🔗 Share this article

Phototherapy is clearly enjoying a moment. There are now available illuminated devices targeting issues like complexion problems and aging signs to sore muscles and periodontal issues, the newest innovation is a dental hygiene device outfitted with miniature red light sources, marketed by the company as “a breakthrough for domestic dental hygiene.” Globally, the sector valued at $1bn last year is expected to increase to $1.8bn within the next decade. There are even infrared saunas available, where instead of hot coals (real or electric) heating the air, your body is warmed directly by infrared light. As claimed by enthusiasts, the experience resembles using an LED facial mask, enhancing collagen production, easing muscle tension, alleviating inflammatory responses and persistent medical issues while protecting against dementia.

Research and Reservations

“It appears somewhat mystical,” observes a neuroscience expert, professor in neuroscience at Durham University and a convert to the value of light therapy. Certainly, some of light’s effects on our bodies are well established. Our bodies produce vitamin D through sun exposure, essential for skeletal strength, immune function, and muscular health. Natural light synchronizes our biological clocks, as well, activating brain chemicals and hormonal responses in daylight, and preparing the body for rest as darkness falls. Sunlight-imitating lamps are a common remedy for people with seasonal affective disorder (Sad) to elevate spirits during colder months. So there’s no doubt we need light energy to function well.

Types of Light Therapy

Whereas seasonal affective disorder devices typically employ blue-range light, most other light therapy devices deploy red or infrared light. In rigorous scientific studies, such as Chazot’s investigations into the effects of infrared on brain cells, finding the right frequency is key. Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation, extending from long-wavelength radiation to the highest-energy (gamma waves). Therapeutic light application uses wavelengths around the middle of this spectrum, including invisible ultraviolet radiation, 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 affects cellular immune responses, “and reduces inflammatory processes,” notes a dermatology expert. “Substantial research supports light therapy.” UVA reaches deeper skin layers compared to UVB, whereas the LEDs we see on consumer light-therapy devices (which generally deliver red, infrared or blue light) “tend to be a bit more superficial.”

Safety Considerations and Medical Oversight

The side-effects of UVB exposure, such as burning or tanning, are understood but clinical devices employ restricted wavelength ranges – signifying focused frequency bands – which minimises the risks. “Treatment is monitored by medical staff, meaning intensity is regulated,” explains the dermatologist. Most importantly, the light sources are adjusted by technical experts, “to confirm suitable light frequency output – unlike in tanning salons, where regulations may be lax, and emission spectra aren’t confirmed.”

Consumer Devices and Evidence Gaps

Red and blue LEDs, he says, “aren’t really used in the medical sense, though they might benefit some issues.” Red wavelength therapy, proponents claim, enhance blood flow, oxygen absorption and skin cell regeneration, and promote collagen synthesis – a primary objective in youth preservation. “The evidence is there,” states the dermatologist. “However, it’s limited.” In any case, amid the sea of devices now available, “it’s unclear if device outputs match study parameters. Optimal treatment times are unknown, proper positioning requirements, whether or not that will increase the risk versus the benefit. Numerous concerns persist.”

Specific Applications and Professional Perspectives

One of the earliest blue-light products targeted Cutibacterium acnes, microorganisms connected to breakouts. Research support isn’t sufficient for standard medical recommendation – despite the fact that, notes the dermatologist, “it’s commonly used in cosmetic clinics.” Certain patients incorporate it into their regimen, he observes, however for consumer products, “we just tell them to try it carefully and to make sure it has been assessed for safety. Unless it’s a medical device, standards are somewhat unclear.”

Advanced Research and Cellular Mechanisms

At the same time, in advanced research areas, scientists have been studying cerebral tissue, revealing various pathways for light-enhanced cell function. “Nearly every test with precise light frequencies demonstrated advantageous outcomes,” he says. The numerous reported benefits have generated doubt regarding phototherapy – that results appear unrealistic. Yet, experimental evidence has transformed his viewpoint.

The researcher primarily focuses on pharmaceutical solutions for brain disorders, however two decades past, a GP who was developing an antiviral light treatment for cold sores sought his expertise as a biologist. “He designed tools for biological testing,” he explains. “I was pretty sceptical. The specific wavelength measured approximately 1070nm, that nobody believed did anything biological.”

Its beneficial characteristic, nevertheless, was its efficient water penetration, enabling deeper tissue penetration.

Mitochondrial Effects and Brain Health

Additional research indicated infrared affected cellular mitochondria. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, producing fuel for biological processes. “Every cell in your body has mitochondria, particularly in neural cells,” says Chazot, who, as a neuroscientist, decided to focus the research on brain cells. “Studies demonstrate enhanced cerebral circulation with light treatment, which is generally advantageous.”

Using 1070nm wavelength, cellular power plants create limited oxidative molecules. At controlled levels these compounds, says Chazot, “activates protective proteins that safeguard mitochondria, preserve cell function and eliminate damaged proteins.”

All of these mechanisms appear promising for treating a brain disease: antioxidant, swelling control, and pro-autophagy – autophagy being the process the cell uses to clear unwanted damaging proteins.

Current Research Status and Professional Opinions

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