Red light therapy treats muscle tissue, skin, and other body parts. During red light therapy (RLT), an expert will expose red light to a section of your body. While your eyes cannot see infrared light, your body can feel this energy in the form of heat. Red light and infrared are similar.
However, the red light is visible in the former. Red light therapy also goes by other names like low-power laser therapy (LPLT), low-level laser therapy (LLLL), or photobiomodulation (PBM).
WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER RED LIGHT THERAPY
Red light therapy has been around for a while. However, there is still a lot of research on it. To date, it is still unclear if it is a better form of treatment than other healing methods. Red light therapy can give you the following results.
LESS PAIN IN THE MOUTH
After undergoing red light therapy, a group of people in a study reported dental pain relief. The subject with temporomandibular dysfunction syndrome (TMD) described less jaw tenderness, pain, and clicking after the therapy.
LESS OSTEOARTHRITIS-RELATED PAIN
Another study showed a reduction of pain levels by more than 50 percent in patients suffering from osteoarthritis. It happened after undergoing infrared and red light therapy.
HAIR GROWTH
Androgenetic alopecia is a genetic condition that results in hair loss. Some patients suffering from the disorder use an at-home red light therapy device. A study showed that their hair grew thicker after using the device for 24 weeks. Those who used a fake device in the same study did not get similar results.
IMPROVED SKIN HEALTH
There have been many studies on the potential of using RLT to improve skin health by rejuvenating it. One study showed that red light therapy could help in skin rejuvenation by:
- Improving circulation between tissue and blood cells.
- Stimulating the production of collagen in the skin, giving it elasticity.
- Preventing cell damage.
- Stimulating the production of fibroblast. This aids in collagen production.
- Reducing the severity of wrinkles and fine lines.
- Enhancing facial structure.
- Enhancing the skin complexion and rejuvenating it.
ENHANCED BONE RECOVERY
Another study examined the potential of using red light therapy in the treatment of bone defects in the face. The researchers’ results showed that red light therapy helped accelerate healing in patients who underwent facial bone defect treatment. Additionally, the study also indicated that during RLT, the patients experienced reduced pain and inflammation.
Although RLT shows a lot of positive results for many conditions, researchers still believe more studies are important. Most of these studies are small but so far, the outcomes are quite promising.