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Phototherapy is certainly having a surge in popularity. You can now buy illuminated devices targeting issues like dermatological concerns and fine lines to aching tissues and periodontal issues, the latest being an oral care tool outfitted with small red light diodes, marketed by the company as “a major advance in at-home oral care.” Worldwide, the sector valued at $1bn last year is expected to increase to $1.8bn within the next decade. There are even infrared saunas available, that employ light waves rather than traditional heat sources, the infrared radiation heats your body itself. As claimed by enthusiasts, it’s like bathing in one of those LED-lit beauty masks, boosting skin collagen, soothing sore muscles, reducing swelling and chronic health conditions while protecting against dementia.

Understanding the Evidence

“It appears somewhat mystical,” notes Paul Chazot, a scientist who has studied phototherapy extensively. Naturally, some of light’s effects on our bodies are well established. Our bodies produce vitamin D through sun exposure, needed for bone health, immunity, muscles and more. Light exposure controls our sleep-wake cycles, too, triggering the release of neurochemicals and hormones while we are awake, and preparing the body for rest as darkness falls. Sunlight-imitating lamps are standard treatment for winter mood disorders to boost low mood in winter. Clearly, light energy is essential for optimal functioning.

Types of Light Therapy

Although mood lamps generally utilize blue-spectrum frequencies, most other light therapy devices deploy red or infrared light. During advanced medical investigations, including research on infrared’s impact on neural cells, finding the right frequency is key. Photons represent electromagnetic waves, extending from long-wavelength radiation to the highest-energy (gamma waves). Phototherapy, or light therapy employs mid-spectrum wavelengths, including invisible ultraviolet radiation, followed by visible light encompassing rainbow colors and infrared light visible through night vision technology.

UV light has been used by medical dermatologists for many years for addressing long-term dermatological issues like vitiligo. It works on the immune system within cells, “and dampens down inflammation,” notes a dermatology expert. “Considerable data validates phototherapy.” UVA reaches deeper skin layers compared to UVB, in contrast to LEDs in commercial products (which generally deliver red, infrared or blue light) “tend to be a bit more superficial.”

Safety Protocols and Medical Guidance

Potential UVB consequences, including sunburn or skin darkening, are well known but in medical devices the light is delivered in a “narrow-band” form – signifying focused frequency bands – which decreases danger. “Treatment is monitored by medical staff, thus exposure is controlled,” explains the dermatologist. Essentially, the light sources are adjusted by technical experts, “to ensure that the wavelength that’s being delivered is fit for purpose – different from beauty salons, where oversight might be limited, and we don’t really know what wavelengths are being used.”

Consumer Devices and Evidence Gaps

Colored light diodes, he says, “aren’t typically employed clinically, but they may help with certain conditions.” Red LEDs, it is proposed, enhance blood flow, oxygen absorption and dermal rejuvenation, and promote collagen synthesis – a primary objective in youth preservation. “The evidence is there,” says Ho. “But it’s not conclusive.” In any case, given the plethora of available tools, “we don’t know whether or not the lights emitted are reflective of the research that has been done. Optimal treatment times are unknown, proper positioning requirements, the risk-benefit ratio. Numerous concerns persist.”

Specific Applications and Professional Perspectives

One of the earliest blue-light products targeted Cutibacterium acnes, a microbe associated with acne. The evidence for its efficacy isn’t strong enough for it to be routinely prescribed by doctors – although, explains the specialist, “it’s frequently employed in beauty centers.” Some of his patients use it as part of their routine, he observes, but if they’re buying a device for home use, “we recommend careful testing and security confirmation. If it’s not medically certified, the regulation is a bit grey.”

Innovative Investigations and Molecular Effects

Meanwhile, in innovative scientific domains, researchers have been testing neural cells, revealing various pathways for light-enhanced cell function. “Nearly every test with precise light frequencies demonstrated advantageous outcomes,” he says. The numerous reported benefits have generated doubt regarding phototherapy – that results appear unrealistic. However, scientific investigation has altered his perspective.

The scientist mainly develops medications for neurological conditions, but over 20 years ago, a doctor developing photonic antiviral treatment consulted his scientific background. “He developed equipment for cellular and insect experiments,” he says. “I remained doubtful. The specific wavelength measured approximately 1070nm, which most thought had no biological effect.”

The advantage it possessed, nevertheless, was its ability to transmit through aqueous environments, allowing substantial bodily penetration.

Cellular Energy and Neurological Benefits

More evidence was emerging at the time that infrared light targeted the mitochondria in cells. Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, producing fuel for biological processes. “All human cells contain mitochondria, even within brain tissue,” notes the researcher, who, as a neuroscientist, decided to focus the research on brain cells. “Studies demonstrate enhanced cerebral circulation with light treatment, which is consistently beneficial.”

With 1070 treatment, mitochondria also produce a small amount of a molecule known as reactive oxygen species. In limited quantities these molecules, says Chazot, “activates protective proteins that safeguard mitochondria, look after your cells and also deal with the unwanted proteins.”

All of these mechanisms appear promising for treating a brain disease: free radical neutralization, anti-inflammatory, and cellular cleanup – autophagy being the process the cell uses to clear unwanted damaging proteins.

Present Investigation Status and Expert Assessments

Upon examining current studies on light therapy for dementia, he reports, several hundred individuals participated in various investigations, incorporating his preliminary American studies