‘It seems like sorcery’: is light therapy truly capable of improving your skin, whitening your teeth, and strengthening your joints?

Light-based treatment is clearly enjoying a moment. Consumers can purchase glowing gadgets designed to address skin conditions and wrinkles as well as muscle pain and gum disease, the latest being a dental hygiene device outfitted with small red light diodes, marketed by the company as “a significant discovery in personal mouth health.” Internationally, 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, your body is warmed directly by infrared light. As claimed by enthusiasts, the experience resembles using an LED facial mask, stimulating skin elasticity, easing muscle tension, reducing swelling and long-term ailments and potentially guarding against cognitive decline.

The Science and Skepticism

“It feels almost magical,” says a neuroscience expert, who has researched light therapy for two decades. Naturally, we know light influences biological functions. 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. Artificial sun lamps frequently help individuals with seasonal depression to elevate spirits during colder months. Clearly, light energy is essential for optimal functioning.

Different Light Modalities

While Sad lamps tend to use a mixture of light frequencies from the blue end of the spectrum, consumer light therapy products mostly feature red and infrared emissions. In rigorous scientific studies, including research on infrared’s impact on neural cells, identifying the optimal wavelength is crucial. Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation, extending from long-wavelength radiation to high-energy gamma radiation. Light-based treatment uses wavelengths around the middle of this spectrum, the highest energy of those being invisible ultraviolet, then the visible spectrum we perceive as 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,” says Dr Bernard Ho. “There’s lots of evidence for phototherapy.” UVA reaches deeper skin layers compared to UVB, while the LEDs in consumer devices (usually producing colored light emissions) “tend to be a bit more superficial.”

Safety Considerations and Medical Oversight

The side-effects of UVB exposure, including sunburn or skin darkening, are recognized but medical equipment uses controlled narrow-band delivery – signifying focused frequency bands – which minimises the risks. “Treatment is monitored by medical staff, so the dosage is monitored,” notes the specialist. And crucially, the devices are tuned by qualified personnel, “to confirm suitable light frequency output – different from beauty salons, where oversight might be limited, and we don’t really know what wavelengths are being used.”

Home Devices and Scientific Uncertainty

Colored light diodes, he explains, “aren’t really used in the medical sense, but they may help with certain conditions.” Red LEDs, it is proposed, help boost blood circulation, oxygen absorption and dermal rejuvenation, and stimulate collagen production – an important goal for anti-aging. “The evidence is there,” states the dermatologist. “Although it’s not strong.” Regardless, with numerous products on the market, “we’re uncertain whether commercial devices replicate research conditions. Appropriate exposure periods aren’t established, ideal distance from skin surface, if benefits outweigh potential risks. There are lots of questions.”

Specific Applications and Professional Perspectives

Initial blue-light devices addressed acne bacteria, bacteria linked to pimples. Research support isn’t sufficient for standard medical recommendation – despite the fact that, explains the specialist, “it’s often seen in medical spas or aesthetics practices.” Individuals include it in their skincare practices, he observes, though when purchasing home devices, “we just tell them to try it carefully and to make sure it has been assessed for safety. If it’s not medically certified, standards are somewhat unclear.”

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. “Nearly every test with precise light frequencies demonstrated advantageous outcomes,” he reports. The numerous reported benefits have generated doubt regarding phototherapy – that claims seem exaggerated. However, scientific investigation has altered his perspective.

The researcher primarily focuses on pharmaceutical solutions for brain disorders, but over 20 years ago, a GP who was developing an antiviral light treatment for cold sores sought his expertise as a biologist. “He developed equipment for cellular and insect experiments,” he explains. “I was pretty sceptical. This particular frequency was around 1070 nanometers, which most thought had no biological effect.”

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

Cellular Energy and Neurological Benefits

Additional research indicated infrared affected cellular mitochondria. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, generating energy for them to function. “All human cells contain mitochondria, even within brain tissue,” says Chazot, who concentrated on cerebral applications. “It has been shown that in humans this light therapy increases blood flow into the brain, which is always very good.”

With specific frequency application, mitochondria also produce a small amount of a molecule known as reactive oxygen species. In low doses this substance, notes the scientist, “stimulates so-called chaperone proteins which look after your mitochondria, protect cellular integrity and manage defective proteins.”

All of these mechanisms appear promising for treating a brain disease: free radical neutralization, inflammation reduction, and cellular cleanup – autophagy representing cellular waste disposal.

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