🔗 Share this article

Light therapy is definitely experiencing a wave of attention. Consumers can purchase illuminated devices designed to address dermatological concerns and fine lines as well as aching tissues 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 sector valued at $1bn last year is expected to increase to $1.8bn within the next decade. There are even infrared saunas available, which use infrared light to warm the body directly, the infrared radiation heats your body itself. As claimed by enthusiasts, it’s like bathing in one of those LED-lit beauty masks, enhancing collagen production, soothing sore muscles, relieving inflammation and persistent medical issues and potentially guarding against cognitive decline.

The Science and Skepticism

“It sounds a bit like witchcraft,” observes a neuroscience expert, who has researched light therapy for two decades. Certainly, certain impacts of light on human physiology are proven. Sunlight helps us make vitamin D, needed for bone health, immunity, muscles and more. Light exposure controls our sleep-wake cycles, additionally, triggering the release of neurochemicals and hormones while we are awake, and signaling the body to slow down for nighttime. Daylight-simulating devices frequently help individuals with seasonal depression to elevate spirits during colder months. So there’s no doubt we need light energy to function well.

Different Light Modalities

Although mood lamps generally utilize blue-spectrum frequencies, consumer light therapy products mostly feature red and infrared emissions. In serious clinical research, such as Chazot’s investigations into the effects of infrared on brain cells, 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, with ultraviolet representing the higher energy invisible light, then the visible spectrum we perceive as colors and then infrared (which we can see with night-vision goggles).

Ultraviolet treatment has been employed by skin specialists for decades to manage persistent skin disorders including eczema and psoriasis. It works on the immune system within cells, “and suppresses swelling,” notes Dr Bernard Ho. “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) “generally affect surface layers.”

Safety Protocols and Medical Guidance

Potential UVB consequences, such as burning or tanning, are understood but clinical devices employ restricted wavelength ranges – signifying focused frequency bands – which decreases danger. “It’s supervised by a healthcare professional, meaning intensity is regulated,” explains the dermatologist. Essentially, the lightbulbs are calibrated by medical technicians, “to ensure that the wavelength that’s being delivered is fit for purpose – unlike in tanning salons, where regulations may be lax, and emission spectra aren’t confirmed.”

Consumer Devices and Evidence Gaps

Colored light diodes, he explains, “don’t have strong medical applications, but could assist with specific concerns.” Red wavelength therapy, proponents claim, enhance blood flow, oxygen utilization and skin cell regeneration, and promote collagen synthesis – a primary objective in youth preservation. “Research exists,” states the dermatologist. “However, it’s limited.” Nevertheless, given the plethora of available tools, “we’re uncertain whether commercial devices replicate research conditions. We don’t know the duration, ideal distance from skin surface, whether or not that will increase the risk versus the benefit. Numerous concerns persist.”

Treatment Areas and Specialist Views

Initial blue-light devices addressed acne bacteria, a microbe associated with acne. Scientific backing remains inadequate for regular prescription – despite the fact that, explains the specialist, “it’s frequently employed in beauty centers.” Certain patients incorporate it into their regimen, he observes, but if they’re buying a device for home use, “we advise cautious experimentation and safety verification. If it’s not medically certified, standards are somewhat unclear.”

Innovative Investigations and Molecular Effects

Meanwhile, 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 reports. The numerous reported benefits have generated doubt regarding phototherapy – that results appear unrealistic. However, scientific investigation has altered his perspective.

The scientist mainly develops medications for neurological conditions, however two decades past, a GP who was developing an antiviral light treatment for cold sores sought his expertise as a biologist. “He created some devices so that we could work with them with cells and with fruit flies,” he explains. “I remained doubtful. The specific wavelength measured approximately 1070nm, which most thought had no biological effect.”

What it did have going for it, however, was that it travelled through water easily, enabling deeper tissue penetration.

Mitochondrial Effects and Brain Health

More evidence was emerging at the time that infrared light targeted the mitochondria in cells. These organelles generate cellular energy, generating energy for them to function. “All human cells contain mitochondria, including the brain,” notes the researcher, who, as a neuroscientist, decided to focus the research on brain cells. “Studies demonstrate enhanced cerebral circulation with light treatment, which is consistently beneficial.”

Using 1070nm wavelength, mitochondria also produce a small amount of a molecule known as reactive oxygen species. At controlled levels these compounds, says Chazot, “triggers guardian proteins that maintain organelle health, look after your cells and also deal with the unwanted proteins.”

All of these mechanisms appear promising for treating a brain disease: free radical neutralization, anti-inflammatory, and waste removal – self-digestion mechanisms eliminating harmful elements.

Present Investigation Status and Expert Assessments

The last time Chazot checked the literature on using the 1070 wavelength on human dementia patients, he states, several hundred individuals participated in various investigations, comprising his early research projects