Wondering about the benefits of red light therapy? Here are 6 benefits and how it improved my skin!
I’ve been spending most mornings, in front of a red light looking like an alien. My 6-year-old finds this hilarious. For months, I’ve been religiously including red light therapy in my morning routine and I’ve experienced better sleep, a happier mood and improved skin. Even my Keratosis Pilaris (KP) has greatly improved. I wish I had taken before and after photos. It didn’t occur to me that this could happen, as I had nearly given up on treating this condition.
My Joovv™ Light is my most treasured health tool. As you start digging into the benefits of red light therapy, you start asking yourself, what isn’t it good for? Why this one device is able to improve so many aspects of our health is because the healing happens at the deepest cellular level.
What is red light therapy and how does it work?
Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, uses specific wavelengths of light to penetrate through the skin and can be absorbed at a depth of 8-10 millimeters. This means it can potentially reach all layers of the skin, blood vessels and lymph system. With this degree of penetration, it is able to have a therapeutic impact on our cells and metabolic processes. Once absorbed into your body, light energy is actually converted into cellular energy. How incredible is that?
This conversion kicks off a series of metabolic events like the formation of new capillaries, elevated production of collagen, and the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP’s job is to provide usable energy for our cells.
By restoring the production of ATP, cells can function more efficiently, rejuvenate themselves, and repair damage. We can then experience benefits, such as increased collagen production (yay for healthier, younger looking skin!), increased muscle recovery and weight loss, reduced inflammation and joint pain and much much more!
To fully take advantage of these benefits, it’s crucial to choose a device that delivers optimal wavelengths of light. The majority of the available research suggests that light in the mid-600 nm range and low- to mid-800 nm have the greatest effect on the cellular respiration process and have been shown to provide optimal biological responses. More specifically, the most effective wavelengths of red light are in the ranges of 630-670 and 810-880. I personally use the Joovv™ Light original size with the combo Red/NIR lights. This combo light works at a wavelength of 660nm/850nm.
Once you start researching red light therapy there is an overwhelming amount of data available. Red light therapy has been used in clinical settings around the world for decades. A quick PubMed search resulted in over 3,000 studies. After weeks of researching and months of testing out my Joovv™ Light, I want to share 6 of the benefits with you.
6 Benefits of Red Light Therapy
Improved sleep
I noticed that I started sleeping better after using my Joovv™ Light regularly. I wasn’t quite sure how this mechanism was working, but I came across this excerpt from the article, The Importance of Natural Sunlight and its Connection to Light Therapy:
Our retinas are connected directly to the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the body. Because of this, light received through your eyes plays a critical role in hormonal functions—including melatonin production, which regulates our sleep. Quite literally, your body knows to shut off this hormone through exposure to morning sunlight. This type of exposure early in the day also helps produce melatonin later in the evening, when light is absent.
Getting natural sunlight at the right times of the day helps set your circadian rhythm. You can experience these benefits by exposing yourself to morning sun (without sunglasses) daily.
For many reasons, this is not always possible. You might have limited sunlight where you live or you are just far too busy to take a walk every morning. I’m in that boat as a single mom, working full-time. It would be impossible for me to add another step to our morning routine in between packing lunch, enjoying breakfast and getting everyone ready for the day.
If you can’t get regular sunlight in the morning, you can experience the therapeutic effects of red and near-infrared wavelengths of light by using a quality, full-body, photobiomodulation device that provides similar healing benefits.
Improved mood
This benefit is one of the more fascinating to me, as it really demonstrates the connection between our bodies and our minds. I notice that my mood improves when I regularly use my Joovv™ Light. I talked to a friend that regularly uses hers too and she reported similar results. Studies have shown that light exposure through our eyes is tied to increased dopamine production. Dopamine is a chemical that is regulated by light and released in the brain. It functions as a neurotransmitter and is closely tied to the emotions of reward and pleasure.
Improved skin
Red and near-infrared light have been shown to stimulate the production of collagen, which directly relates to the elasticity, firmness, and fullness of your skin.
Collagen is a long-chain amino acid and the most abundant protein in the body. It’s responsible for giving skin elasticity, hair its strength, and connective tissue its ability to hold everything in place. While collagen is beneficial to the entire body, it’s most noticeably beneficial to the skin. This is because as a person ages, the epidermis (outer layer of skin) becomes thinner and loses elasticity through a process called elastosis.
As red light therapy restores healthy cellular function, it increases the production of collagen, which in turn can smooth wrinkles and enhance tone.
When red and near-infrared light is absorbed by the skin, it stimulates new skin cells to grow in a healthier way, provides protection against damage, and helps heal a variety of skin problems.
In addition, red light therapy is thought to improve acne because it impacts sebum production, which contributes to acne.
I’ve struggled with my skin my entire life, even as an adult. I experienced a huge improvement when I cleaned up my diet and adopted a real food lifestyle. However, my skin scars really easily. It seems like every pimple I’ve ever had has left some sort of visible mark. Now at 37, my skin is finally looking pretty good. This is a photo taken recently with no makeup on. The factors that have helped improve my skin more recently are using my Joovv™ Light daily, one session of microneedling (I am planning on doing 2 more) and using Beautycounter’s Overnight Resurfacing Peel regularly.
Fat Loss
Red light therapy has shown positive results for fat loss and body contouring across several different clinical studies. In short, most researchers agree that light therapy affects adipocytes, which are cells that store fat, causing the lipids to disperse.
Here is an excerpt of a study from the article, The Remarkable Benefits of Red Light Therapy for Weight Loss and Fat Reduction:
A study in the Journal of Obesity Surgery researched red light therapy for body contouring. This 2011 double-blind, randomized study performed light therapy at 635-680 nanometers (nm) on participants for four weeks and recorded effects on the waistline. At the end of the study, participants had achieved a statistically significant reduction in waistline girth.
Increased Testosterone in Men
Several research articles have supported the idea that exposing the torso or the testes to light has been shown to increase testosterone in men. It’s very important to use a device that emits the correct wavelengths with virtually no-heat, such as The Joovv™ Light.
Testosterone is a hormone found in all humans, but women produce it in much smaller amounts. Testosterone production starts to increase significantly during puberty and begins to dip after age 30 or so. This is normal, but it can cause reduced sexual function, decreased energy, a decline in muscle, and an increase in fat.
Red light therapy is one natural way to increase testosterone. In addition, a balanced diet, proper sleep and reducing stress may help too.
Hair Growth
A systematic literature review evaluated eleven studies, which investigated a total of 680 patients, consisting of 444 males and 236 females. Nine out of 11 studies assessing hair count/hair density found statistically significant improvements in both males and females following red light treatment.
Other notable benefits of Red Light Therapy include muscle tissue repair, fading of scars and stretch marks, wound healing, enhanced health of the thyroid gland, reduced joint pain and improved arthritis symptoms.
Why Joovv Light?
To fully take advantage of these benefits, it’s crucial to choose a device that delivers optimal wavelengths of light. The most effective wavelengths of red light are in the ranges of 630-670 and 810-880.
I have the Joovv™ Light original size with the combo Red/NIR lights. The combo light works at a wavelength of 660nm/850nm. My only regret is not getting the largest one!
This type of therapy provides deep healing; give yourself time to experience its benefits. I use mine very regularly, daily when I can. And I shoot for 20 minutes every morning, although sometimes I can only get 10 minutes in. I started to notice a significant difference in my skin after a few weeks of daily use. I started sleeping better and noticing improved mood after a couple of months of regular use.
Investing in The Joovv™ Light is one of the best things I’ve done for my health in recent years. If you have any questions, leave them below!
Please note that the Joovv™ Light comes with a 2-year warranty and a 60 Day return policy!
Use code Arsy for $50 off Generation 3.0 devices.
Sources:
Michael R. Hamblin. “Mechanisms of low level light therapy.” Department of Dermatology, Harvard Medical School. http://photobiology.info/Hamblin.html. Accessed February 2, 2018.
Ferraresi C, Hamblin M, and Parizotto N. “Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) on muscle tissue: performance, fatigue and repair benefited by the power of light.” Photonics Lasers Med. 2012 November 1; 1(4): 267–286. doi:10.1515/plm-2012-0032.
Mitchell UH, Mack GL. “Low-level laser treatment with near-infrared light increases venous nitric oxide levels acutely: a single-blind, randomized clinical trial of efficacy.” Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2013 Feb;92(2):151-6.
Baroni BM, Rodrigues R, Freire BB, Franke Rde A, Geremia JM, Vaz MA. Effect of low-level laser therapy on muscle adaptation to knee extensor eccentric training. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2015 Mar;115(3):639-47.
Avci P, Gupta A, et al. Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring. Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery. Mar 2013;32(1):41-52.
de Almeida P1, Lopes-Martins RA, De Marchi T, et al. Red (660 nm) and infrared (830 nm) low-level laser therapy in skeletal muscle fatigue in humans: what is better? Lasers Med Sci. 2012 Mar;27(2):453-8.
Cawley, EI, et al. Dopamine and light: dissecting effects on mood and motivational states in women with subsyndromal seasonal affective disorder. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2013 Nov;38(6):388-97.
Di Lullo, Gloria A.; Sweeney, Shawn M.; Körkkö, Jarmo; Ala-Kokko, Leena & San Antonio, James D. (2002). Mapping the Ligand-binding Sites and Disease-associated Mutations on the Most Abundant Protein in the Human, Type I Collage.. J. Biol. Chem. 277 (6): 4223–4231.
Peterson P.S., Lei X, Wolf RM. CTRP7 deletion attenuates obesity-linked glucose intolerance, adipose tissue inflammation, and hepatic stress. American Journal of Physiology. Feb 2017;10:1152.