Everything You Need to Know about Infrared Light Therapy

The self-care world has plenty of options to explore. If you’re ready to try something new, consider the popular infrared light treatment. It has numerous wellness benefits, so it may help you reach your personal goals. Whether you want to have clearer skin or a healthier heart, infrared light could be your next self-care adventure.

What Is Infrared Light?

Infrared light is a naturally occurring wavelength that constitutes around 40% of solar radiation and is powerful enough to have biological effects. When light-producing machinery brings down the intensity of the wavelength, it’s gentle enough for people to encounter without significant adverse effects like sunburns.

What Does Infrared Light Treatment Look Like?

An infrared light treatment is a modern appointment where the participant sits under guided infrared light to penetrate a specific body part with the natural wavelengths. Since the light is artificial, the machinery doesn’t expose consumers to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Those two forms of light are so different that researchers studying them noted how infrared rays provide numerous health benefits while UV light causes significant damage when people get too much exposure.

You won’t be at risk of sunburns and other forms of UV damage while your body absorbs infrared wavelengths. They will pass through your skin, muscles and bones, triggering health benefits. However, it’s essential to know the positives and potential risks of this popular self-care service.

What are the Benefits of Infrared Light?

People experience many health and wellness advantages after trying infrared light treatments.

Benefits of Infrared Light for Your Skin

We can't not talk about the benefits of infrared light for your skin! Your skin is the first organ in your body to benefit from infrared light treatments because it comes into direct contact with the light-producing machinery. If you have uneven skin tone in some places, this self-care service could help. Researchers found uneven skin tone improved by 32.7% after two months of infrared treatments.

It could also be an excellent way to improve the clarity of your skin on your face or body. If you struggle with acne, infrared light will gently penetrate your skin cells and turn the bacteria into singlet oxygen molecules to resolve breakouts from the inside. It’s another way to minimize breakouts without relying on chemical-based facial washes.

Much like acne, the effects of aging can’t resist the power of infrared light on skin cells. Common challenges like wrinkles occur when the body stops producing as much collagen in the face. Infrared light stimulates collagen production to smooth skin for those who prefer avoiding needles or tightening procedures.People might assume the skincare benefits of infrared light don’t include hair follicles, but research proves otherwise. When people with androgenetic alopecia sat for low-level laser therapy utilizing infrared light, they experienced renewed hair growth without drug-related treatments.

Internal Benefits of Infrared Light

• Heart Health: Chronic heart health complications affect people globally. While there are numerous conditions and many treatment options available, infrared light is becoming a more widely recognized way to improve long-term heart functionality. Researchers agree infrared light reduces endothelialdys function, which directly reduces a person’s risk of vascular disease. Healthy endothelial cells maintain arterial tone homeostasis and regulate blood vessel dilation.
• Metabolism: Your metabolism isn’t just good for things like burning extra calories. It’s also the engine behind the cellular functions helping your body function properly. Infrared light treatment boosts cellular metabolism by reducing inflammation wherever practitioners apply it. It’s an excellent way to get comprehensive cellular and inflammation support if your doctor approves.
• Brain Health: People debate the best ways to fortify your brain health, but infrared light is starting to lead the conversation. It has multiple benefits for the mind, including things like higher brain energy metabolism, less inflammation and improved neurodegenerative processes. Although medical experts need more research in this area before pushing it as a leading neuro-health treatment, it’s a promising way to prevent brain disease.
• Headaches: Infrared light can also help people who deal with frequent headaches. When two groups of participants sat for infrared light treatments and acupuncture sessions, those who experienced infrared light applications had greater long-term comfort because it delayed the frequency of their headaches.
• Chronic Pain: Chronic pain is another area where infrared light can help your overall well-being. Anyone who lives with it knows it comes with numerous challenges. Even if you find a medication that reduces your discomfort, you might not want to rely completely on prescriptions to live with less pain. By reducing the inflammation triggering the nervous system, infrared lights help patients with numerous conditions like fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis and myofascial pain syndrome.

Mental Health Benefits of Infrared Light

People are curious about how infrared light improves mental health conditions, so researchers are looking into a wide variety of potential treatment options. A screening of 19 recent clinical studies found infrared light therapy is an effective treatment for people with major depressive disorder. However, more studies are necessary to get more conclusive evidence regarding specific treatment optimizations per patient.

Infrared light can also improve your stress levels. People who volunteered for a recent study sat for trans-cranial infrared laser stimulation treatments and ultimately improved their emotional regulation in stress-inducing situations. The light improves cognition by enhancing the prefrontal cortex, strengthening a person’s stress and anxiety management without medication.

Which Red Light Therapy Is Best?

It’s always best to schedule red light therapy with a professional provider. Although you can find at-home tools that generate infrared light, the instructional pamphlet won’t come with the same informed guidance as a medical expert.

The best red light therapy for you will depend on what you and your doctor agree is best for your specific conditions. You’ll also want to track your symptom progress to tell if the infrared treatments are providing the long-term results you want.

The best red light therapy wavelength for skincare purposes typically ranges between 630 nm and 660 nm. This wavelength penetrates the skin’s outer layers, promoting collagen production, reducing inflammation, and improving overall skin tone and texture. Red light at 660 nm is especially effective for deeper skin penetration, aiding in wrinkle reduction, healing, and improving skin elasticity, while wavelengths closer to 630 nm are great for treating surface-level skin concerns like redness and acne.