I admit it: I am obsessed with Red Light Therapy!
Not just the latest home treatment LED devices but the science behind photobiomodulation and all that it has to offer from an anti-aging and performance perspective.
As a science graduate, the cell biology aspect of how LED Therapy works intrigues me.
As a woman of advancing years, the skin rejuvenation benefits of Red Light Therapy are hugely welcomed!
Having started my own Red Light Therapy journey back in September 2020, I first wrote a blog that evaluated the Best Value LED Devices for Home Use based on my research at the time.
That was soon followed by a further blog that talked about Green Tea Antioxidants and LED Therapy as a perfect pairing.
This blog delves a little deeper, to look more closely at the mechanisms behind LED Light Therapy, as well as to answer the following questions;
- Which is best for anti-aging – Red, Near Infrared light or both?
- Can you overdose on Red Light Therapy?
- How to get the best results from your LED device.
Red Light Therapy at a Cellular Level
I’ve touched on the importance of mitochondria for cell health previously.
Mitochondria are the organelles found in every cell of our body and are known as the powerhouses of our cells, responsible for producing energy in the form of ATP, or Adenosine Triphosphate.
Mitochondria play a key role in the aging process. When their membrane potential and function declines, they produce less ATP. If things are not looking good, they can signal cell death, known in science circles as apoptosis.
So keeping mitochondria healthy is key to pro-aging.
Red Light Therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, has been reported to alter the course of age decline, and can have a positive impact on mitochondrial health.
LED light therapy can penetrate 2-3cm deep into the skin and through different body tissues, from skin and bone to brain. Our mitochondria, located in every cell of the body, provide the main source for light absorption.
What exactly happens inside our mitochondria when photobiomodulation takes place?
Firstly, let us look at how ATP is produced in mitochondria.
The production of ATP is known as mitochondrial respiration. The mitochondrial respiratory chain is made up of five integral membrane protein complexes
- NADH dehydrogenase
- Succinate Dehydrogenase
- Cytochome C reductase
- Cyctochrome C oxidase
- ATP synthase
Both red light and infrared light wavelengths are absorbed by one of the key enzymes involved in mitochondrial respiration, called Cytochrome C oxidase.
Cyctochrome C oxidase is the last enzyme in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and is the primary photo-acceptor for the red-NIR light range. The prime function of Cytochrome C oxidase is to bind with oxygen to produce ATP.
A small molecule called nitric oxide, produced in the mitochondria and important for blood vessel health, also binds with the Cytochrome C oxidase protein and blocks its ability to react with oxygen.
One of the best-understood mechanisms of photobiomodulation is that red light releases nitric oxide from the Cytochrome C oxidase enzyme, allowing it to bind with oxygen, restoring mitochondrial respiration and producing more ATP.
ATP production is relatively temporary, though, so not all physiological improvements are because of increased levels of ATP.
Aside from increased ATP production, photobiomodulation reduces the expression of key structural proteins associated with age decline, and lowers oxidative stress and inflammation, which we know contribute to aging.
There is evidence that photobiomodulation increases the growth and production of cells, known as cell proliferation, and the movement of cells, better known as cell migration.
Cell migration in response to chemical signals in the body is hugely important in wound healing and immune responses.
If that’s not enough, there’s further evidence that photobiomodulation increases cell survival and reduces cell death (apoptosis) through the expression of key proteins.
Red vs Near Infrared Light Therapy: Impact on Collagen Production
It’s generally accepted that a combination of red light therapy and near-infrared light is the best for anti-aging.
We know that near-infrared light penetrates more deeply than red light and can increase blood circulation, which can help to improve skin health.
However, a 2020 study on wound healing, carried out at the University of Florence, Italy, shows that red and near infrared have a distinctly different impact on collagen production, and that blue light also has beneficial biological effects.
This study, which was performed on cultured in vitro fibroblasts, the most common type of cell found in connective tissue, was performed with 0.4J/cm2 energy density and 13mw/cm2 power density.
It concludes that red light favors the first inflammatory response and the proliferation stages of wound healing.
Red light stimulates the growth and production of essential cellular elements and migration of cells to the wound, starting to form the Extracellular Matrix (ECM).
On the other hand, near infrared therapy, and to a lesser extent blue photobiomodulation, promote the maturation stage of wound healing with latex remodelling.
That stimulates the differentiation of fibroblasts towards more mature cells called myofibroblasts, which synthesise and deposit Type I and Type III collagen, leading to wound closure with the formation of a scar.
Dividing fibroblast cells in extracellular matrix.
How can we relate this to pro-aging?
Well, reduced synthesis of collagen types I and III is characteristic of chronologically aged skin. If increased collagen production is the goal, then a combination of red and NIR light will best drive all elements required for skin rejuvenation.
Red Light Therapy promotes the growth and production of fibroblast cells, as well as the capability of these cells to degrade and remodel collagen.
Remodelling of the extracellular matrix, including collagen synthesis and breakdown, is co-ordinated by proteins found in the ECM called matrix metalloproteinases (MMP’s), which can degrade both matrix and non-matrix proteins.
Fibroblasts treated with red light synthesize more MMPs, which then increases the proliferation of these cells and promotes the breakdown of collagen and remodelling of the extracellular matrix.
Therefore, Red LED light provides the first step to prepare the extracellular matrix for the laying down of new collagen fibres.
Treatment with near-infrared light doesn’t increase the number of cells. It stimulates fibroblasts to differentiate into their more mature cell type, myofibroblasts.
These mature cells synthesise and secrete Type1 and Type 3 collagen, as well as other extracellular matrix components.
Near infrared, and to a lesser extent blue light, decreases the synthesis of MMPs, which slows the rate of fibroblast proliferation.
So treatment with near-infrared light provides the second step that allows larger, more mature cells to develop, which can produce and secrete collagen.
Fibroblasts treated with near-infrared light, showing secretion of collagen.
Benefits of red light and near-infrared light therapy
In summary, both red and near-infrared light have very different but complementary aspects in regard to anti-aging.
Used together, they will enhance collagen production.
Red light increases fibroblast proliferation and gives us more small cells, which break down collagen and prepare the extracellular matrix for the laying down of new collagen.
Near-infrared light decreases cell proliferation and produces larger, more mature cells, which are capable of secreting collagen.
So a treatment regime that incorporates both these two types of light therapy will optimize anti-aging benefits.
Home Devices That Combine Red and Near-Infrared Light
With a plethora of devices available now for home use, we no longer need to rely on a trip to the beauty clinic to take advantage of the anti-aging benefits of red and near-infrared light.
However, not all devices incorporate both red and near-infrared LED lights. So be sure to check before you buy.
Depending on your budget and goals, you might opt for an LED mask or an LED panel.
Masks offer the flexibility of multitasking while you watch TV or do the ironing.
On the other hand, an LED panel will allow you to target a larger area and reduce treatment times.
Here are a few home treatment devices that offer both red and near-infrared wavelengths in the same device.
Specifications:
Four wavelengths: red (630 + 660nm), near infrared (850nm) and blue (450nm).
As well as three light modes, the Maysama PRANA LED Light Therapy Mask uses super-pulsed light technology to
- help “breathe” skincare ingredients into your skin
- increase the bioavailability of active ingredients
- increase the efficacy of your skincare
Pulse40 LED Light Therapy Panel
Specifications: Red (660nm) + near-infrared (850nm) wavelengths. 40 x 5W LEDS.
Maysama’s Pulse40 LED Light Therapy Panel incorporates science-backed LED wavelengths, red (660nm) and near infrared (850nm). Together with pulsed light, our progressive technology helps optimize the beneficial effects of photobiostimulation while mitigating ROS-induced oxidative stress.
Can You Overdose on LED Light Therapy?
When something positively impacts our health, it’s all too easy to assume that you should do more or have lots of it.
However, that is not necessarily the case. It’s possible to have too much of a good thing.
In fact, there is a phenomenon called the biphasic dose response, also known as hormesis, whereby low levels and high levels of stimuli exert opposite effects.
Weak stimuli slightly accelerate vital activity. Stronger stimuli raise it further. A peak is reached so that even stronger stimuli suppress it until eventually a negative response is seen.
This applies not only to photobiomodulation but to an extended list of substances in living cells. The biphasic dose-response curve, often termed the Arndt-Schulz curve, typically reported in Red Light Therapy studies looks like this:
A biphasic dose response has been frequently observed with photobiomodulation, where low levels of light have a much better effect on stimulating and repairing tissues than higher levels of light.
In the context of Red Light Therapy, the increasing “stimulus” may be irradiation time or increased irradiance.
While numerous studies support the biphasic dose response with photobiomodulation, sadly, it has not been possible to get a consensus on what the optimum parameters and dosage are for the various applications of Red Light Therapy.
The complexity and inconsistency in results from multiple studies for parameters, such as fluence, power density, and treatment times, is one of the main reasons why photobiomodulation has not been adopted in mainstream medicine.
When using Red Light Therapy, it’s probably simplest to consider three parameters that make up the “medicine” (wavelength, irradiance, and energy density) and then to consider time as the “dosage.”
- Wavelength – typically red at 630nm and NIR at 830nm
- Irradiance (intensity or power density) – calculated as power (W)/area (cm2)
- Energy Density – measured as J/cm2
You might think that if the power is doubled and the time halved, then the same energy is delivered. However, reports suggest that a different biological response is often observed. So you cannot rely on this.
With so many different parameters, how can we be sure not to “overdose” on Red Light Therapy?
In all honesty, the output of most anti-aging LED masks on the market, like Current Body, Aduro, or Omnilux, is low relative to an LED lamp or panel, so overdosing is unlikely.
If you’re using a body panel, such as the MitoPRO series or Red Light Rising Advantage series, then adherence to company recommendations on dosage is more important.
How to Get the Most from Your Red Light Therapy Device
Earlier, I referred to the production of ATP from mitochondrial respiration, but mitochondrial respiration also produces free radicals as a byproduct.
While low levels of free radicals are important to act as signalling molecules, excess free radicals can inhibit biological processes and lead to free radical damage.
An excess of free radicals can cause oxidative stress, whereby free radicals attack key cellular components, including proteins, lipids, and DNA. And prolonged oxidative stress ultimately leads to cell death.
Free radical damage and oxidative stress.
Controlling the level of excess free radicals, also known as Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), produced by LED light therapy is therefore important to reduce oxidative damage from free radical exposure but also helps the results of Red Light Therapy to be realized sooner.
A 2009 study conducted by NASA scientists using green tea antioxidants indicated that results from Red Light Therapy were seen 10 times quicker when combining antioxidants and Red Light Therapy.
Data shows that botanical extracts with a similar phytochemical profile to green tea, like green rooibos extract and guarana extract, may also serve to significantly reduce the impact of free radical damage and offer a great pairing for use with Red Light Therapy devices.
A more recent 2019 study shows that concomitant treatment with antioxidants and Red Light Therapy induces antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic effects as a result of reduced damage to cellular components.
An increase in the proliferation of dermal fibroblasts is also observed when combining these antioxidant extracts and low-level light therapy, supporting the biostimulation of fibroblasts, which in turn will support collagen production and pro-aging benefits.
MAYSAMA Green Rooibos Pressed Serum is a potent antioxidant serum formulated with aspalathin-enriched Green Rooibos Extract, which has 70 times the antioxidant capacity of organic rooibos.
Not surprisingly, MAYSAMA serum is finding favor for use with Red Light Therapy devices with skincare educators all over the world, including US Master Esthetician and YouTuber Penn Smith, as well as YouTubers Pretty Over Fifty and Natural Kaos.
MAYSAMA Green Rooibos Pressed Serum is available from maysama.com and priced at £46.00 (approx $62) for 30mls.
Click on the collaborator images below for 10% OFF.
Penn Smith Skincare
Natural Kaos
Pretty Over Fifty
