Red light therapy, or photobiomodulation, is a therapeutic technique. It uses low-level red wavelengths of light to treat many skin conditions including hyperpigmentation, and age spots.
Red light is used increasingly to reverse signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation. It also helps reduce scarring (like acne scars) because it promotes wound healing, tissue repair, and skin rejuvenation.
There are hundreds of well-conducted peer-reviewed clinical studies that show red and near-red wavelengths of light penetrate the skin. They cause a complex chemical chain reaction during cellular respiration, which increases ATP production in cells. ATP is the energy source in all our cells. An increase in ATP has an antioxidant effect at the cellular level that allows the skin to repair itself faster than usual.
Red Light Therapy Treatment helps:
- fade stretch marks and scars
- speed up wound healing
- increase collagen production
- smooth out the skin’s surface
- reduce age spots
- make fine lines disappears
Red Light Therapy Is Safe
Red light therapy introduces no damage to the skin. Its non-invasive method only stimulates the regeneration of skin cells or causes secondary healing at a specific wavelength. Red light also helps promote the production of antioxidants, which help heal cells. It has no associated side effects or safety concerns and usually includes little to no downtime to reverse aging skin and fine lines on the face.
As our skin ages with us, it becomes thinner and loses its elasticity. Red light therapy protects existing collagen and elastin in the skin. It also restores the skin’s cellular function and stimulates our bodies to make more collagen and elastin. Its restorative and anti-aging effects have noticeable results for the skin.
Red light therapy is becoming increasingly common.
Hyperpigmentation is a common skin condition that mostly affects women and can be caused by several factors. Genetic predisposition, inflammation or damage, and hormonal changes all cause these spots to appear on our skin as we age. Still, most often, they are caused by photodamage from years of sun damage from ultraviolet exposure.
The melanin in our skin can absorb a wide spectrum of light. It can take in amber light, blue light, green light, orange light, near-infrared light, and red light. These other bandwidths of light can help reduce hyperpigmentation for age spots, but they haven’t been as extensively studied as red light has. Red light penetrates the skin better.
Using red light treatment for age spots is as safe and effective as any other skin condition. Treatment can be challenging because age spots can fade after treatment, but they will come back when the skin is again exposed to sunlight.
Where can you get Red Light Therapy?
There are many options out there for red light therapy. You can visit a spa or tanning salon for a full-body light (not tanning) bed. It’s offered at gyms and athletic clubs, and there are even light therapy centers. But the best, least expensive way to experience red light therapy regularly is with a home device.
A Home Device Is The Least Expensive Option
There are many choices from hand-held to whole-body light systems, and it depends upon the device and the condition you’re trying to treat, how long, and how often you should use your home red light therapy device.
To see results, you would start with four or five sessions per week. Each session would be five to fifteen minutes long of red light exposure treatments. Eventually, you get to the point of general maintenance, and then you would use the device three times a week.
If you only have age spots on your face, you can find a decent device for about $100. However, if you have hyperpigmentation or scarring on various parts of your body, you should opt for a larger machine so you can target your entire body in one go. These more powerful and larger machines start at about $450.
Buyer beware. Not all devices are created equal. A device you buy off eBay and that comes from China may or may not deliver the power of red lights that will make a marked difference. We recommend brands like Platinum LED and Red Therapy Co.
Other health benefits
Some studies show red light also helps promote:
- Reversing hair loss
- Thyroid function
- Skin conditions like wrinkles, psoriasis, eczema, and DSAP
- Healing of joint pain
- Reduction of inflammation
Other ways to fade hyperpigmentation
If your budget doesn’t permit you to try red light therapy, other creams will help fade age spots over time.
The Tommy Timmy Intensive Skin Corrector is a solution for dark spots and age spots. It contains niacinamide, which we have found to be particularly effective. It doesn’t dry out the skin, and it works quickly. Check out our favorite age spot fading cream here. The good news is you can try it out for just $1, including shipping.
