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Light therapy is definitely experiencing a moment. Consumers can purchase light-emitting tools targeting issues like dermatological concerns and fine lines along with muscle pain and oral inflammation, recently introduced is a toothbrush enhanced with tiny red LEDs, promoted by the creators as “a major advance in at-home oral care.” Worldwide, the market was worth $1bn in 2024 and is projected to grow to $1.8bn by 2035. There are even infrared saunas available, that employ light waves rather than traditional heat sources, the thermal energy targets your tissues immediately. As claimed by enthusiasts, the experience resembles using an LED facial mask, enhancing collagen production, easing muscle tension, reducing swelling and long-term ailments as well as supporting brain health.

Understanding the Evidence

“It sounds a bit like witchcraft,” says a neuroscience expert, who has researched light therapy for two decades. Of course, some of light’s effects on our bodies are well established. Sunlight enables vitamin D production, needed for bone health, immunity, muscles and more. Natural light synchronizes our biological clocks, too, activating brain chemicals and hormonal responses in daylight, and winding down bodily functions for sleep as it fades into night. Daylight-simulating devices are a common remedy for people with seasonal affective disorder (Sad) to boost low mood in winter. Clearly, light energy is essential for optimal functioning.

Types of Light Therapy

Whereas seasonal affective disorder devices typically employ blue-range light, consumer light therapy products mostly feature red and infrared emissions. During advanced medical investigations, including research on infrared’s impact on neural cells, determining the precise frequency is essential. Photons represent electromagnetic waves, spanning from low-energy radio waves to short-wavelength gamma rays. Therapeutic light application utilizes intermediate light frequencies, with ultraviolet representing the higher energy invisible light, then visible light (all the colours we see in a rainbow) and infrared light visible through night vision technology.

Dermatologists have utilized UV therapy for extensive periods to manage persistent skin disorders including eczema and psoriasis. It affects cellular immune responses, “and suppresses swelling,” notes a skin specialist. “Substantial research supports light therapy.” UVA penetrates skin more deeply than UVB, while the LEDs in consumer devices (typically emitting red, infrared or blue wavelengths) “typically have shallower penetration.”

Safety Considerations and Medical Oversight

UVB radiation effects, such as burning or tanning, are well known but in medical devices the light is delivered in a “narrow-band” form – signifying focused frequency bands – which minimises the risks. “It’s supervised by a healthcare professional, meaning intensity is regulated,” notes the specialist. And crucially, the devices are tuned by qualified personnel, “to ensure that the wavelength that’s being delivered is fit for purpose – as opposed to commercial tanning facilities, where regulations may be lax, and emission spectra aren’t confirmed.”

Consumer Devices and Evidence Gaps

Red and blue light sources, he explains, “aren’t typically employed clinically, but could assist with specific concerns.” Red light devices, some suggest, help boost blood circulation, oxygen absorption and dermal rejuvenation, and stimulate collagen production – a key aspiration in anti-ageing effects. “Research exists,” comments the expert. “Although it’s not strong.” Nevertheless, with numerous products on the market, “we don’t know whether or not the lights emitted are reflective of the research that has been done. 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

Early blue-light applications focused on skin microbes, bacteria linked to pimples. Scientific backing remains inadequate for regular prescription – although, says Ho, “it’s often seen in medical spas or aesthetics practices.” Some of his patients use it as part of their routine, he says, but if they’re buying a device for home use, “we recommend careful testing and security confirmation. If it’s not medically certified, the regulation is a bit grey.”

Advanced Research and Cellular Mechanisms

Simultaneously, in a far-flung field of pioneering medical science, Chazot has been experimenting with brain cells, identifying a number of ways in which infrared can boost cellular health. “Nearly every test with precise light frequencies demonstrated advantageous outcomes,” he states. Multiple claimed advantages have created skepticism toward light treatment – that claims seem exaggerated. However, scientific investigation has altered his perspective.

Chazot mostly works on developing drug treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, though twenty years earlier, 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 quite suspicious. It was an unusual wavelength of about 1070 nanometres, that nobody believed did anything biological.”

The advantage it possessed, however, was its efficient water penetration, allowing substantial bodily penetration.

Mitochondrial Effects and Brain Health

More evidence was emerging at the time that infrared light targeted the mitochondria in cells. Mitochondria produce ATP for cell function, generating energy for them to function. “Every cell in your body has mitochondria, particularly in neural cells,” says Chazot, who concentrated on cerebral applications. “Studies demonstrate enhanced cerebral circulation with light treatment, which is consistently beneficial.”

With specific frequency application, mitochondria also produce a small amount of a molecule known as reactive oxygen species. At controlled levels these compounds, notes the scientist, “triggers guardian proteins that maintain organelle health, preserve cell function and eliminate damaged proteins.”

Such mechanisms indicate hope for cognitive disorders: free radical neutralization, swelling control, and waste removal – 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