells, “and suppresses swelling,” explains a dermatology expert. “There’s lots of evidence for phototherapy.” UVA penetrates skin more deeply than UVB, in contrast to LEDs in commercial products (typically emitting red, infrared or blue wavelengths) “typically have shallower penetration.”

Safety Considerations and Medical Oversight

The side-effects of UVB exposure, like erythema or pigmentation, are recognized but medical equipment uses controlled narrow-band delivery – indicating limited wavelength spectrum – that reduces potential hazards. “It’s supervised by a healthcare professional, meaning intensity is regulated,” says Ho. And crucially, the lightbulbs are calibrated by medical technicians, “to ensure that the wavelength that’s being delivered is fit for purpose – as opposed to commercial tanning facilities, where oversight might be limited, and we don’t really know what wavelengths are being used.”

Commercial Products and Research Limitations

Red and blue light sources, he says, “aren’t really used in the medical sense, but they may help with certain conditions.” Red LEDs, it is proposed, improve circulatory function, oxygen uptake and dermal rejuvenation, and stimulate collagen production – an important goal for anti-aging. “Research exists,” comments the expert. “But it’s not conclusive.” Regardless, amid the sea of devices now available, “it’s unclear if device outputs match study parameters. We don’t know the duration, ideal distance from skin surface, if benefits outweigh potential risks. Numerous concerns persist.”

Treatment Areas and Specialist Views

Early blue-light applications focused on skin microbes, bacteria linked to pimples. Research support isn’t sufficient for standard medical recommendation – although, explains the specialist, “it’s commonly used in cosmetic clinics.” Some of his patients use it as part of their routine, he mentions, though when purchasing home devices, “we recommend careful testing and security confirmation. If it’s not medically certified, the regulation is a bit grey.”

Innovative Investigations and Molecular Effects

Simultaneously, in a far-flung field of pioneering medical science, researchers have been testing neural cells, discovering multiple mechanisms for infrared’s cellular benefits. “Pretty much everything I did with the light at that particular wavelength was positive and protective,” he says. Multiple claimed advantages have created skepticism toward light treatment – that claims seem exaggerated. But his research has thoroughly changed his mind in that respect.

The scientist mainly develops medications for neurological conditions, but over 20 years ago, a GP who was developing an antiviral light treatment for cold sores sought his expertise as a biologist. “He created some devices so that we could work with them with cells and with fruit flies,” he explains. “I was pretty sceptical. It was an unusual wavelength of about 1070 nanometres, that nobody believed did anything biological.”

Its beneficial characteristic, however, was that it travelled through water easily, meaning it could penetrate the body more deeply.

Mitochondrial Impact and Cognitive Support

Additional research indicated infrared affected cellular mitochondria. These organelles generate cellular energy, generating energy for them to function. “Every cell in your body has mitochondria, even within brain tissue,” notes the researcher, who prioritized neurological investigations. “It has been shown that in humans this light therapy increases blood flow into the brain, which is always very good.”

With specific frequency application, energy organelles generate minimal reactive oxygen compounds. In low doses this substance, notes the scientist, “activates protective proteins that safeguard mitochondria, preserve cell function and eliminate damaged proteins.”

All of these mechanisms appear promising for treating a brain disease: oxidative protection, inflammation reduction, and waste removal – self-digestion mechanisms eliminating harmful elements.

Ongoing Study Progress and Specialist Evaluations

When recently reviewing 1070nm research for cognitive decline, he reports, about 400 people were taking part in four studies, comprising his early research projects