🔗 Share this article

Light therapy is definitely experiencing a wave of attention. There are now available light-emitting tools designed to address complexion problems and aging signs to muscle pain and oral inflammation, the newest innovation is an oral care tool outfitted with small red light diodes, marketed by the company as “a major advance for domestic dental hygiene.” Internationally, the market was worth $1bn in 2024 and is projected to grow to $1.8bn by 2035. There are even infrared saunas available, where instead of hot coals (real or electric) heating the air, the infrared radiation heats your body itself. Based on supporter testimonials, it’s like bathing in one of those LED-lit beauty masks, boosting skin collagen, easing muscle tension, reducing swelling and long-term ailments as well as supporting brain health.

Research and Reservations

“It feels almost magical,” observes a neuroscience expert, a scientist who has studied phototherapy extensively. Of course, 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, triggering the release of neurochemicals and hormones while we are awake, and preparing the body for rest as darkness falls. Sunlight-imitating lamps are standard treatment for winter mood disorders to combat seasonal emotional slumps. Clearly, light energy is essential for optimal functioning.

Types of Light Therapy

Whereas seasonal affective disorder devices typically employ blue-range light, the majority of phototherapy tools use red or near-infrared wavelengths. In rigorous scientific studies, like examinations of infrared influence on cerebral tissue, identifying the optimal wavelength is crucial. Light constitutes electromagnetic energy, which runs the spectrum from the lowest-energy, longest wavelengths (radio waves) to high-energy gamma radiation. Phototherapy, or light therapy employs mid-spectrum wavelengths, 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).

Dermatologists have utilized UV therapy for extensive periods to manage persistent skin disorders including eczema and psoriasis. It modulates intracellular immune mechanisms, “and reduces inflammatory processes,” notes Dr Bernard Ho. “There’s lots of evidence for phototherapy.” UVA reaches deeper skin layers compared to UVB, whereas the LEDs we see on consumer light-therapy devices (typically emitting red, infrared or blue wavelengths) “typically have shallower penetration.”

Safety Protocols and Medical Guidance

The side-effects of UVB exposure, like erythema or pigmentation, are well known but in medical devices the light is delivered in a “narrow-band” form – indicating limited wavelength spectrum – that reduces potential hazards. “Therapy is overseen by qualified practitioners, meaning intensity is regulated,” says Ho. Most importantly, the devices are tuned by qualified personnel, “to confirm suitable light frequency output – unlike in tanning salons, where oversight might be limited, and emission spectra aren’t confirmed.”

Home Devices and Scientific Uncertainty

Red and blue LEDs, he notes, “don’t have strong medical applications, but they may help with certain conditions.” Red LEDs, it is proposed, help boost blood circulation, oxygen absorption and dermal rejuvenation, and promote collagen synthesis – a primary objective in youth preservation. “Studies are available,” says Ho. “However, it’s limited.” Regardless, amid the sea of devices now available, “it’s unclear if device outputs match study parameters. Optimal treatment times are unknown, ideal distance from skin surface, if benefits outweigh potential risks. There are lots of questions.”

Targeted Uses and Expert Opinions

One of the earliest blue-light products targeted Cutibacterium acnes, bacteria linked to pimples. Research support isn’t sufficient for standard medical recommendation – despite the fact that, says Ho, “it’s frequently employed in beauty centers.” Some of his patients use it as part of their routine, he says, however for consumer products, “we advise cautious experimentation and safety verification. Unless it’s a medical device, the regulation is a bit grey.”

Cutting-Edge Studies and Biological Processes

Simultaneously, in innovative scientific domains, Chazot has been experimenting with brain cells, revealing various pathways for light-enhanced cell function. “Pretty much everything I did with the light at that particular wavelength was positive and protective,” he states. The numerous reported benefits have generated doubt regarding phototherapy – that claims seem exaggerated. Yet, experimental evidence has transformed his viewpoint.

The scientist mainly develops medications for neurological conditions, but over 20 years ago, a doctor developing photonic antiviral treatment consulted his scientific background. “He created some devices so that we could work with them with cells and with fruit flies,” he says. “I was quite suspicious. The specific wavelength measured approximately 1070nm, that nobody believed did anything biological.”

Its beneficial characteristic, nevertheless, was its ability to transmit through aqueous environments, meaning it could penetrate the body more deeply.

Mitochondrial Impact and Cognitive Support

Growing data suggested infrared influenced energy-producing organelles. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, producing fuel for biological processes. “All human cells contain mitochondria, particularly in neural cells,” says Chazot, who, as a neuroscientist, decided to focus the research on brain cells. “Research confirms improved brain blood flow with phototherapy, which is always very good.”

With specific frequency application, energy organelles generate minimal reactive oxygen compounds. In limited quantities these molecules, notes the scientist, “stimulates so-called chaperone proteins which look after your mitochondria, look after your cells and also deal with the unwanted proteins.”

These processes show potential for neurological conditions: free radical neutralization, inflammation reduction, and pro-autophagy – autophagy being the process the cell uses to clear unwanted damaging proteins.

Present Investigation Status and Expert Assessments

The last time Chazot checked the literature on using the 1070 wavelength on human dementia patients, he reports, about 400 people were taking part in four studies, incorporating his preliminary American studies