Until recently, red light therapy was only available in spas and clinics. Now, personal red light therapy devices are making treatment more affordable and convenient for consumers. Unlike many other health treatments, red light therapy is safe to use every day, is non-invasive, and has virtually no risks or side effects. This means that you don't need a trained professional to administer the treatment, you are completely in charge.
That said, there are some mistakes you may be making when using red light therapy at home. Any treatment in which the patient is exposed to UV radiation is not completely risk-free. To this end, some potential risks of phototherapy include premature skin aging and an increased chance of developing skin cancer later in life. Eye fatigue and temporary headaches caused by light are also frequently reported, although these symptoms do not seem to indicate any permanent injury.
There is no research or evidence to show that red light is harmful. Red light therapy can help with fat loss and helps with localized fat treatment by causing fat cells to develop small fissures that allow lipids to leak out. Long-term side effects that may occur are generally attributed to tissue overheating caused by improper use of infrared light. When performing photodynamic therapy, physical hazards, such as non-ionizing radiation produced by the light-emitting device, as well as chemical hazards, such as undesirable exposure to photosensitizing agents applied to patients, should be considered for safe use by the healthcare professional.
As mentioned above, you should not look directly at any light source, and this is still the case with red light therapy. Red light therapy is generally considered safe, although researchers aren't sure exactly how and why it works. Anyone purchasing these devices for use at home should ensure that the device emits red light within the effective wavelengths before completing the purchase. As noted above, since any changes you may experience will be temporary, maintaining a regular program of treatments is key to maintaining the desired results.
This red light is natural and can penetrate deep into the skin, where cells can absorb and use it. The biggest advantage of using red light therapy at home is the ability to use it on a daily basis without incurring the additional costs that professional treatment would entail. For most people, red light therapy is completely safe and the only risk of a home device is that it falls on the foot. Full-spectrum bulbs can cause sunburn if the light doesn't have a diffuser that filters ultraviolet (UV) rays.
RLT, either alone or in combination with other treatments, such as blue light therapy, is a potentially effective treatment for acne vulgaris. Red light and NIR wavelengths help maximize athletic performance and accelerate healing from muscle damage due to strenuous exercise or injury. Relying on unverified uses of phototherapy while postponing or avoiding conventional cancer therapy can have dire consequences. In a 1992 study, elderly patients with degenerative osteoarthritis of the knee were treated with red light therapy.
