🔗 Share this article

Light-based treatment is certainly having a moment. Consumers can purchase illuminated devices for everything from dermatological concerns and fine lines as well as sore muscles and periodontal issues, recently introduced is a toothbrush enhanced with miniature red light sources, described by its makers as “a breakthrough for domestic dental hygiene.” 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, that employ light waves rather than traditional heat sources, the thermal energy targets your tissues immediately. Based on supporter testimonials, the experience resembles using an LED facial mask, boosting skin collagen, soothing sore muscles, relieving inflammation and chronic health conditions as well as supporting brain health.

Research and Reservations

“It sounds a bit like witchcraft,” notes a Durham University professor, a scientist who has studied phototherapy extensively. Certainly, certain impacts of light on human physiology are proven. Sunlight helps us make vitamin D, essential for skeletal strength, immune function, and muscular health. Sunlight regulates our circadian rhythms, too, stimulating neurotransmitter and hormone production during daytime, and signaling the body to slow down for nighttime. Daylight-simulating devices are standard treatment for winter mood disorders to combat seasonal emotional slumps. Clearly, light energy is essential for optimal functioning.

Different Light Modalities

Whereas seasonal affective disorder devices typically employ blue-range light, consumer light therapy products mostly feature red and infrared emissions. During advanced medical investigations, like examinations of infrared influence on cerebral tissue, finding the right frequency is key. Photons represent electromagnetic waves, extending from long-wavelength radiation to short-wavelength gamma rays. Phototherapy, or light therapy uses wavelengths around the middle of this spectrum, the highest energy of those being invisible ultraviolet, followed by visible light encompassing rainbow colors and then infrared (which we can see with night-vision goggles).

UV light has been used by medical dermatologists for many years to treat chronic skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and vitiligo. It works on the immune system within cells, “and reduces inflammatory processes,” says Dr Bernard Ho. “Considerable data validates phototherapy.” UVA reaches deeper skin layers compared to UVB, while the LEDs in consumer devices (which generally deliver red, infrared or blue light) “typically have shallower penetration.”

Risk Assessment and Professional Supervision

UVB radiation effects, such as burning or tanning, are understood but clinical devices employ restricted wavelength ranges – indicating limited wavelength spectrum – which decreases danger. “It’s supervised by a healthcare professional, thus exposure is controlled,” explains the dermatologist. Most importantly, the lightbulbs are calibrated by medical technicians, “to confirm suitable light frequency output – as opposed to commercial tanning facilities, where regulations may be lax, and wavelength accuracy isn’t verified.”

Consumer Devices and Evidence Gaps

Red and blue LEDs, he explains, “aren’t typically employed clinically, though they might benefit some issues.” Red LEDs, it is proposed, improve circulatory function, oxygen absorption and cell renewal in the skin, and stimulate collagen production – an important goal for anti-aging. “Studies are available,” says Ho. “Although it’s not strong.” In any case, given the plethora of available tools, “we don’t know whether or not the lights emitted are reflective of the research that has been done. Appropriate exposure periods aren’t established, how close the lights should be to the skin, the risk-benefit ratio. There are lots of questions.”

Targeted Uses and Expert Opinions

Initial blue-light devices addressed acne bacteria, microorganisms connected to breakouts. The evidence for its efficacy isn’t strong enough for it to be routinely prescribed by doctors – even though, 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.”

Advanced Research and Cellular Mechanisms

Meanwhile, in advanced research areas, Chazot has been experimenting with brain cells, discovering multiple mechanisms for infrared’s cellular benefits. “Nearly every test with precise light frequencies demonstrated advantageous outcomes,” he says. Multiple claimed advantages have created skepticism toward light treatment – 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, but over 20 years ago, a physician creating light-based cold sore therapy requested his biological knowledge. “He designed tools for biological testing,” he explains. “I was pretty sceptical. It was an unusual wavelength of about 1070 nanometres, that many assumed was biologically inert.”

Its beneficial characteristic, though, was that it travelled through water easily, meaning it could penetrate the body more deeply.

Mitochondrial Effects and Brain Health

Additional research indicated infrared affected cellular mitochondria. Mitochondria produce ATP for cell function, producing fuel for biological processes. “Every cell in your body has mitochondria, including the brain,” notes the researcher, who, as a neuroscientist, decided to focus the research on brain cells. “Research confirms improved brain blood flow with phototherapy, which is consistently beneficial.”

With 1070 treatment, cellular power plants create limited oxidative molecules. In limited quantities these molecules, notes the scientist, “activates protective proteins that safeguard mitochondria, preserve cell function and eliminate damaged proteins.”

Such mechanisms indicate hope for cognitive disorders: free radical neutralization, anti-inflammatory, and cellular cleanup – self-digestion mechanisms eliminating harmful elements.

Current Research Status and Professional Opinions

The last time Chazot checked the literature on using the 1070 wavelength on human dementia patients, he says, about 400 people were taking part in four studies, comprising his early research projects