Can light therapy, or photobiomodulation, benefit your health? And if so, how? How does red light therapy affect your well-being?
People have extolled the benefits of light therapy for thousands of years, historically with the sun serving as the light source. It wasn’t until 1903, when Niels Ryberg won the Nobel Prize, that we understood why: Specific wavelengths of light can positively influence our health.
Today, lasers and LED light therapy devices make photobimodulation therapy more precise. We can now truly isolate the beneficial wavelengths of sunlight to benefit our health.
Plus, through modern research, we understand more about what makes photobiomodulation therapy effective. Light therapy requires:
- Specific wavelengths of light – The benefits of red light therapy and near-infrared therapy, for example, have been studied most. RLT may improve skin health, reduce pain, and improve wound healing.
- Proper dosage – Like any medicine, light therapy requires the right dose. Too much or too little light reduces the positive benefits of photobiomodulation .
However, when these conditions are met, photobiomodulation benefits cellular health and triggers a cascade of positive effects in the body. These effects have many health implications, with use cases ranging from pain management to cancer treatment.
What Is Photobiomodulation Therapy?
Photobiomodulation is a form of treatment that uses light to benefit tissues and cells and promote natural healing processes.
When our cells absorb light, photochemical reactions occur. For example, vitamin D synthesis is a common photochemical reaction. Our skin cells absorb sunlight, which triggers a reaction that produces vitamin D3.
Photobimodulation therapy requires specific wavelengths of light to trigger photochemical responses that can benefit our health. Therefore, to experience positive benefits with photobiomodulation, we need to use the right “color” of light to trigger the desired photochemical response.
Is Photobimodulation the Same as Red Light Therapy?
Although red light therapy and photobiomodulation are commonly used interchangeably, they’re not the same thing.
Photobiomodulation is an all-encompassing term, referring to any wavelength of visible or invisible light. Therefore, photobiomodulation can refer to red light therapy, as well as blue light therapy or even ultraviolet light therapy.
Red light and near-infrared light therapy is photobiomodulation that uses only red or near-infrared wavelengths. Why not use all wavelengths? NIR and red light therapy wavelengths (from about 600-855nm) have shown the most promise in research for positively impacting health.
Why Does Red Light Therapy Benefit Health?
Red light and near-infrared therapy are commonly used because they penetrate more deeply. Therefore, these wavelengths deliver light therapy to cells and tissues in deeper layers of the skin (unlike UV or blue light).
Once absorbed by cells and tissues, red light therapy triggers a variety of reactions that benefit health:
1. ATP Production
Near-infrared wavelengths are absorbed by chromophores in the mitochondria, the cell’s powerhouses. This absorption is believed to enhance mitochondrial function, leading to increased production of ATP, the cell’s main energy source. This boost in cellular energy is thought to be a major contributor to the overall benefits of red light therapy.
2. Improved Nitric Oxide Production
Red light can stimulate the release of nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels. This improved blood flow delivers more oxygen and nutrients to tissues, further supporting cellular function.
3. Reduced Inflammation
Red light therapy might influence cellular processes to reduce inflammation and promote healing. This can be beneficial for various conditions where inflammation plays a role.
4. Cellular Repair and Regeneration
The increased energy from ATP production and improved blood flow may contribute to tissue repair and regeneration. This could be helpful for wound healing, reducing wrinkles, and promoting hair growth.
7 Important Benefits of Photobiomodulation and Red Light Therapy
In addition to using science-based wavelengths, red light therapy requires the right dosage (which is influenced by distance from the source and light strength).
However, when the precise color of light is delivered and the right amount, red light therapy benefits our health in some very real ways:
1. Anti-Inflammation
The anti-inflammatory effects of PBM have been studied by Michael Hamblin, a top photobiomodulation researcher.
Hamblin says that reducing inflammation is “one of the most reproducible effects of PBM.” Therefore, photobiomodulation therapy may benefit people who experience chronic inflammatory diseases like arthritis, asthma, or psoriasis.
2. Skin Rejuvenation
Photobiomodulation is widely used in skincare. The reason is that when red light interacts with skin cells, a variety of positive reactions occur. PBM therapy triggers collagen production, reduces inflammation, and aids tissue repair.
A 2014 study, for example, found that PBM therapy “significantly improved skin completion and skin feeling.” Therefore, the potential benefits of red light therapy for skincare include acne treatment, burn care, reducing scaring, and anti-aging.
3. Encourage Energy Production
As mentioned, PBM light therapy promotes production of ATP, the cell’s main source of energy. Not only does this increase in ATP benefit cellular processes – like regeneration – it also provides many physiological benefits.
For example, improving our body’s production of ATP may reduce fatigue, increase strength and athletic performance, and improve our body composition. Additionally, research suggests supplementing ATP production may help improve cardiovascular health.
4. Faster Healing
Photobiomodulation therapy benefits natural healing processes in the body. That’s why red light therapy is often used as an adjunct in physical therapy, for example.
Let’s look at an issue like a muscle tear. When near-infrared light is delivered to the damaged tissues, it stimulates cellular processes like ATP production, improves circulation, and reduces inflammation.
Therefore, the cells have more fuel to heal facilitate healing, while improved circulation delivers more oxygen and nutrients to the injured muscle tissues. Finally, reducing inflammation can create more favorable environments for healing.
The benefits of red light therapy for wound healing have also been widely studied. NASA-funded research from the 1980s suggests red light therapy can accelerate wound healing.
5. Pain Management
Red light therapy may help reduce pain. This benefit if believed to be triggered by the reduction in inflammation, increasing circulation to the source, and facilitating faster healing (in cases of acute pain).
For example, a recent 2024 study, found that a four week course of treatment for those with fibromyalgia pain resulted in lower reported pain scores immediately after treatment to six months post-treatment. Subjects also report higher quality of life and more leisure activity.
6. Improved Brain Function
PBM therapy may benefit brain health and provide neuroprotective properties.
For example, clinical research on PBM and traumatic brain injury has shown that red light therapy may help improve working memory, executive function, and sleep. Another study found that transcranial PBM therapy benefited dementia patients, resulting in reduced anxiety and improvements in cognitive function.
Another study found that transcranial PBM therapy benefited dementia patients, resulting in reduced anxiety and improvements in cognitive function.
One theory is that red light therapy positively affects brain cells and boosts cellular energy function.
7. Reduced Stress
Light therapy naturally relaxes the body, which is a more ancedotal benefit. Following photobiomodulation sessions, many say they feel more limber, calmer and less anxious.
One potential reason: Photobiomodulation’s natural ability to improve circulation can increase oxygen flow to muscles and facilitate more efficient waste removal.
Who Can Benefit from PBM Therapy?
Red light therapy is non-invasive and generally recognized as safe with rare side effects. It’s often used in holistic health to promote wellness, like yoga or massage. Plus, it’s increasingly being used as a complementary tool for many traditional treatments.
Light therapy, therefore, has the potential to benefit people with a wide variety of health concerns, including:
1. Chronic pain: This includes people with conditions like fibromyalgia, arthritis, and neuropathy. PBM may help alleviate pain and inflammation in these conditions.
2. Exercise performance: PBM has been used in sports medicine for injury recovery and performance enhancement. The light generated by PBM devices penetrates the skin down into the muscles and accelerates healing by stimulating mitochondria. It helps to reduce inflammation and promote the healing of muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
3. Skincare: Conditions like psoriasis, burns, acne, and wounds may benefit from PBM as it can promote healing and reduce inflammation and scarring.
4. Neurological disorders: Research has shown potential benefits of PBM for conditions like stroke, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. It’s thought that the therapy might help to protect and restore nerve function, although research is limited.
5. People with mood disorders: Some studies suggest that PBM may have potential benefits in treating conditions such as depression and anxiety, due to its effects on brain activity.
6. Hair loss: PBM has been used to stimulate hair growth in individuals with hair loss conditions such as alopecia.
Getting Started – Choose the Right Red Light Therapy Device
Ultimately, the effectiveness of photobiomodulation comes down to the devices that you use. You should choose a red light therapy device that delivers:
- Even coverage (high number of LEDs)
- Science-based wavelengths
- Sufficient power
- Light pulsing (which may affect penetration depth)
- Quality and safety
Hue Light USA offers a variety of at-home and professional LED light therapy devices. Our Whole-Body Photobiomodulation Chamber is a top red light therapy bed, and we offer red light therapy panels, breast PBM, and abdomen PBM devices, designed to help you experience the full benefits of photobiomodulation therapy.
