Red Light Therapy

By now you know Im a selfcare junkie- give me all the bio hack, new, woo woo, services.

I went to one of my favorite med-spa therapy places Restore SLC and got a free session of the red light therapy sauna.

I have to tell you, I felt amazing after and went into the rabbit hole on the research. I had NO idea it had so many benefits!

Fast forward to today, I have an at-home therapy machine, and I LOVE using it - especially in the winter.

So lets get right into it, and talk about the benefits of red light therapy!

Why You Should Give Red Light Therapy The Green Light!

Red light therapy might not be something you’ve heard of, but it’s pretty cool! One of the best parts about this therapy--besides all the benefits--is that you can do it from home. All you need is a red LED lightbulb, and you can take advantage of all the ways red light therapy can help you! Let’s talk about these benefits, how they work, and why you should give red light therapy the green light…

What Is Red Light Therapy?
Before we get into the good stuff, let’s talk about what red light therapy actually is, and why it even works. Back in the 90s, scientists were originally using red light therapy to grow plants in space! Seeing how this worked, more research was done to see how red light therapy could help humans. Since light is really energy, the whole spectrum actually has different effects on us! Red light specifically, does some things that are really awesome. When red light therapy is being used, it stimulates your cells’ energy centers, (the mitochondria) and helps them to start making more energy. This means all the functions all your cells have to get a big boost, which makes them more efficient! When your cells have more energy and efficiency, it shows in many ways; and that’s where all the benefits of red light therapy come in…

Benefits of Red Light Therapy
Red light therapy penetrates into about 5mm of your skin, and should never burn. That’s why it’s important that you only use or get red light therapy that uses LED bulbs that don’t burn to the touch. The only times there have been any issues reported with red light therapy is when the bulbs have been wrong, damaged, or if treatment was several hours long. Otherwise, red light therapy is very safe, easy, and beneficial for many things! The recommended timing and amount of red light therapy for all these benefits is about 15-20 minutes at 3-5 times per week. Some of the ways you can use red light therapy are:

Skin Care
Since red light therapy boosts your cells’ energy, it can help with all kinds of skin issues, from aging to acne! Red light therapy speeds up healing, improves blood flow, encourages collagen, and can even reverse damage from the sun.

It helps acne and acne scars by helping your skin heal faster from the inside. Since it penetrates your skin a little bit, red light therapy can reach into your pores and help speed up the healing process. This reduces inflammation and helps prevent scarring. 

Red light therapy can reduce wrinkles by helping your body produce collagen. This will help to “fill in” any wrinkles, and help you keep your skin looking youthful and glowing. Just remember to do it every day for the best results. Red light therapy isn’t a one and done kind of treatment, but it IS super easy, so not a big deal to just add it into your routine! ;)

The properties of red light therapy that help with healing and speeding up your body’s processes means that you can use it for lots of other skin problems too! Bruises, cuts and scrapes, bites, burns, stretch marks (whoop whoop), and even rosacea and dry skin can all benefit from red light therapy!

Pain Relief
SInce red light therapy speeds healing and reduces inflammation, it’s a great treatment if you suffer from chronic pain. Arthritis, carpal tunnel, lupus, fibromyalgia, joint pain, back/neck pain, and more can all benefit from red light therapy. It’s not invasive at all, and is a safe and affordable way to help relieve pain and inflammation. Just remember that it’s something you need to do consistently since it only works for several hours. 

Hair Growth
Hair can be an issue for a number of reasons. From alopecia to hairs being pulled from wearing wigs, and even certain hair pulling conditions. Whatever the reason, if your hair follicles are still alive, you can use red light therapy to stimulate growth! However, this can get a little more technical since you need the right red light wavelength for results. The best range of red light wavelengths for hair growth is between 630 and 670 nanometers. These absorb into your hair follicles the best, and can actually help your hair grow faster, thicker, and longer! Be patient, and stay consistent, and you should see results in 2 or 3 months. 

Weight Loss
Yes, you read that right! Red light therapy can actually help you lose weight! When you use red light therapy together with healthy habits, it helps to break down fat cells and make them easier for your body to process and flush out. When the body breaks down fat, it turns into carbon dioxide, which comes out of your body when you exhale and go to the bathroom. So using red light therapy can help your body burn fat more quickly--and naturally! Of course, you still want to eat healthy and exercise, but using red light therapy can really give you a leg up if losing weight is a struggle. Just like for hair growth, it’s important to think of the right wavelength of your red light. To break down fat cells, use between 630 and 680 nanometers. 

I hope this has encouraged you to try out red light therapy for yourself! It’s such an amazing and simple thing that can really do a lot of good to your body. Have questions about it, or are already using red light therapy? Let me know in the comments! I would love to chat more with you about it! 

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