“TL;DR: Infrared and red light therapy, also known as phototherapy or photobiomodulation, enhances mitochondrial function by stimulating the enzyme cytochrome C oxidase, which improves oxygen utilisation and energy (ATP) production in cells. This process helps restore cellular performance and prevent mitochondrial dysfunction, which is linked to ageing, inflammation, and tissue degeneration. In the skin, improved mitochondrial activity leads to fresher, healthier appearance and may aid in reducing inflammation and promoting healing. While light therapy can enhance the body’s existing capabilities, it cannot exceed natural limits. It does not tighten skin significantly or reduce fat or cellulite. However, it can help prevent skin laxity, mildly firm the skin over time, and support adipose tissue health, potentially aiding in cellulite prevention. For substantial results such as fat reduction or skin tightening, stronger treatments like high-power radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, or surgery are required. In these cases, light therapy can enhance the outcomes and assist in recovery by reducing inflammation and supporting tissue repair. Phototherapy excels in four key areas: prevention (e.g., skin laxity), slow and gentle improvement (e.g., mild firming), maximising the effects of more powerful treatments (e.g., radiofrequency or ultrasound), and reducing irritation or adverse reactions from invasive procedures. Common applications include stimulating collagen and elastin, improving skin tone and texture, reducing pore size and pigmentation, relieving musculoskeletal pain, healing acne and scars, enhancing circulation, and supporting post-surgical recovery. It also offers benefits for general well-being, including mood enhancement and help with seasonal affective disorder. Although not a cure-all, red and infrared light therapy is considered a safe and supportive treatment for a wide range of aesthetic and health concerns, particularly where boosting mitochondrial function can make a noticeable difference.”
How does red light therapy work and why is it helpful for so many aesthetic and health concerns?
Light therapy works by boosting mitochondrial function
Red/infrared light therapy, cytochrome C oxidase and mitochondria
Photobiomodulation, cytochrome C oxidase and mitochondria
Can red/infrared light therapy lead to vastly increased performance, as in skin tightening or fat burning?
Red and infrared light can help prevent skin looseness and maintain skin firmness but cannot effect skin tightening
Red and infrared light can help prevent cellulite but it cannot reduce it
Red and infrared light can help manage - and minimise the development of - lipedema but it cannot reduce it
Can red light therapy help reduce gynaecomastia?
Light therapy can help maximise the potential of faster-acting techniques, such as ultrasound and radiofrequency
Phototherapy is not a “cure all” but it definitely is a very safe “help all”
All in all infrared / red light therapy can be used for 4 things:
Prevention
Slow, safe improvement provided in a pleasant, relaxed way
Maximisation of other, more effective, faster acting treatments, if provided right after
Irritation prevention as well as healing after irritation
What can LED phototherapy do for me?
Biphasic dose response in low level light therapy (LLLT): an update
Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Light therapy works by boosting mitochondrial function
Energy in every single cell of the human body is produced in specialised cell compartments, called mitochondria. Mitochondria is where oxygen is utilised to produce ATP, the energy currency of the cell. If mitochondria malfunction then the whole cell malfunctions and underperforms.
On skin, this can lead to aesthetic problems (dull, irritated, inflamed or unhealthy skin). In other organs and tissues this can lead to a poorer state of health, lower energy levels, slower recovery from injuries etc.
Mitochondrial dysfunction and cell senescence
In extreme cases, damaged, underperforming mitochondria lead cells to a state of senescence.
This results not only in localised poor state of the health in the tissue affected but also in in whole body inflammation. This is because senescent cells secrete high amounts of inflammatory factors.
photobiomodulation, cytochrome C oxidase and mitochondria
Oxygen production in mitochondria largely depends on the action of an enzyme called cytochrome C oxidase. Light radiation in the red / infrared wavelengths is absorbed by cytochrome C oxidase, resulting in greater oxygen utilisation and energy production.
The end result is an improvement in the aesthetic and health problems mentioned above: skin looks fresher and healthier, energy levels are increased, recovery from sports injuries or any other health problem improves and health generally improves.
And this is why red light (at around 630nm wavelength) and infrared light (at around 830nm wavelength) is helpful for so many aesthetic and health conditions: it helps every single cell of the body to produce more energy and to avoid going down the mitochondrial malfunction / senescence route.
Red and infrared light therapy is also variably known as photobiomodulation, low level light therapy (LLLT) or LED phototherapy etc.
Now, having said all that, there one obvious question.
Can red/infrared light therapy lead to vastly increased performance, as in skin tightening or fat burning?
The answer is NO.
Low level light therapy / phototherapy can help bring function back to normal and maximise what the body can already do, but it cannot make the body go above its potential.
For that, you need much stronger stimulation and more drastic measures.
Red and infrared light can help prevent skin looseness and maintain skin firmness but cannot effect skin tightening
Infrared / red light therapy, for example, can help prevent skin laxity and, by boosting fibroblast function, increase skin firmness slightly or very slowly.
But red/infrared light cannot tighten skin significantly or fast enough.
For that, you need much stronger stimulation, which can be offered by deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency or even surgery.
However, even then, phototherapy can help maximise the results of radiofrequency and recover from surgery, in a gentle, safe, relaxing manner.
Red and infrared light can help prevent cellulite but it cannot reduce it
Red / infrared light therapy can help improve adipose tissue health, thereby avoiding adipose tissue inflammation, which is an important part of cellulite.
In this way phototherapy can partially help prevent cellulite but it can do nothing to burn or even release fat (the most important aspect of cellulite) or break down the fibrotic nodules (another important aspect of cellulite).
For that, you need a much better treatment, i.e. deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and/or deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation.
But even in this case phototherapy can help maximise the results of deep, strong RF/ultrasound, in a gentle, safe, relaxing manner.
Red and infrared light can help manage - and minimise the development of - lipedema but it cannot reduce it
Again, red and infrared light therapy can help improve the health of tissues, including lipedema tissues.
So high-power* red and infrared light LED therapy it is a valuable tool to:
help manage lipedema (heavy legs, water retention, pain, sensitivity to touch)
and to help prevent its development and deterioration
…always in combination with very, very healthy and clean nutrition; daily exercise (vigorous, if possible); avoidance of hormonal contraception (which stimulates thigh fat development); and an overall healthy lifestyle.
But no non-surgical therapy of any kind currently known can reduce lipedema fat - not significantly at least - so please do not fall prey to people promising such miracles.
Be as healthy as possible to, if possible, stop lipedema, have some therapies to manage it but don’t expect to get rid of it.
(* High-power is needed to help penetrate deeper into tissues, especially on women with more pronounced lipedema. Low-power LED will need very long treatment times, whcih result in people giving up LED therapy, as time-wasting.)
Can red light therapy help reduce gynaecomastia?
No. As we mentioned above, red and infrared light therapy cna help improve the health of adipose tissue (so it is not inflamed or painful) but it does not reduce it, including breast adipose tissue in men, as in gynaecomastia, or even women.
Light therapy can help maximise the potential of faster-acting techniques, such as ultrasound and radiofrequency
As we saw above, by boosting mitochondrial function and cell energy production, phototherapy can also help maximise the potential of faster acting, more drastic techniques and add to their effectiveness.
So phototherapy can be used for two things: prevention and maximisation.
Furthermore, phototherapy can also help prevent and reduce any potential irritation caused by other techniques, such as invasive cosmetic procedures, liposuction etc.
Phototherapy is not a “cure all” but it definitely is a very safe “help all”
There is no such thing as a panacea / “cure all” in this world, including light therapy. But it seems that light therapy can help in most aesthetic or health conditions, especially with its extremely high safety profile.
If the body does not need any help with mitochondrial function, and unless the phototherapy treatment is excessive not much will happen (with phototherapy usually “less is more”)
if the body does need help with utilising oxygen at the mitochondrial level, there will be an improvement in function, manifesting as better skin, more energy, more strength, faster tissue healing, maximised results from other treatments etc.
All in all infrared / red light therapy can be used for 4 things:
Prevention: e.g. help prevent skin laxity
Slow, safe improvement provided in a pleasant, relaxed way: e.g. slowly firm up the skin
Maximisation of other, more effective, faster acting treatments, when provided right after: e.g. help maximise the results of high-power, deep-acting radiofrequency
Irritation prevention as well as healing after irritation: e.g. help prevent / minimise adverse reactions from cosmetic surgery (liposuction, face lift, breast augmentation etc), when applied both before or after surgery
What can LED phototherapy do for me?
At our clinic we use red, infrared and blue light therapy to:
Stimulate collagen and elastin production (ideally immediately after a deep, strong radiofrequency treatment)
Prevent skin laxity and skin ageing (ideally immediately after a deep, strong radiofrequency treatment)
Enhance skin tone and texture and rejuvenate skin overall (ideally immediately after a deep, strong radiofrequency treatment)
Minimise pore size (ideally immediately after a deep, strong radiofrequency treatment)
Prevent and reduce cellulite (immediately after a deep, strong radiofrequency/cavitation treatment)
Boost circulation (ideally immediately after a deep, strong radiofrequency/ultrasound treatment)
Reduce inflammation (used on its own)
Promote skin healing (used on its own)
Reduce pigmentation (used on its own)
Improve acne and acne scars (used on its own)
Help improve psoriasis (used on its own)
Relieve musculoskeletal pain (used on its own)
Recover from sports injuries (used on its own)
Reduce skin redness (used on its own)
Relieve heaviness and irritation caused by lipoedema (ideally immediately after a deep, strong ultrasound treatment)
Help with skin recovery and fibrosis reduction after liposuction and other cosmetic surgery (by minimising inflammation, post-inflammatory pigmentation and prevent fibrosis and scarring; used on its own)
Boost overall, whole body well-being (used on its own)
Relax mind and body, improve mood and help with seasonal affective disorder (used on its own)
Biphasic dose response in low level light therapy (LLLT): an update
Research paper link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22461763/
Abstract: Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) has been known since 1967 but still remains controversial due to incomplete understanding of the basic mechanisms and the selection of inappropriate dosimetric parameters that led to negative studies. The biphasic dose-response or Arndt-Schulz curve in LLLT has been shown both in vitro studies and in animal experiments. This review will provide an update to our previous (Huang et al. 2009) coverage of this topic. In vitro mediators of LLLT such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and mitochondrial membrane potential show biphasic patterns, while others such as mitochondrial reactive oxygen species show a triphasic dose-response with two distinct peaks. The Janus nature of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that may act as a beneficial signaling molecule at low concentrations and a harmful cytotoxic agent at high concentrations, may partly explain the observed responses in vivo. Transcranial LLLT for traumatic brain injury (TBI) in mice shows a distinct biphasic pattern with peaks in beneficial neurological effects observed when the number of treatments is varied, and when the energy density of an individual treatment is varied. Further understanding of the extent to which biphasic dose responses apply in LLLT will be necessary to optimize clinical treatments.
Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 200mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.
We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.
Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.
On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.
Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic.
Have a cellulite treatment in London with the experts
At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.
This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.
As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.
(Of course, we keep looking for new technologies every day and if/when a better technology materialises we will be the first to provide it. However, we will never follow the latest ineffective gimmick, just because it’s good marketing to offer the latest hyped up - yet ineffective and/or unsafe treatment.)
Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.
And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.
Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.
(No unsafe and ineffective RF microneedling or HIFU and no safe but ineffective acoustic wave therapy, superficial RF (bipolar/tripolar/multipolar etc), low power RF/cavitation, electrical muscle stimulation, lymphatic massage, cupping, dry brushing and no ridiculous bum bum creams.)
Our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.
We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Why train with The Cellulite School™?
We all know that training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening is as basic as it gets. It is typically a 4-6 hour training, involving only basic instruction from the manufacturer on how operators can use the machine; lots of myths, erroneous information and misconceptions; and some basic health and safety on how to use the machine.
There is no proper, real training in the science or cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency, ultrasound and all related technologies is non-existent - worldwide.
Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, LED phototherapy, cellulite and skin tightening?
Get proper training based on 25-year theory and practical application of cellulite reduction and valuable insights from 24,000+ sessions and 4,200+ clients.
Attend a half-day, 1-day, 2-day or 3-day one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.
Get properly trained in the science of cellulite, skin tightening, radiofrequency, ultrasound, phototherapy and all related technologies, at LipoTherapeia.
Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.
Learn more or check prices and book training at our London clinic or via Zoom.