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Phototherapy is certainly having a moment. Consumers can purchase glowing gadgets designed to address complexion problems and aging signs to sore muscles and gum disease, recently introduced is an oral care tool equipped with small red light diodes, marketed by the company as “a significant discovery for domestic dental hygiene.” Globally, the market was worth $1bn in 2024 and is projected to grow to $1.8bn by 2035. There are even infrared saunas available, that employ light waves rather than traditional heat sources, your body is warmed directly by infrared light. Based on supporter testimonials, it feels similar to a full-body light therapy session, boosting skin collagen, soothing sore muscles, alleviating inflammatory responses and chronic health conditions while protecting against dementia.

The Science and Skepticism

“It appears somewhat mystical,” says a neuroscience expert, a scientist who has studied phototherapy extensively. Naturally, certain impacts of light on human physiology are proven. Our bodies produce vitamin D through sun exposure, needed for bone health, immunity, muscles and more. Sunlight regulates our circadian rhythms, as well, triggering the release of neurochemicals and hormones while we are awake, and preparing the body for rest as darkness falls. Daylight-simulating devices are standard treatment for winter mood disorders to combat seasonal emotional slumps. Undoubtedly, light plays a vital role in human health.

Various Phototherapy Approaches

While Sad lamps tend to use a mixture of light frequencies from the blue end of the spectrum, consumer light therapy products mostly feature red and infrared emissions. In rigorous scientific studies, like examinations of infrared influence on cerebral tissue, determining the precise frequency is essential. Light constitutes electromagnetic energy, extending from long-wavelength radiation to the highest-energy (gamma waves). Light-based treatment utilizes intermediate light frequencies, the highest energy of those being invisible ultraviolet, then the visible spectrum we perceive as colors and finally infrared detectable with special equipment.

Ultraviolet treatment has been employed by skin specialists for decades to manage persistent skin disorders including eczema and psoriasis. It modulates intracellular immune mechanisms, “and suppresses swelling,” notes a dermatology expert. “There’s lots of evidence for phototherapy.” UVA goes deeper into the skin than UVB, while the LEDs in consumer devices (typically emitting red, infrared or blue wavelengths) “typically have shallower penetration.”

Safety Protocols and Medical Guidance

UVB radiation effects, like erythema or pigmentation, are understood but clinical devices employ restricted wavelength ranges – indicating limited wavelength spectrum – that reduces potential hazards. “It’s supervised by a healthcare professional, meaning intensity is regulated,” says Ho. Essentially, the lightbulbs are calibrated by medical technicians, “to confirm suitable light frequency output – as opposed to commercial tanning facilities, where regulations may be lax, and we don’t really know what wavelengths are being used.”

Consumer Devices and Evidence Gaps

Colored light diodes, he explains, “aren’t typically employed clinically, but they may help with certain conditions.” Red wavelength therapy, proponents claim, improve circulatory function, oxygen uptake and skin cell regeneration, and stimulate collagen production – a key aspiration in anti-ageing effects. “Studies are available,” states the dermatologist. “But it’s not conclusive.” Regardless, with numerous products on the market, “it’s unclear if device outputs match study parameters. Appropriate exposure periods aren’t established, proper positioning requirements, the risk-benefit ratio. Many uncertainties remain.”

Targeted Uses and Expert Opinions

Early blue-light applications focused on skin microbes, a microbe associated with acne. Research support isn’t sufficient for standard medical recommendation – although, explains the specialist, “it’s frequently employed in beauty centers.” Individuals include it in their skincare practices, he mentions, though when purchasing home devices, “we advise cautious experimentation and safety verification. If it’s not medically certified, the regulation is a bit grey.”

Innovative Investigations and Molecular Effects

Simultaneously, in innovative scientific domains, researchers have been testing neural cells, revealing various pathways for light-enhanced cell function. “Virtually all experiments with specific wavelengths showed beneficial and safeguarding effects,” he reports. Multiple claimed advantages have created skepticism toward light treatment – that claims seem exaggerated. Yet, experimental evidence has transformed his viewpoint.

Chazot mostly works on developing drug treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, but over 20 years ago, a doctor developing photonic antiviral treatment consulted his scientific background. “He created some devices so that we could work with them with cells and with fruit flies,” he explains. “I was pretty sceptical. The specific wavelength measured approximately 1070nm, that nobody believed did anything biological.”

The advantage it possessed, though, was that it travelled through water easily, allowing substantial bodily penetration.

Mitochondrial Effects and Brain Health

Additional research indicated infrared affected cellular mitochondria. Mitochondria produce ATP for cell function, generating energy for them to function. “All human cells contain mitochondria, even within brain tissue,” says Chazot, who concentrated on cerebral applications. “Studies demonstrate enhanced cerebral circulation with light treatment, which is always very good.”

With 1070 treatment, cellular power plants create limited oxidative molecules. In limited quantities these molecules, explains the expert, “stimulates so-called chaperone proteins which look after your mitochondria, preserve cell function and eliminate damaged proteins.”

These processes show potential for neurological conditions: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pro-autophagy – self-digestion mechanisms eliminating harmful elements.

Present Investigation Status and Expert Assessments

The last time Chazot checked the literature on using the 1070 wavelength on human dementia patients, he says, several hundred individuals participated in various investigations, incorporating his preliminary American studies