How does infrared / red light therapy work?

“TL;DR: By boosting cell energy production, red/infrared light therapy can help with almost any aesthetic condition in a safe, gentle, relaxing manner.

Infrared / red phototherapy on its own is ideal for prevention and slow improvement, while combined with other treatments it is great for result maximisation and irritation prevention.”

How does photobiomodulation / phototherapy / low level light therapy (LLLT) work and why is it helpful for so many aesthetic and health concerns?

• Light therapy works by boosting mitochondrial function

• Red/infrared light therapy, cytochrome C oxidase and mitochondria

• Photobiomodulation, cytochrome C oxidase and mitochondria

• Can red/infrared light therapy lead to vastly increased performance, as in skin tightening, fat reduction, increased muscle strength etc?

• Light therapy can help maximise the potential of faster acting techniques, such as ultrasound and RF

• Phototherapy is not a “cure all” but it definitely is a very safe “help all”

• What can LED phototherapy do for me?

• Biphasic dose response in low level light therapy (LLLT): an update

• Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

• Advanced, infrared / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

• Discover our professional training in cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency and ultrasound

Light therapy works by boosting mitochondrial function

Energy in every single cell of the human body is produced in specialised cell compartments called mitochondria. Mitochondria is where oxygen is utilised to produce ATP, the energy currency of the cell. If mitochondria malfunction then the whole cell malfunctions and underperforms.

On the skin, this can lead to aesthetic problems (dull, irritated, inflamed or unhealthy skin). In other organs and tissues this can lead to a poorer state of health, lower energy levels, slower recovery from injuries etc.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and cell senescence

In extreme cases, damaged/underperforming mitochondria lead the cell to a state of senescence, which results not only in localised poor state of the health of the tissue affected but also in in whole body inflammation. This is because senescent cells secrete high amounts of inflammatory factors.

photobiomodulation, cytochrome C oxidase and mitochondria

Now oxygen production in mitochondria largely depends on the action of an enzyme called cytochrome C oxidase. Light radiation in the red / infrared wavelengths is absorbed by cytochrome C oxidase, resulting in greater oxygen utilisation and energy production.

The end result is an improvement of the aesthetic and health problems mentioned above: skin looks fresher and healthier, energy levels are increased, recovery from sports injuries or any other health problem improves and health generally improves.

And this is how red / infrared light therapy (also known as photobiomodulation, low level light therapy, LLLT or phototherapy) is helpful for so many aesthetic and health conditions: it helps every single cell of the body to produce more energy and to avoid the mitochondrial malfunction / senescence route.

Now, having said all that, there one obvious question.

Can red/infrared light therapy lead to vastly increased performance, as in skin tightening, fat reduction, increased muscle strength etc?

The answer is NO. Low level light therapy / phototherapy can help bring function back to normal and maximise what the body can already do, but it cannot make the body go above its potential. For that you need much stronger stimulation and more drastic measures.

• Infrared / red light therapy, for example, can help prevent skin laxity and, by boosting fibroblast function, increase skin firmness slightly or very slowly. But it cannot tighten the skin significantly or fast enough. For that you need much stronger stimulation, which can be offered by deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency, or even surgery. But even in thos cases phototherapy can help maximise the results of radiofrequency and recover from surgery, in a gentle, safe, relaxing manner.

• Red / infrared light therapy can help improve adipose tissue health, thereby avoiding adipose tissue inflammation, which is an important part of cellulite. In this way phototherapy can partially help prevent cellulite but it can do nothing to burn or even release fat (the most important aspect of cellulite) or break down the fibrotic nodules (another important aspect of cellulite). For that you need a much better treatment, i.e. deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and/or deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation. But even in this case phototherapy can help maximise the results of RF/ultrasound, in a gentle, safe, relaxing manner.

• Red / infrared light therapy can help improve muscle function, so an athlete can operate at their maximum capacity and that is a nice, modest, always welcome gain. But without increasing/improving their training they will not make drastic / significant gain. But even in this case phototherapy can help maximise the results of training.

• Red / infrared light therapy can help heal a mild musculoskeletal injury but for anything more serious or for faster recovery massage, exercises, physiotherapy or even surgery will be needed. But even in this case phototherapy can help maximise the results of physiotherapy and recover from surgery, in a gentle, safe, relaxing manner.

• Red / infrared light therapy can help improve circulation. However, other more effective treatments, such as pressotherapy, massage or even radiofrequency and cavitation will offer a faster and more significant circulation improvement. But even in this case phototherapy can help maximise the results of pressotherapy, massage, RF and ultrasound, in a gentle, safe, relaxing manner.

In all those cases, more drastic techniques can give faster and more pronounced results than phototherapy. So phototherapy is the gentler, slower acting, super-relaxing technique, which is well suited for prevention or slow improvement.

Light therapy can help maximise the potential of faster-acting techniques, such as ultrasound, RF, massage and physiotherapy

But even in those cases, by boosting mitochondrial function and cell energy production, phototherapy can also help maximise the potential of all those more faster acting, more drastic techniques and add to their effectiveness.

So phototherapy can be used for two things: prevention and maximisation.

Furthermore, phototherapy can also help prevent any potential irritation caused by those techniques (hard training, invasive cosmetic procedures etc).

Phototherapy is not a “cure all” but it definitely is a very safe “help all”

There is no such thing as a panacea / “cure all” in this world, including light therapy. But it seems that light therapy can help in most aesthetic or health conditions, especially with its extremely high safety profile.

• If the body does not need any help with mitochondrial function, and unless an excessive treatment is provided (with phototherapy usually “less is more”) not much will happen.

• if the body does need help with utilising oxygen at the mitochondrial level, there will be an improvement in function, manifesting as better skin, more energy, more strength, faster tissue healing, maximised results from other treatments etc.

All in all infrared / red light therapy can be used for 4 things:

• Prevention: e.g. help prevent skin laxity

• Slow, safe improvement provided in a pleasant, relaxed way: e.g. slowly firm up the skin

• Result maximisation of other, more effective, faster acting treatments: e.g. help maximise the results of high-power, deep-acting radiofrequency

• Irritation prevention or improvement: e.g. help prevent / minimise adverse reactions from cosmetic surgery (liposuction, face lift, breast augmentation etc), both when applied before or after surgery

What can LED phototherapy do for me?

At our clinic we use red, infrared and blue light therapy as follows:

• Stimulate collagen and elastin production (even more so immediately after a deep tissue radiofrequency treatment)

• Prevent skin laxity and skin ageing (even more so immediately after a deep tissue radiofrequency treatment)

• Enhance skin tone and texture and overall rejuvenate skin (even more so immediately after a deep tissue radiofrequency treatment)

• Minimise pore size (even more so immediately after a deep tissue radiofrequency treatment)

• Boost circulation (even more so immediately after a deep tissue radiofrequency or deep tissue ultrasound treatment)

• Reduce inflammation

• Promote skin healing

• Reduce pigmentation

• Improve acne and acne scars

• Help improve psoriasis

• Relieve musculoskeletal pain

• Recover from sports injuries

• Reduce skin redness

• Relieve heaviness and irritation caused by lipoedema (even more so immediately after a deep tissue ultrasound treatment)

• Skin recover after liposuction and other cosmetic surgery, by minimising inflammation, post-inflammatory pigmentation and prevent fibrosis and scarring

• Reduce fibrosis and adhesions after after liposuction and other cosmetic surgery (even more so immediately after a deep tissue ultrasound treatment)

• Boost overall, whole body well-being

• Relax mind and body, improve mood and help with seasonal affective disorder

Biphasic dose response in low level light therapy (LLLT): an update

• Research paper link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22461763/

• Abstract: Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) has been known since 1967 but still remains controversial due to incomplete understanding of the basic mechanisms and the selection of inappropriate dosimetric parameters that led to negative studies. The biphasic dose-response or Arndt-Schulz curve in LLLT has been shown both in vitro studies and in animal experiments. This review will provide an update to our previous (Huang et al. 2009) coverage of this topic. In vitro mediators of LLLT such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and mitochondrial membrane potential show biphasic patterns, while others such as mitochondrial reactive oxygen species show a triphasic dose-response with two distinct peaks. The Janus nature of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that may act as a beneficial signaling molecule at low concentrations and a harmful cytotoxic agent at high concentrations, may partly explain the observed responses in vivo. Transcranial LLLT for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mice shows a distinct biphasic pattern with peaks in beneficial neurological effects observed when the number of treatments is varied, and when the energy density of an individual treatment is varied. Further understanding of the extent to which biphasic dose responses apply in LLLT will be necessary to optimize clinical treatments.

Advanced, infrared / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 240mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.

We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.

Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.

On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1).

Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.

This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.

As strong, deep-acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.

Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.

And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.

We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert cellulite / skin tightening treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1).

Discover our professional training in cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency and ultrasound

Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening?

Attend a half-day, 1-day or 2-day or 3-day professional consultancy / one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.

Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1)