A popularity boom has occurred over red light therapy, especially on social media, which has brought more attention to this form of treatment and more skeptics.
However, LED light therapy isn't a new invention; it's been around for centuries. The U.S. Navy SEAL even started using light therapy to aid in healing wounds and muscle regeneration.
Since then, light therapy has been researched for its various effects, most notably for its non-invasive capabilities in the skincare industry.
Light therapy comes in different wavelengths and light depending on the desired treatment. These wavelengths can come in red, blue, purple, amber, or green light, which do not contain UV rays that are easily absorbed into the skin.
In comparison to ultraviolet rays, which are cancer-causing and damages the skin's DNA, red light therapy "is perfectly safe," said Dr. Susan Bard, board-certified New York dermatologist.
When undergoing red light therapy, no tanning or burning of the skin will occur. Its effects happen at the cellular level, rather than the surface level.
All living organisms need to produce ATP cellular energy to function and survive, meaning all organisms rely on natural light to power their bodies. Red and near-infrared wavelengths stimulate the cells' mitochondria - the cell's powerhouse - which takes the oxygen, light, and food we eat, turning it into energy for our bodies.
Red light therapy has been proven to treat or improve the following:
Michael R. Hamblin, Ph.D., principal investigator at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School said, “The number of conditions red light can treat is ‘continuously expanding.”
Light therapy transports safe, non-pharmaceutical concentrated wavelengths of natural light into your body's cells without the use of excessive heat or UV rays. Red and near-infrared wavelengths of light stimulate the cell's mitochondria, reducing oxidative stress and increasing circulation, allowing your body to create more natural energy.
At Kaiyan Medical, we believe in the power of light and healing without chemicals. With our light therapy devices, we achieve in making you the best version of yourself.
Holistic medicine is a whole-body approach to healthcare. It aims to improve health and wellness through the body, mind, and soul.
Holistic medicine is based on several core values:
LED stands for light-emitting diode. These lights have been in use since the 1960s, but people have only recently begun to use them as a skin treatment.
Before red light therapy entered the health and wellness industries, NASA developed LED lights to grow plants in space. But that was short-lived as LED’s benefits for wound healing and human tissue growth became visible.
LED lights, including blue and red, use varying wavelengths to penetrate the skin and absorb cells. The cell’s absorption triggers a biological process that helps the skin, muscles, and tissues rejuvenate and heal.
What makes LED treatment popular is its non-pharmaceutical and non-invasive treatment for healing acne, reversing sun damage, healing wounds, and other skin conditions.
Using LED treatment may be an amazing option for those who prefer a natural and non-pharmaceutical option to manage joint and muscle issues. By using a specific combination of visible and infrared wavelengths, you can heal the body from the inside out, healing conditions including arthritis without any side effects.
Whether you’re suffering from arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or a different ailment, here are the top five pain relief devices to try.
5) Double Side FDA Cleared Red/Infrared Lights Therapy Glove
Those who have arthritis or repetitive strain injury should avoid gripping and straining the area. The double side therapy glove can surround their hand for complete coverage without injuring their wrists or fingers.
4)The Multifunction Pen LED
A portable solution, ideal for travel, the multifunction pen LED is around the size of a flashlight, using specific wavelengths for anti-inflammatory treatment in localized areas of application.
3) Handheld Device with LED Red Light
The LED red light therapy handheld device is built with an ergonomic handle, allowing the wrist to naturally rest and the fingers to grip comfortably. Its compact and efficient design is ideal for travel.
2) Light Therapy Infrared Light Panel for Whole Body
Are you looking for deep penetration? The light therapy infrared light panel has the largest amount of diodes, ideal for full body treatment. It’s ideal for reducing inflammation, increasing circulation, and stimulating cell growth.
1. FDA Cleared Red/Infrared Led Light Therapy Pad
A red/infrared light therapy pad is ideal for treating larger or numerous areas of the body, including the lower back. You can apply the therapy pad for 15 minutes, receiving the ideal amount of LED light for treatment.
We’ve all been in the search to help us achieve perfect skin. But is it just a dream, or can it really be achieved? It looks like having light shined on your face may be the most important part of your skin routine.
Red light’s anti-inflammatory and collagen-building effects on the skin have been documented for years, showing its healing abilities. However, light therapy is branching out, including other light spectrums such as green, blue, purple, and amber, for different healing abilities.
Ellen Marmur, a New York dermatologist, said, It has just enough variety that people stay excited to use it.” While many at-home devices are small and require multiple treatments to cover the entire face, masks help solve this issue.
“It makes people feel good, like they’re taking care of themselves,” Dr. Marmur said. “You can treat your skin while doing other things, so it’s easier to form the habit of doing it every day.”
LED therapy, known as photobiomodulation, can alter biological matter using varying wavelengths of light.
Jared Jagdeo, associate professor of dermatology and director of the Center for Phototherapy, SUNY Downstate Health Science University, studies LED therapy. “You can alter the skin through photo-damaging with lasers, or photobiomodulation, which is a much more gentle way of changing the way the skin functions,” he said.
When asked why red light works particularly well with skin, he said, “There’s a specific receptor in the mitochondria of the skin cells that red light specifically acts upon. And that’s why red light is an ideal wavelength for changing the way the skin functions.”
Red light can pass through the skin, deeply entering tissue and stimulating the cell’s mitochondria, which results in anti-inflammation and the skin’s rejuvenation. Collagen is also produced in the dermis, smoothing out wrinkles and plumping the skin.
While blue light doesn’t penetrate deeply into the skin, it kills acne-causing bacteria on the skin’s surface. Green light, on the other hand, focuses on melanocytes, reducing excess melanin production.
Eye safety is a valid concern, particularly because earlier this year Neutrogena recalled its LED mask over fears that it could cause eye injuries.
Brain S. Biesman, assistant clinical professor of ophthalmology, dermatology, and ENT at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, states that most red light therapy devices aren’t powerful enough to cause eye damage. “Just normal blinking and eye movements should be sufficient to protect the eyes,” he said. “But never stare at a bright light source.”
More Thoughts
“As far as the F.D.A. is concerned, if I use CO2 laser resurfacing, it better work because of the amount of risk involved,” said Suzanne Kilmer, a clinical professor of dermatology at the UC Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento and director of the Laser and Skin Surgery Medical Group.
“Compare that to a home device,” Dr. Kilmer said. “If it doesn’t kill you, blind you or make things much worse, it’s probably going to get approved. So it’s actually more incumbent upon the people selling home devices to show efficacy. You have to trust the people who are selling them.”
“LED is real, but it’s probably not optimized yet,” Dr. Kilmer said.
With light therapy, various factors help determine the amount of light your skin needs: the light’s strength, the distance from the skin, the length of time the device is used on the skin, and the natural color of your skin.
“Some of these lights on the market are very weak, and they may not have enough energy output to actually have a biological effect,” Dr. Jagdeo said. “Imagine a glow stick. It produces a color. But you could shine it on your face all day, and it’s not going to change the way your skin works.”
Moreover, the medical community hasn’t determined the standardized dose for treating skin conditions such as hyperpigmentation and acne at home. Dr. Marmur chose her MMSphere dosing on Blu-U, an in-office blue light typically used as an alternative therapy for precancerous lesions.
“Consistent Sphere treatment for seven weeks will equal the energy given in the office with the Blu-U,” she said.
Another device, the Dr. Dennis Gross DRx SpectraLite FaceWare Pro, $435, releases red and blue light in a mask format, with each session lasting only three minutes. The mask’s LEDs are in contact with the skin, which may be a more effective treatment.
Dr. Jagdeo said, “This is a tremendously undertapped area in medicine. But LED light therapy is going to revolutionize the way home medical treatment is delivered for skin care over the next 10 to 15 years.”
If you’re considering developing your own LED facial mask, at Kayian Medical, our team of experts knows what they’re doing. We developed the Aduro mask, the top facial mask in the beauty industry with celebrities such as Julia Robert fans of the Aduro Mask. For more information, visit https://www.aduroled.com/.
For thousands of years, people have used sunlight as a means to aid health and even cure illness. But the concept has gone in and out of favor over the course of time.
Some of the logic related to sunlight began in China around 6,000 BC. At that time, Chinese architects began building homes to face south so that the sun would heat the interior, a practice that continues even today. While windows were likely no more than a gap in the wall at the time, you can still imagine families gathering around to soak up the light and heat. Finally, the trend of solar-heated homes began to catch on in Greece and even Rome. Learn more about solariums.
Then, in the 1900s, research by Augusta Rollier led to the establishment of solaria — buildings designed to optimize exposure to sunlight — throughout Switzerland for the express purpose of sunbathing, which provided impressive results for fighting tuberculosis, smallpox, lupus, and even chronic diseases like arthritis.
But by the middle of the 20th century, the American Cancer Society began demonizing sun exposure as a significant cause of skin cancer.
However, doctors, scientists, and clinical research is demonstrating that consistent exposure to sunlight is actually a critical component of overall health.
Almost all life on earth needs sunlight for many essential functions. It’s hard to ignore its importance for our emotional and physical health as well. We did not evolve in the darkness. The fact that our bodies use UV wavelengths to produce vitamin D has been well established. Read more about vitamin D here.
Several recent studies have come to the conclusion that consistent sunlight exposure actually reduces the chances of getting melanoma, and instead increases the survival rate. Also, throughout the ages, regardless of their geographical location, large groups of people have been exposed to nearly continuous sunlight. We evolved having sunlight.
So why did the melanoma epidemic not hit until the 1970s? And if sunscreen is the solution, why have melanoma rates increased over 200% since 1973 — even while the U.S. sunscreen industry has expanded from $18 million in 1972 to around $2 billion today? It’s hard to believe that sunlight was the major problem, nor sunscreen the solution.
A recent review of many such studies published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention concluded that “there is accumulating evidence for sunlight as a protective factor for several types of cancer.”[5] Sadly, many people still live under the incorrect premise that sunlight is damaging and harmful.
The reality is that we have become so disconnected from natural sunlight that our bodies aren’t equipped to handle its under-appreciated benefits. You may be surprised to learn that as your body gets sunlight in the morning, you can actually prepare your cells for the effects of UV light later in the day. And amazingly, the wavelengths in evening sunlight have a natural repairing effect. That’s because red and infrared wavelengths, which are delivered in higher concentrations in the morning and evening, have the unique ability to boost mitochondrial function. This, in turn, enables our cells to both withstand the stresses — and harness the benefits — of UV light. In addition, exposure to sunlight as the seasons change allows our skin to develop a tan, which also forms a natural protection against the stronger UV wavelengths during the summer months.
So the evidence suggests that sunlight might not be the bad guy, after all, we just need to develop a better understanding of how sunlight affects our bodies, and how to harness its potential to improve our health.
Our retinas are connected directly to the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus gland, which acts as the master circadian pacemaker of the body. Because of this, light received through your eyes plays a critical role in hormonal functions including melatonin production, which regulates our sleep. Quite literally, your body knows to shut off this hormone through exposure to morning sunlight. This type of exposure early in the day also helps produce melatonin later in the evening, when light is absent. Even more amazing, the hypothalamus gland, which is controlled by light, is responsible for controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and emotional activity — in addition to regulating your hormones and circadian rhythm!
Dopamine is another chemical that is regulated by light and released in the brain. It functions as a neurotransmitter and is closely tied to the emotions of reward and pleasure. In fact, many addictive drugs increase dopamine neuronal activity. Not surprisingly, studies have demonstrated that light exposure is tied to increased dopamine production. So it’s clear that light received through our eyes plays a much more powerful role than most of us realize.
Getting as much natural sunlight as possible is clearly important. For example, receiving morning sunlight correctly sets your circadian rhythm. However, nowadays, most of us find it challenging to spend hours in the sun — at the right time of day — on a regular basis. Our busy schedules just don’t allow for more time in the sun. In fact, it’s estimated that Americans spend more than 90% of their time indoors.
Because this is the case for most of us, a great way to receive the healthy wavelengths of light is by using a light therapy device. One way to think of red light therapy is as a supplement for your health. Dietary supplements help fill out the vitamins your body needs, and regular red light therapy sessions help fill in the lack of natural light our bodies need.
There are many proven benefits of receiving certain wavelengths of natural sunlight directly through our skin and bodily tissues. One aspect that has received little attention is related to the cellular processes affected by certain wavelengths of light.
Researchers in the field of light therapy, or photobiomodulation (PBM), have discovered some incredibly powerful functions derived from wavelengths of light in the optimal window. Improved mitochondrial function, which impacts virtually all cellular metabolic activity, has been widely demonstrated to improve health in a number of ways — including enhanced muscle recovery, reduced inflammation, increased testosterone, and better overall skin health.
In addition to these clinically-proven benefits, several studies have demonstrated that certain wavelengths of light can increase blood flow and assist in the formation of new capillaries. Dr. Gerald Pollack explores this concept in more detail in his award-winning book, The Fourth Phase of Water.
In conclusion, scientists are really just beginning to understand the crucial role that light plays in our overall health. But recent evidence strongly suggests that exposing our bodies to the right kind of light can lead to some wonderful benefits.
https://www.mcgill.ca/library/files/library/osler-ourfriendsun.pdf.
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Berwick, M., et al. Sun Exposure and Mortality From Melanoma. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005 Feb 2;97(3):195–9.
van der Rhee H, Coebergh JW, de Vries E. Sunlight, vitamin D and the prevention of cancer: a systematic review of epidemiological studies. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2009 Nov;18(6):458–75.
Avci, P, et. al. Low-level (light) therapy (LLLT) in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2013 Mar;32(1):41–52.
Cawley, EI, et al. Dopamine and light: dissecting effects on mood and motivational states in women with subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2013 Nov;38(6):388–97.
Ihsan FR. Low-level laser therapy accelerates collateral circulation and enhances microcirculation. Photomed Laser Surg. 2005 Jun;23(3):289–94.
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