If you’re in the business of health and recovery, then you’ve probably already heard of Red Light Therapy, but is there any evidence for its effectiveness?

What is Red Light Therapy?

In recent years, we’ve seen several technological advancements in the health and recovery space. A modern treatment that uses red or near-infrared light is called Red Light Therapy (RTL).

RTL is often used to help heal skin conditions, repair muscle tissue, and promote overall wellness.

While infrared light energy is not visible to the human eye, the energy emitted by RTL machines is recognized by the human body as heat.

Red light therapy is also known as photobiomodulation (PBM).

How Does Photobiomodulation Work?

When we expose our bodies to near-infrared light, the mitochondria of our cells absorb the light and produce more energy. This energy also helps our cells accelerate the healing process and promote skin/muscle tissue recovery.

The heat from RTL is not high and does not burn. It’s much like the heat from the lights used in tanning beds without the exposure to the UV rays.

So, PBM is safe, and no seriously negative short or long term side-effects have been reported.

Is There Evidence for Red Light Therapy?

There are not too many clinical studies on photobiomodulation or red light therapy, but the research conducted does show that RLT can help with several things.

Neurodegenerative diseases

Evidence from a clinical research study shows that people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, increased their memory performance, had better moods, and even slept better after photobiomodulation (red light therapy).

Osteoarthritis

If you’re suffering from pain from osteoarthritis, you know that you want to do anything to stop the pain. The good news is that a study of red light therapy and photobiomodulation shows that patients exposed to a red light or infrared light, reduced their pain by more than half!

Tendinitis

Much like osteoarthritis, people with Achilles tendinitis, in one study, were able to show reduced pain and inflammation by using red light therapy or photobiomodulation.

Skin damage

Perhaps one of the more obvious benefits of photobiomodulation is in skincare. Evidence from a study shows that RLT or PBM smooths the skin and helps reduce skin damage due to UV (sun damage), burns, or even acne scars. When our skin cells absorb the energy from the near-infrared light, its power center (mitochondria), soaks up the heat and helps the cell recover faster.

Skin aging

Much like the evidence found in the benefits of photobiomodulation in skin damage, a study shows that when our cells get exposed to near-infrared light, they become healthier and age better. That’s because healthy skin is younger-looking skin.

Hair loss

There was a study done on both men and women. These individuals with androgenetic alopecia, which is a genetic disorder that is known to cause hair loss, were treated with RTL. The study was done for 24 weeks and resulted in success. Evidence shows that the individuals who ere exposed to RTL or PBM grew thicker hair and had less hair loss than the group exposed to artificial light.

Adding Red Light Therapy or Photobiomodulation to Your Business

If you are in the business of health and wellness, or you’re planning on starting your athletic-recovery or health and wellness business, you should keep yourself up-to-date with ways in which you can offer quality services to your customers. One of these modalities is photobiomodulation or red light therapy.

Evidence shows that this health modality works and offers several benefits. Therefore, if you want to increase your revenues while also making your customers more satisfied, you can look into adding RTL to your business model.

At Elevated Cryo, we help your business succeed. Whether you are running a cryotherapy business, health & wellness center, or a practice, we connect your business to athletic-recovery and health products that translate into a better bottom line. Our experience in these industries and our extensive network enable companies to save time and cut down on their startup and operation costs. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you get started or take advantage of existing health and recovery modalities.