How often should you do red light therapy?
“If you are using a handheld device, it can be used 3-5 times a week for 10-20 minutes each time.” Dr. Paulvin himself recommends undergoing red light therapy 4-5 times per week, ideally, as it takes consistency to get more noticeable results. “There is no maximum or limit to exposure,” he adds.
How long does it take to see results when doing red light therapy? Every individual may respond differently to specific treatments and results will also depend on the goal you want to achieve. However, with daily use, you should be able to see improvements in 4 to 6 weeks.
Key Takeaways: Red light therapy is used for skin health, body contouring, mood, brain health, hair regrowth, and pain management. Possible side effects are topical and mostly temporary, including hyperpigmentation and skin sensitivity.
Clients are also encouraged by the fact that red light therapy is safe – because it does not harm the skin or the underlying tissue, there is virtually no risk of overdoing it.
The most optimal time for a light therapy session is morning or evening around the time of sunrise or sunset. This mimics the time of day when we receive the most red and near-infrared light from the natural sun.
The major contraindications for the use of light therapy are diseases that involve the retina of the eye, such as diabetes, and the use of photosensitizing medications like lithium, melatonin, phenothiazine antipsychotics, and certain antibiotics.
Red light therapy is generally considered safe, even though researchers aren't exactly sure how and why it works. And there are no set rules on how much light to use. Too much light may damage skin tissue, but too little might not work as well.
The theory is that red light wavelengths stimulate the production of melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps you sleep. Your brain releases more melatonin as darkness falls and tends to release less when you're exposed to light.
Guide to Preparing Your Skin for Red Light Therapy
Treat your skin nicely—avoid irritating your skin with aggressive exfoliant products or sun exposure. Clean your skin with a gentle, non-drying cleanser before treatment to remove any mineral-based sunscreen or makeup containing zinc.
Red light therapy (RLT) involves exposing the body to low-wavelength red light. The therapy aims to solve skin conditions such as scarring, and signs of aging — including wrinkles and age spots. There is some evidence to back up many of these claims, but RLT is no miracle cure.
How can I tell if red light therapy is working?
Red light therapy has an immediate effect on the body, so you can expect to enjoy some of the benefits of PBMT right away. You might have less pain and swelling in an injured area, for example. You might also notice improvements in your mood after PBMT—you will probably sleep better too!
Red light therapy is a safe, effective, and natural treatment option for hair loss that's gaining popularity with professionals and the public. Backed by a strong base of peer-reviewed clinical research, red light treatments have increased hair count, hair density, and hair thickness for men and women alike.
10-15 Minute Treatment Times: 10-minute treatments per area at 6 inches from your device are optimal. 15-20 minutes for symptomatic areas may be beneficial, but beyond that, the evidence points to diminishing returns (your cells can only absorb so much light at once).
A: It is not required that you wear eye protection, nevertheless the lights are very bright and may be uncomfortable for some individuals with sensitivities to light. Q: Is Red Light Therapy similar to tanning? A: No not at all. You will not get a tan from Red Light Therapy, nor does it expose you to damaging UV rays.
An easy way to think about it is, the closer you are, the lower the treatment time, the farther you are, the higher the treatment time. One more key variable in getting the most effective dose for your red light therapy treatment is time. Ideally, you want your treatment times to be anywhere from 2-15 minutes.
In summary, clinical research and the accounts of many natural health experts shows that red light therapy can be an effective, safe, and natural treatment for weight loss and fat reduction, as well as an efficacious method of body contouring and cosmetic improvement.
Yes, it may very well be an effective treatment for hair regrowth. “There is actually over a decade worth of research using red light—oftentimes LEDs, sometimes lasers—to promote hair growth,” says Dr. Jagdeo.
Red LED light therapy may reduce inflammation and stimulate the production of collagen, a protein responsible for younger-looking skin that diminishes with age. Blue LED light therapy may destroy acne-causing bacteria (P. acnes).
Clinical research is showing that red light therapy can improve sleep quality and duration, and help people produce more of their own melatonin. Light plays a major role in your sleep cycle. The body's circadian clock interprets light as a sign of when to sleep and when to be awake.
Stimulates Hair Growth. Red light therapy isn't just for women. Men with patchy facial hair can benefit from red light therapy as well. It can help stimulate hair growth, filling in those unsightly patches.
What are detox symptoms from red light therapy?
- Skin issues like psoriasis, acne, or eczema.
- Brain fog.
- Anxiety.
- Insomnia.
- Dizziness.
- Food sensitivities.
- Flare-ups of autoimmune issues.
Combats The Signs Of Aging
That's where red light can come in. ”By stimulating collagen and elastin production, red light therapy helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles, giving skin a more youthful appearance,” Dr. Engelman says.
Patients who received red light treatments experienced: Significant increases in visual acuity, or vision sharpness as measured by how well they could make out distant letters and numbers. Significant decreases in edema and hemorrhaging, which means less distorted vision and broken blood vessels.
Reduce Symptoms of Anxiety & Depression
Research evidence suggests Red Light can bring measurable improvements to disorders like PTSD, depression and anxiety, as well as lifestyle factors that affect mental health (including sleep and stress).
Salicylic Acid & BHAs
Salicylic acids and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs) penetrate deep into the skin to clear clogged pores, reduce inflammation, and loosen and exfoliate dead skin cells. Treatments containing salicylic acid and BHAs work well with red light therapy.
Red light therapy has an immediate effect on the body, so you can expect to enjoy some of the benefits of PBMT right away. You might have less pain and swelling in an injured area, for example. You might also notice improvements in your mood after PBMT—you will probably sleep better too!
There is a sweet spot for treatment with red light. The maximum amount of time you should expose your body to this concentrated red light is 15-20 minutes a day.
The good news is that red light therapy does start helping your body from the very first session, but continued treatments help achieve more lasting results. You may see or feel minor results immediately, but the best results are typically achieved over 3-6 months if you consistently visit Sculptology for treatments.
The red/near-infrared rays need to get through to your skin/tissues/bone. We have a comfortable and private room for you to undress and expose the area you want treated. Light must shine directly on clean, bare skin. You can sit or stand at least 6 inches away from the unit during your treatment.
Red and Infrared Laser Therapy and LED light therapy have proven effective at eliminating puffiness around the eyes. Red 660nm monochromatic light from a laser triggers the body to produce new skin cells and collagen causing the skin around the eye to become noticeably smoother.
What body parts are best for red light therapy?
If you want to treat a localized area, such as your face, neck, scalp, a pulled muscle, or an aching knee, a small red light panel could be ideal. Larger panels are more effective at treating widespread conditions and for whole-body treatment.
There are special skin-care products for red light treatments, which complement and intensify its action. The use of normal day cream/body lotion after a red light treatment is not necessary, but will not have any negative effect on the results.
How does red light therapy work? Also commonly referred to as low-level laser light therapy, soft laser therapy, or cool or cold laser therapy, RLT is most commonly administered with a panel of LEDs at a dermatologist or aesthetician's office though both at-home wands, though face masks exist as well.