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

Light-based treatment is certainly having a surge in popularity. There are now available glowing gadgets designed to address dermatological concerns and fine lines to sore muscles and gum disease, recently introduced is a toothbrush equipped with tiny red LEDs, promoted by the creators as “a significant discovery for domestic dental hygiene.” Worldwide, the industry reached $1 billion in 2024 and is forecast to expand to $1.8 billion by 2035. There are even infrared saunas available, that employ light waves rather than traditional heat sources, the thermal energy targets your tissues immediately. According to its devotees, it feels similar to a full-body light therapy session, enhancing collagen production, soothing sore muscles, alleviating inflammatory responses and persistent medical issues and potentially guarding against cognitive decline.

The Science and Skepticism

“It appears somewhat mystical,” notes a Durham University professor, who has researched light therapy for two decades. Certainly, we know light influences biological functions. Sunlight helps us make vitamin D, needed for bone health, immunity, muscles and more. Natural light synchronizes our biological clocks, too, triggering the release of neurochemicals and hormones while we are awake, and preparing the body for rest as darkness falls. Artificial sun lamps frequently help individuals with seasonal depression to combat seasonal emotional slumps. Clearly, light energy is essential for optimal functioning.

Types of Light Therapy

Although mood lamps generally utilize blue-spectrum frequencies, consumer light therapy products mostly feature red and infrared emissions. In rigorous scientific studies, such as Chazot’s investigations into the effects of infrared on brain cells, identifying the optimal wavelength is crucial. Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation, extending from long-wavelength radiation to high-energy gamma radiation. Phototherapy, or light therapy 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 modulates intracellular immune mechanisms, “and suppresses swelling,” says a skin specialist. “Considerable data validates phototherapy.” UVA reaches deeper skin layers compared to UVB, whereas the LEDs we see on consumer light-therapy devices (typically emitting red, infrared or blue wavelengths) “tend to be a bit more superficial.”

Safety Considerations and Medical Oversight

UVB radiation effects, such as burning or tanning, are recognized but medical equipment uses controlled narrow-band delivery – meaning smaller wavelengths – that reduces potential hazards. “It’s supervised by a healthcare professional, so the dosage is monitored,” explains the dermatologist. Essentially, the light sources are adjusted by technical experts, “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 wavelength accuracy isn’t verified.”

Home Devices and Scientific Uncertainty

Red and blue light sources, he notes, “don’t have strong medical applications, though they might benefit some issues.” Red wavelength therapy, proponents claim, help boost blood circulation, oxygen absorption and skin cell regeneration, and activate collagen formation – a key aspiration in anti-ageing effects. “The evidence is there,” comments the expert. “Although it’s not strong.” In any case, amid the sea of devices now available, “we’re uncertain whether commercial devices replicate research conditions. We don’t know the duration, proper positioning requirements, the risk-benefit ratio. Many uncertainties remain.”

Targeted Uses and Expert Opinions

One of the earliest blue-light products targeted Cutibacterium acnes, microorganisms connected to breakouts. Scientific backing remains inadequate for regular prescription – even though, notes the dermatologist, “it’s often seen in medical spas or aesthetics practices.” Individuals include it in their skincare practices, he observes, but if they’re buying a device for home use, “we just tell them to try it carefully and to make sure it has been assessed for safety. Unless it’s a medical device, 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, revealing various pathways for light-enhanced cell function. “Nearly every test with precise light frequencies demonstrated advantageous outcomes,” he states. 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, but over 20 years ago, 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 says. “I was quite suspicious. This particular frequency was around 1070 nanometers, that nobody believed did anything biological.”

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

Cellular Energy and Neurological Benefits

Additional research indicated infrared affected cellular mitochondria. Mitochondria produce ATP for cell function, producing fuel for biological processes. “Every cell in your body has mitochondria, including the brain,” notes the researcher, who concentrated on cerebral applications. “Studies demonstrate enhanced cerebral circulation with light treatment, which is consistently beneficial.”

With specific frequency application, cellular power plants create limited oxidative molecules. In low doses this substance, explains the expert, “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 pro-autophagy – autophagy representing cellular waste disposal.

Ongoing Study Progress and Specialist Evaluations

When recently reviewing 1070nm research for cognitive decline, he states, approximately 400 participants enrolled in multiple trials, including his own initial clinical trials in the US