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Phototherapy is certainly having a surge in popularity. There are now available illuminated devices designed to address complexion problems and aging signs along with muscle pain and periodontal issues, the latest being an oral care tool outfitted with miniature red light sources, described by its makers as “a breakthrough 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, where instead of hot coals (real or electric) heating the air, the thermal energy targets your tissues immediately. Based on supporter testimonials, it’s like bathing in one of those LED-lit beauty masks, stimulating skin elasticity, soothing sore muscles, reducing swelling and long-term ailments while protecting against dementia.

Understanding the Evidence

“It appears somewhat mystical,” says Paul Chazot, who has researched light therapy for two decades. Naturally, some of light’s effects on our bodies are well established. Sunlight helps us make vitamin D, crucial for strong bones, immune defense, and tissue repair. Sunlight regulates our circadian rhythms, as well, stimulating neurotransmitter and hormone production during daytime, and winding down bodily functions for sleep as it fades into night. Daylight-simulating devices are standard treatment for winter mood disorders to combat seasonal emotional slumps. Undoubtedly, light plays a vital role in human health.

Types of Light Therapy

While Sad lamps tend to use a mixture of light frequencies from the blue end of the spectrum, consumer light therapy products mostly feature red and infrared emissions. During advanced medical investigations, including research on infrared’s impact on neural cells, finding the right frequency is key. Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation, spanning from low-energy radio waves to short-wavelength gamma rays. Light-based treatment employs mid-spectrum wavelengths, the highest energy of those being invisible ultraviolet, then visible light (all the colours we see in a rainbow) and infrared light visible through night vision technology.

UV light has been used by medical dermatologists for many years for addressing long-term dermatological issues like vitiligo. It modulates intracellular immune mechanisms, “and suppresses swelling,” notes Dr Bernard Ho. “There’s lots of evidence for phototherapy.” UVA reaches deeper skin layers compared to UVB, in contrast to LEDs in commercial products (usually producing colored light emissions) “tend to be a bit more superficial.”

Risk Assessment and Professional Supervision

UVB radiation effects, including sunburn or skin darkening, are well known but in medical devices the light is delivered in a “narrow-band” form – meaning smaller wavelengths – which decreases danger. “It’s supervised by a healthcare professional, thus exposure is controlled,” notes the specialist. Most importantly, the lightbulbs are calibrated by medical technicians, “to guarantee appropriate wavelength emission – as opposed to commercial tanning facilities, where regulations may be lax, and emission spectra aren’t confirmed.”

Commercial Products and Research Limitations

Red and blue light sources, he notes, “aren’t really used in the medical sense, but could assist with specific concerns.” Red wavelength therapy, proponents claim, help boost blood circulation, oxygen uptake and cell renewal in the skin, and activate collagen formation – a primary objective in youth preservation. “The evidence is there,” states the dermatologist. “But it’s not conclusive.” Regardless, amid the sea of devices now available, “it’s unclear if device outputs match study parameters. Optimal treatment times are unknown, proper positioning requirements, the risk-benefit ratio. Many uncertainties remain.”

Treatment Areas and Specialist Views

One of the earliest blue-light products targeted Cutibacterium acnes, a microbe associated with acne. Research support isn’t sufficient for standard medical recommendation – although, says Ho, “it’s often seen in medical spas or aesthetics practices.” Certain patients incorporate it into their regimen, he observes, though when purchasing home devices, “we advise cautious experimentation and safety verification. If it’s not medically certified, the regulation is a bit grey.”

Innovative Investigations and Molecular Effects

At the same time, in a far-flung field of pioneering medical science, scientists have been studying cerebral tissue, discovering multiple mechanisms for infrared’s cellular benefits. “Pretty much everything I did with the light at that particular wavelength was positive and protective,” he says. The numerous reported benefits have generated doubt regarding phototherapy – that claims seem exaggerated. But his research has thoroughly changed his mind in that respect.

Chazot mostly works on developing drug treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, however two decades past, a physician creating light-based cold sore therapy requested his biological knowledge. “He developed equipment for cellular and insect experiments,” he says. “I remained doubtful. It was an unusual wavelength of about 1070 nanometres, that nobody believed did anything biological.”

Its beneficial characteristic, though, was its efficient water penetration, meaning it could penetrate the body more deeply.

Cellular Energy and Neurological Benefits

More evidence was emerging at the time that infrared light targeted the mitochondria in cells. Mitochondria produce ATP for cell function, creating power for cellular operations. “Every cell in your body has mitochondria, even within brain tissue,” explains the neuroscientist, who, as a neuroscientist, decided to focus the research on brain cells. “Studies demonstrate enhanced cerebral circulation with light treatment, which is generally advantageous.”

With 1070 treatment, mitochondria also produce a small amount of a molecule known as reactive oxygen species. In limited quantities these molecules, notes the scientist, “triggers guardian proteins that maintain organelle health, preserve cell function and eliminate damaged proteins.”

These processes show potential for neurological conditions: free radical neutralization, anti-inflammatory, and pro-autophagy – autophagy representing cellular waste disposal.

Present Investigation Status and Expert Assessments

The last time Chazot checked the literature on using the 1070 wavelength on human dementia patients, he says, several hundred individuals participated in various investigations, including his own initial clinical trials in the US