What is red light therapy?
Red light therapy (RLT) is a treatment that uses low levels of red light to reportedly improve your skin's appearance, like reducing wrinkles, scars, redness and acne.
In the early 1990s, RLT was used by scientists to help grow plants in space. The scientists found that the intense light from red light-emitting diodes (LEDs) helped promote growth and photosynthesis of plant cells.Red light was then studied for its potential application in medicine, more specifically to find out if RLT could increase energy inside human cells. The researchers hoped that RLT could be an effective way to treat the muscle atrophy, slow wound healing, and bone density issues caused by weightlessness during space travel.
Red light therapy (RLT) is a type of phototherapy that may help:
treat skin issues, like stretch marks and wrinkles
treat skin conditions, such as psoriasis, scars, and acne
reduce inflammation or edema
repair muscle tissues
promote healthy aging
How RLT works
RLT works by repetitively exposing your skin to low levels of red and near-infrared light for a certain period of time. At low wavelengths, red light doesn’t generate heat and penetrates the skin between 1 and 2 millimetersTrusted Source, according to 2013 research.
This red light exposure may produce a positive biochemical effect in your cells that strengthens the mitochondria, which is where the cell’s energy is created. RLT may do this by increasingTrusted Source the transportation of electrons, oxygen consumption, and your levels of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
By increasing the energy of the mitochondria, cells may function more efficiently, as well as rejuvenate and repair themselves.
