Red light therapy treatment is an effective and popular skincare method.
But is it a complete skincare routine in itself?
Consumers are increasingly interested in reducing the amount of chemicals they get exposure to, and we welcome this trend.
Read on to learn more about which elements of your skincare routine you may be able to exclude when using red light therapy and others that are welcomed and are supplementary.
Red Light Therapy and Skin Care
The short answer is that red light therapy provides numerous benefits to the skin, but this should not necessarily mean that it’s the only form of skin care to be used, despite its being a considerably impactful treatment to reduce aging and reducing wrinkles.
Red light therapy stimulates the mitochondria by providing energy to the ATP to help with healing qualities that rejuvenate the skin. Alone, it can be quite impactful, but there are a few practices that can be added to enhance one’s skincare routine.
We recommend avoiding applying skincare usage products in the morning before red light therapy use, as this may reduce the ability of the skin to absorb therapeutic wavelengths.
In the following section, we’ll provide a few recommendations of things that are consistent with red light therapy use.
Supplementary Skin Care Techniques to Red Light Therapy
Cleansing, moisturizing, and UV protection are the three key elements of skincare - at least, the outer part of your skin care routine. There is a lot that goes into skincare on the cellular level.
Skincare Routines to Cleanse the Skin
Daily cleaning is needed to keep oil, dead skin cells, dirt, and bacteria from clogging your pores.
Red light therapy doesn’t clean the skin, but it does kill bacteria - including acne-causing bacteria.
Skin cleansing does not overlap or interfere with red light therapy treatment. In fact, it may reduce the amount of surface blockage, paving the way for therapeutic red light therapy wavelengths to work even better.
Our recommended skincare activities do include cleansing your skin with a mild soap that is moisturizing, rather than leaving the skin feeling dry after usage. This means using a soap that helps preserve your skin’s natural oils, which also helps contribute to the skin’s health.
Everyone’s skin is different. Some people have more sensitive skin, whereas others may be allergic to certain ingredients. It can help to experiment with a number of different types of soap to discover the one that works best for you.
Always cleanse your skin thoroughly before using red light therapy so the maximum amount of light absorbs into the deepest layers of the skin and into the tissues beneath the skin.
Moisturizing
Products containing hyaluronic acid lock in the skin’s natural moisture. However, not everyone can use these products because of allergies.
Again, experiment with various products. If you can’t tolerate hyaluronic acid products, one skincare standby that’s been used for millennia is oil. We recommend using a lightweight, gentle oil such as coconut oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, or sweet almond oil.
Be sure to apply moisturizers after red light therapy. Since short daily red light therapy sessions will give you the best results, you will be able to apply a moisturizer within 5 minutes of washing your face.
Cleansing is necessary but it can strip away some of its natural protective oils. Red light therapy does not moisturize the skin so you will need to use a moisturizer to help maintain your skin’s hydration.
Red light therapy boosts collagen production, which naturally gives your skin ‘plumper’ appearance and helps reduce sagging, crepey skin.
UV Protection
Over time, excessive UV exposure can lead to skin damage, increase fine lines and wrinkles in the skin, cause uneven skin pigmentation, crepey skin, and even actinic keratoses, which can be precursors to skin cancer.
Daily application of a SPF 30 (or above) sunscreen can help protect the skin from UVA and UVB damage, especially when spending lots of time outside.
Red light therapy can also help protect the skin from UV damage, and help heal the effects of too much sun exposure.
As noted, we recommend applying sunscreen after a red light therapy session. Sunscreen is designed to block out only ultraviolet light, but it is often a heavy cream or oil that can prevent beneficial red and near infrared wavelengths from absorbing into your skin.
The Skin Benefits of RLT
The benefits of red light therapy occur at the cellular level. It supports the health of your skin cells, enhancing literally the ‘beauty from within.'
Anti-Inflammatory Benefits
Acne-causing bacteria are not the only cause of acne.
Inflammation in the skin causes the skin to become a breeding ground for bacteria, so it’s vital to look beyond just cleansing your skin. Red light therapy and blue light therapy help kill bacteria on the surface on the skin, which also contributes to reducing inflammation.
It’s for this reason that a red light therapy panel isn’t really complete unless it has traces of blue light therapy at the very least.
Chronic inflammation is also a major part of skin aging. Inflammation may be due to excess sun exposure, a poor diet (including too much sugar), alcohol use, smoking, or other factors.
Inflammation always shows up on the skin.
Red light therapy is well known for its anti-inflammatory effects that support skin health and help skin cells focus on what they’re supposed to be doing instead of constantly trying to repair themselves from oxidative damage.
Improved Circulation
Red light therapy improves circulation by promoting the creation of tiny blood vessels that transport vital nutrients and oxygen to skin cells.
Collagen and Elastin Production
One of the main reasons red light therapy is so popular in skincare is that it promotes collagen and elastin synthesis.
Red light therapy doesn’t add collagen or elastin to your body but it promotes their production, which may be in greater need in advanced years.
Optimal Cell Performance
At the heart of red light therapy is its ability to stimulate normal, healthy cellular performance. Each individual cell in your skin, no matter its function, has to perform well so that the skin system as a whole is healthy.
If skin cells are struggling with chronic inflammation or poor energy production, they won’t perform well.
There are dozens of studies including this landmark study from 2014 and many others that confirm that red light therapy helps skin cells repair and regenerate, as well as perform their specialized functions by stimulating the mitochondria within each cell to produce more ATP.
Sun Protection with Red Light Therapy
Can red light therapy actually help prevent sun damage? That was the question posed by a 2024 study by Korean researchers. The study found that red light therapy before sun exposure could “enhance the skin’s resistance to UVB-induced damage.”
The study’s authors also concluded that red light therapy used after sun exposure can support skin repair and help repair the damage caused by UV exposure.
Skincare Routines to Skip with Red Light Therapy
While some skincare applications are consistent with red light therapy, others may be better to avoid when doing regular RLT sessions.
Photosensitizing ingredients may make the skin more sensitive to light, potentially leading to increased irritation. Typically, the only potential side effects of red light therapy occur with overuse. These include retinoids or retinol, benzoyl peroxide, or any compounds that are excessively acidic. The mentality of either avoiding these products or using them scarcely is also consistent with that of users seeking a more natural skincare routine.
Harsh or irritating treatments post-RLT treatment may also irritate the skin. Included in these are strong actives, chemical peels, and microdermabrasion on the same day as treatment.
Typical red light therapy treatment should typically max out at around 20 minutes per day. Longer treatment sessions than this aren’t necessary, as the body can only consume a limited amount of energy from therapeutic wavelengths per day efficiently.
BIOMAX Series
Check out the BIOMAX Series to learn more about the most advanced red light therapy panels on the consumer market.
