‘It seems like sorcery’: is light therapy truly capable of improving your skin, whitening your teeth, and strengthening your joints?

Light therapy is clearly enjoying a surge in popularity. Consumers can purchase glowing gadgets targeting issues like complexion problems and aging signs to sore muscles and gum disease, the newest innovation is a toothbrush equipped with small red light diodes, marketed by the company as “a significant discovery in at-home oral care.” Internationally, the industry reached $1 billion in 2024 and is forecast to expand to $1.8 billion by 2035. There are even infrared saunas available, which use infrared light to warm the body directly, your body is warmed directly by infrared light. According to its devotees, the experience resembles using an LED facial mask, enhancing collagen production, relaxing muscles, alleviating inflammatory responses and chronic health conditions and potentially guarding against cognitive decline.

Research and Reservations

“It feels almost magical,” says a Durham University professor, a scientist who has studied phototherapy extensively. Certainly, we know light influences biological functions. Sunlight helps us make vitamin D, crucial for strong bones, immune defense, and tissue repair. Natural light synchronizes our biological clocks, additionally, triggering the release of neurochemicals and hormones while we are awake, and winding down bodily functions for sleep as it fades into night. Daylight-simulating devices are a common remedy for people with seasonal affective disorder (Sad) to elevate spirits during colder months. So there’s no doubt we need light energy to function well.

Different Light Modalities

While Sad lamps tend to use a mixture of light frequencies from the blue end of the spectrum, most other light therapy devices deploy red or infrared light. In rigorous scientific studies, including research on infrared’s impact on neural cells, identifying the optimal wavelength is crucial. Light constitutes electromagnetic energy, spanning from low-energy radio waves to high-energy gamma radiation. Phototherapy, or light therapy utilizes intermediate light frequencies, including invisible ultraviolet radiation, then visible light (all the colours we see in a rainbow) and then infrared (which we can see with night-vision goggles).

Dermatologists have utilized UV therapy for extensive periods to treat chronic skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and vitiligo. It works on the immune system within cells, “and dampens down inflammation,” notes Dr Bernard Ho. “Substantial research supports light therapy.” UVA reaches deeper skin layers compared to UVB, whereas the LEDs we see on consumer light-therapy devices (typically emitting red, infrared or blue wavelengths) “tend to be a bit more superficial.”

Safety Considerations and Medical Oversight

Potential UVB consequences, like erythema or pigmentation, are recognized but medical equipment uses controlled narrow-band delivery – indicating limited wavelength spectrum – which decreases danger. “It’s supervised by a healthcare professional, so the dosage is monitored,” says Ho. Essentially, the devices are tuned by qualified personnel, “to guarantee appropriate wavelength emission – unlike in tanning salons, where it’s a bit unregulated, and emission spectra aren’t confirmed.”

Consumer Devices and Evidence Gaps

Red and blue LEDs, he explains, “aren’t typically employed clinically, though they might benefit some issues.” Red LEDs, it is proposed, help boost blood circulation, oxygen uptake and cell renewal in the skin, and promote collagen synthesis – an important goal for anti-aging. “The evidence is there,” states the dermatologist. “But it’s not conclusive.” In any case, with numerous products on the market, “we’re uncertain whether commercial devices replicate research conditions. Appropriate exposure periods aren’t established, ideal distance from skin surface, if benefits outweigh potential risks. Numerous concerns persist.”

Treatment Areas and Specialist Views

Initial blue-light devices addressed acne bacteria, a microbe associated with acne. The evidence for its efficacy isn’t strong enough for it to be routinely prescribed by doctors – despite the fact that, says Ho, “it’s often seen in medical spas or aesthetics practices.” Certain patients incorporate it into their regimen, he observes, however for consumer products, “we recommend careful testing and security confirmation. If it’s not medically certified, the regulation is a bit grey.”

Cutting-Edge Studies and Biological Processes

Meanwhile, in innovative scientific domains, researchers have been testing neural cells, revealing various pathways for light-enhanced cell function. “Pretty much everything I did with the light at that particular wavelength was positive and protective,” he reports. The numerous reported benefits have generated doubt regarding phototherapy – that claims seem exaggerated. Yet, experimental evidence has transformed his viewpoint.

The researcher primarily focuses on pharmaceutical solutions for brain disorders, however two decades past, a GP who was developing an antiviral light treatment for cold sores sought his expertise as a biologist. “He designed tools for biological testing,” he explains. “I remained doubtful. This particular frequency was around 1070 nanometers, that many assumed was biologically inert.”

What it did have going for it, however, was its ability to transmit through aqueous environments, meaning it could penetrate the body more deeply.

Mitochondrial Impact and Cognitive Support

Additional research indicated infrared affected cellular mitochondria. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, creating power for cellular operations. “All human cells contain mitochondria, even within brain tissue,” notes the researcher, who prioritized neurological investigations. “Research confirms improved brain blood flow with phototherapy, which is always very good.”

Using 1070nm wavelength, energy organelles generate minimal reactive oxygen compounds. In limited quantities these molecules, says Chazot, “stimulates so-called chaperone proteins which look after your mitochondria, protect cellular integrity and manage defective proteins.”

All of these mechanisms appear promising for treating a brain disease: free radical neutralization, anti-inflammatory, and cellular cleanup – autophagy being the process the cell uses to clear unwanted damaging proteins.

Current Research Status and Professional Opinions

The last time Chazot checked the literature on using the 1070 wavelength on human dementia patients, he reports, several hundred individuals participated in various investigations, incorporating his preliminary American studies