It’s easy to get tons of Sun in the summertime. So, what’s the point of using red light therapy in the summer?
In this article, we discuss a few reasons why red light therapy is still a huge supplement to one’s health and wellness routine, even when it’s easy to catch rays.
Is Red Light Therapy Necessary in the Summer?
The short answer is that red light therapy is beneficial any time of the year. In the summer, it has significant benefits that can help keep your skin healthy even if you’re getting plenty of Sun.
Here’s what red light therapy can do for you in the summer:
Sunburn Prevention
Red and near infrared light can help prepare the skin to withstand damage from UV radiation. In 2008, researchers found that pre-treating the skin with red light therapy before venturing outdoors reduced redness and hyperpigmentation (tanning). Its effects were similar to sunblock with SPF 15.
Red light therapy should not be used instead of sunblock. However, if you’re only planning on being outdoors for a short time, you may be able to avoid sunburn, or lessen its long term effects like wrinkles and sunspots, with regular red light therapy pre-treatment.
Wrinkle Reduction
Collagen is the protein responsible for the skin’s structure and texture. Elastin in the protein responsible for the skin’s elasticity. Both are needed to maintain a youthful appearance, but UV radiation interferes with collagen and elastin production.
Red light therapy is well known for boosting collagen and elastin synthesis which helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Healing From Sunburn
Sunburn is visible skin damage due to UV exposure. It is characterized by redness, swelling, tenderness, and sometimes even blistering. There’s also damage that we can’t see, in the deeper layers of the skin and the underlying tissue.
Traditional remedies like aloe vera and pain relievers offer some relief, but don’t heal damaged skin.
Red light therapy reduces pain and inflammation to calm the skin and soothe pain. It also has analgesic properties which can help reduce pain even more. The treatment can help accelerate healing from sunburn by stimulating production of collagen and elastin, and by promoting cellular repair and regeneration.
Red and near infrared light also reduces oxidative stress generated by UV damage - oxidative stress interferes with the healing process so reducing it is one of the key elements of accelerated healing.
How Red Light Therapy Supplements Natural Sunlight
Natural sunlight has long been used as a treatment for a variety of physical conditions. Ancient healers were used to treat skin diseases, jaundice, tuberculosis, and sleep disorders.
Sunlight contains UV wavelengths, which have shown therapeutic benefits in small doses. Skin conditions like vitiligo, psoriasis, acne, eczema and even some types of cancer have been treated either with natural sunlight or isolated UV rays.
However, today it’s known that UV exposure should be very limited and monitored closely to prevent skin damage. Since natural sunlight also contains red and near infrared wavelengths, these can be isolated using an LED device like the BIOMAX Series panels, you get the healing benefits without any risk of excessive UV exposure. Red light therapy also panels don’t emit any UV light.
A daily dose of sunshine is good for us - in moderation. If you’re like many people and spend most of your daylight hours indoors, you can get many of the therapeutic benefits of natural sunlight using red light therapy.
Here’s what you can treat with red/NIR light:
Skin Health
Chronic skin conditions including acne, psoriasis, vitiligo, melasma, skin wounds, stretch marks, scars, and aging skin have all been treated successfully with regular red light therapy.
Just minutes a day, consistently, is all that’s needed to help keep inflammatory skin conditions from flaring up, promote skin healing, and even reverse signs of aging.
Athletic Performance
Muscles also benefit from regular red light therapy. Athletes use red light before workouts to precondition the muscles for intense activity, and after a workout to speed up muscle recovery. It is also a beneficial therapy for treating muscle injuries like pulls or deep bruises.
Pain Reduction
Summer is a lot less fun if you’re in pain! Red light therapy is also useful in reducing pain in chronic conditions like osteoarthritic knee pain and joint pain in the shoulders, hips, and elbows. Patients with diabetic nerve pain and other types of neuropathy may potentially see relief after using red light therapy.
Hair Regrowth and Weight Loss
Red light therapy has been proven to regrow hair, which is great news for anyone suffering from alopecia. It has also been used to reduce belly fat as part of a weight loss regimen.
Oral Health
It may surprise you that red light can be used to improve oral health. It may help regrow gums if you suffer from gingivitis, and even help heal a cracked tooth from too much summer fun on the skateboard or bike.
Inner Health
Even conditions deeper in the body, such as hypothyroidism and brain health can be treated with red light therapy. The key with any internal condition is to use near infrared wavelengths which absorb deeper into the body’s tissues than red wavelengths. Near infrared wavelengths can actually penetrate bone. They can be used to boost stem cell and white blood cell production in bone marrow to support the immune system, and even to speed up healing of broken bones.
How can red light therapy be so versatile?
That the benefits of red light therapy stem from its ability to stimulate mitochondrial performance in each cell. The mitochondria are the tiny organelles in the cells that convert raw materials into cellular fuel called adenosine triphosphate. If cells are able to produce enough energy, they will function better.
That’s why many people report feeling more energized after spending time in the sun. It’s the same effect - except with sunlight, you’re also dealing with UV wavelengths and the possibility of skin damage.
Using red light therapy daily (preferably as a full body treatment right out of the shower) can help strengthen all of your body’s systems!
The Learning Center contains a wealth of information on conditions where red light therapy has shown research-backed benefits.
Red Light Therapy with the BIOMAX Series
Spring into summer knowing that you’re giving your skin the best possible care to help minimize the dangers of too much fun in the sun, and help your skin heal from the effects.
A powerful LED light therapy panel such as the BIOMAX Series series panels from PlatinumLED Therapy Lights is a go-to for people who want to achieve the maximum benefits of red light therapy.
PlatinumLED’s red light therapy panels feature a variety of wavelengths, including six R+ and NIR+ wavelengths as well as trace amounts of blue and infrared light to effectively treat everything from skin concerns to deep tissue concerns like aching knees.
Check out the BIOMAX Series panels for more information about how to maximize your health!
