Why Red Light Therapy Is in the Limelight

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Dr. Furnas (00:01):
It is all over TikTok and social media. Kate Hudson uses it. Jessica Alba uses it. It rejuvenates, it repairs muscles, it may even help with depression and anxiety. Why is red light therapy in the limelight? Welcome to Skintuition. I'm Heather Furnas.

Dr. Korman (00:24):
And I'm Josh Korman. As two plastic surgeons, we lay aside our scalpels and explore the nonsurgical world to bring you what's new, what's safe, and what to look for when you're ready to hit refresh.

Dr. Furnas (00:37):
So Josh, is red light therapy worth the hype?

Dr. Korman (00:43):
You mean, is it in the limelight therapy? I don't know, is in the limelight therapy? Well, we all know a little bit about it, but the list of claims is no longer than the published research. We know that red light LED therapy helps with healing and inflammation, which we discussed in another episode, that is we discussed the healing and inflammation in another episode. The red light therapy is what we're discussing today.

Dr. Furnas (01:12):
Now, last time we talked about red light therapy for acne and just the face. Blue light's great for acne. Today we're not going to talk about blue light, we're going to talk about the different things that red light therapy does other than just help with the face. So we're expanding this discussion to include why you would lie on a red LED light bed.

Dr. Korman (01:37):
Yeah, but first thing I just want to remind everybody that if you think of ROYGBIV, the colors of the rainbow, that's the red and the R and the ROYGBIV is it's part of the light spectrum, the spectrum of light that has different wavelengths. And we're talking about the red, which is the longest in the visible light spectrum. So let's go over the claims. So red light therapy helps improve sleep, heals skin injuries, reduces fine lines, and it may help treat depression and anxiety.

Dr. Furnas (02:12):
It's supposed to speed recovery from exercise, and it can increase strength and endurance, fight autoimmune conditions, and combat hair loss.

Dr. Korman (02:24):
Yeah, those hats, those hats that have all that red light in there, it's like, I'm not sure, I'm not really sure what they do, but anyway. In other words, it sounds like something that's out of Hogwarts School of Magical Medicine. The red light out of those wands, red light sometimes does emerge. The treatment is officially called photo bio modulation or PBM, another TLA, three letter acronym, PBM. Photo is light, bio means a living organism, and modulation means adapting. So the light causes the body to change in some way.

Dr. Furnas (03:06):
So red light therapy, or PBM, or low level light therapy, it's all the same thing. The eureka moment of this therapy was in 1967 when a Hungarian researcher in Budapest made an accidental discovery when he was doing research on rats with a laser, and he noticed that the laser light improved the wound healing and also increased the growth of the fur. And later research found that it wasn't actually laser light that was needed, all you needed was low levels of red and near infrared light.

Dr. Korman (03:47):
Is that like the red of the red light districts? Is that maybe what that is? I don't know. So in the 1990s, NASA funded research that studied the impact of red light on plant growth, and the scientists doing the work noticed that scratches in their hands healed much more quickly.

Dr. Furnas (04:07):
So yes, it does, the wounds do heal quickly. So that healing is related to rejuvenation, and red light therapy stimulates collagen and elastin production, which helps rejuvenate the skin. When we say rejuvenate, we mean improving skin laxity, fine lines, texture and wrinkles.

Dr. Korman (04:32):
And that's because small children don't have skin laxity, don't have fine lines, don't have texture, and don't have wrinkles. So something happens as we get older and that's why it's rejuvenating. So red light can improve acne by decreasing redness and minimizing oil production and skin bacteria. For acne, you should also use blue light therapy as well.

Dr. Furnas (04:59):
Cold sores? Red light therapy can speed up healing and reduce pain. But red light therapy isn't as painful to go through as most of the other treatments that med spas offer. It doesn't heat up the skin, may feel a little warm, but it's painless and it's a quick one and done treatment. But you need to do this repeatedly. It's not just one treatment.

Dr. Korman (05:24):
So the red light penetrates the skin to a millimeter or two of depth, which is deep enough to affect the energy producing part of our cells, which are called the mitochondria.

Dr. Furnas (05:36):
Mitochondria, that sounds like mighty chondria. Little mighty little machines bouncing electrons along a chain of molecules and gulping up oxygen to produce energy. And that's the whole thing. All of this, the mitochondria absorbing this red light and it produces energy.

Dr. Korman (05:58):
I don't know if mitochondria sounds like mighty chondria, but they are the machines of the cells. So the effect is that cells can function more efficiently and they can rejuvenate and repair themselves.

Dr. Furnas (06:13):
The fountain of youth, an anti-aging tool.

Dr. Korman (06:17):
Exactly. Well, not exactly, but kind of. But how much of the buzz is fake news? Or in other words, is there any stake behind the sizzle?

Dr. Furnas (06:30):
So, well, here's what we do know. It is FDA approved as of 2007. It's FDA approved to stimulate hair growth. Blue and green light, as Josh you were saying, those are shorter wavelengths. So blue and green light does not penetrate as deeply and they're not effective. It's really the red light that goes deep enough and the wavelengths don't scatter. And so it's why the red is effective.

Dr. Korman (07:02):
And the mitochondria have a red light loving molecule, which starts the path to nirvana, no, to making more energy.

Dr. Furnas (07:12):
So when you hear a theme? Energy, energy is good for muscles. Get under the red light for three hours before exercise. And it's been proven to improve muscle function, muscle performance. It can also heal muscle injuries and reduce soreness after heavy exercise.

Dr. Korman (07:34):
Researchers promising and treating brain injury and multiple sclerosis too. But our focus today is on cosmetic treatments.

Dr. Furnas (07:43):
Right. So here's what you can expect. The light is really bright, even when you have little plastic eye covers on. You feel the warmth on your skin, but it doesn't get hot. I've had it and it's actually really relaxing.

Dr. Korman (07:59):
So whatever you're treating, acne, fine lines, age spots, thinning hair, you'll need ongoing treatments generally one to three times a year, even daily for several weeks, even for several months. At home versions are less potent than the professional models, but they're all somewhat still beneficial. Having said that, you probably have to use the home version a lot longer in each session to get some kind of result compared to the professional models.

Dr. Furnas (08:27):
Yeah, the professional version just is amped up. It's got just a lot more power. And red light therapy, it's easy to use, but it is not typically a standalone therapy. So for cosmetic concerns, we usually combine it with other products and treatments.

Dr. Korman (08:47):
So the risks are low. Unlike UV light, it doesn't cause skin cancer and it's not painful, famous last words. Just important to use proper eye protection. Sessions should be limited to no more than half an hour to avoid blistering. So you can tell that for it to do something, it heats up the tissue, you just don't want to cause so much of an issue that it can cause an injury like blistering. And treatments generally last 10 to 30 minutes.

Dr. Furnas (09:16):
So costs depend on if you're getting an add-on to a facial treatment, which runs maybe $25 or so, or if you're getting an individual treatment, that could run around $200, and full body treatments can run $300 and up. It depends on the number of sessions you sign up for and if you're going to a med spa in Arkansas or one in Manhattan. So prices can vary, but this gives you an idea. And red light therapy is often bundled into another treatment, so you don't really have a sticker price on the red light therapy.

Dr. Korman (09:52):
Okay. I just want to point out, there is a place in Kansas called Manhattan. So there are probably med spas in Manhattan, Kansas,

Dr. Furnas (09:58):
Different Manhattan. Good point.

Dr. Korman (10:00):
Yeah. So a home facial device costs between 65 to $600, what's the difference, depending on things like the strength of the light. And a full body panel or bed could set you back from 2000 to $12,000.

Dr. Furnas (10:17):
It's a lot. But if you think of all those sessions, maybe it's worth it. So to summarize, is it worth walking through the red light district at night with all those red lights? So it might not be as safe as just signing up to lie in a bed with red light? So red light therapy is a promising treatment that ramps up the energy making mitochondria to heal wounds, grow hair, slow down the appearance of aging and more. And we're looking forward to learning more because there is a lot more research being done on red light therapy.

Dr. Korman (10:55):
Yeah, I think there's a lot of research that the sun and the light lights there, we know so little, but every day is a new day with the new sun and new red light. So join us every two weeks as we tackle topics from hair loss to hormones and pimples to wrinkles and red lights to blue lights, discovering new ways to feel better about ourselves.

Dr. Furnas (11:20):
If you enjoyed this podcast, please rate us, review us and share. Have an idea for a topic? We'd love to hear from you. Theme music by Diego Canales, production and engineering by The Axis.