How Often is Red Light Therapy Recommended

What is red light therapy?

Red light therapy is a treatment which sees a variety of health problems, from depression to skin conditions miraculously cured after a series of repeated treatments.

It utilizes red light waves from the infrared color spectrum to shine onto patients. Unlike ultraviolet light, which is the light shone from the sun, it is not harmful to humans when concentrated onto your skin.

The therapy was discovered around 1990 with it becoming more commercially available to the general public in recent years. There are claims that it can be used to great effect of many major and minor health and cosmetic issues found in everyday life.

Some sites are deeming it to be a guardian angel if you are looking for a healthier and younger-looking body when used in certain areas of the body.

This is due to the light helping to stimulate regenerative skin cells which make your skin look more refreshed, with fewer wrinkles and blemishes.

Does it Work?

There are many uses for the treatment, with some health professionals agreeing that it has been used to some degree of success. This has included sports stars to aid their recovery treatments and some claim that it has helped mental health issues such as depression. With so many possible treatments available, does the therapy actually work, or is it just a classic claim while under false pretense.

Users of red-light therapy are able to use it at home, but you can’t use a simple red light bulb. There are only certain wavelengths, not achievable with commercially sourced bulbs, which have been found to provide benefits. While it is possible to buy lights from certain retailers, specialists should be consulted before committing to a self-use product.

Results are claimed to be seen within a few months of treatment, but for results of the fullest effect, patients should expect to be using red light therapy for much longer. This should include 2-3 treatments a week and consistent to maintain the effects of the treatment.

When is it Recommended?

Skin treatment

– Skin damage such as bruises, wrinkles and other blemishes can be helped by red light therapy due to the red-light stimulating blood flow around the area of the damage. This helps to accelerate the healing process, which will allow your skin to look healthier in a shorter time period than natural healing.

Hair growth

– Red light therapy can be used to help promote hair growth in patches of bad growth. Red light therapy can be used in place of more expensive hair transplants. A study into the effects of this treatment found that an average of 30% extra growth was found in people that used red light therapy over naturally growing hair. Users could see an increase in the amount and thickness of hair within just a few weeks of repeated treatments.

Growing plants in space

– As well as health treatments, red light can be used to promote the growth of plants when in an outworld environment. This was the original use of the technology (NASA) before it was tested for other uses in commercial environments. The experiments found that growth was faster when under red light so was used to grow food for the astronauts on space stations.

Aiding chemo

– Although not a cure for cancer, red light therapy has been found to help women undergoing treatment for breast cancer with fatigue after completing a chemotherapy session, this can also be crossed over to mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. It works by exposing patients to bright light (normally exposed to from daylight) which they are missing due to isolation and a reluctance to go outside.

Risks

Red light treatment is not secondary to medicine and therapy found in hospitals and following advice from doctors. The practice should be used as a secondary process to any advice and prescriptions offered from healthcare professionals.

There have been no recorded side effects directly related to red light therapy if the treatment is completed with correct usage. There is a risk of eye damage if a user looks directly into the light without eye protection to block out direct eye contact. Some people have also obtained burns after falling asleep while under the light, but this is likely due to poor responsibility during use.

Who is Offering the Treatment?

Red light therapy is currently offered privately in locations such as London. Beauty clinics are currently offering the service for around £20 per 30-minute appointment. If you would like to use services such as these, book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Currently, you are able to buy home-use kits for around £50 to £200 but users opting to use these methods should visit an experienced professional to witness proper technique before committing to self-use. This will help to minimize risks (even if only a few) and to ensure that you use the product to its greatest effect.

Due to the unconventional use of red-light therapy, the practice is generally not used by public sector organizations. This is because modern medicine and treatments can be used to greater effect.

Similar to herbal treatments, red light therapy should only be perused as an enhancement treatment rather than a direct replacement.

Here to Stay

With treatments having a low risk, a good amount of uses and a highly positive success rate it would seem that red light therapy will be around for a while. The service can be offered cheaply and is user-friendly for those who want to save some money in the long term.

The fad has been popularized by media, especially within the celebrity and sports lifestyle genre, and its growth has been profitable for the beauty industry. Expect to see more uses cropping up in the future as more research is completed using red light.

If you would like to try it for yourself, research into local beautician stores which offer the service in your local area. For a competitive price, you too could join the thousands of people already experiencing the positive effects of red light therapy!

Bibliography:

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/red-light-therapy-benefits#Different-than-daylight

https://www.glamour.com/story/red-light-therapy-may-actually-be-the-fountain-of-youth

https://trophyskin.com/pages/red-light-therapy-the-complete-guide-including-use-benefits-treatment

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24078483

https://www.treatwell.co.uk/places/treatment-led-light-therapy/offer-type-local/in-london-uk/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3192914/