PHOENIX — There is no shortage of light in Arizona, but there’s a certain frequency that people are craving.
People are experimenting with red light therapy, a non-invasive treatment thought to treat a range of issues above and beneath the skin.
“The red light spectrum is an interesting and unique frequency that I think we need more of,” Optimyze co-founder and CEO Michael Roviello said.
At the lowest end of the visible light spectrum, red light is thought to stimulate cells to repair skin, boost new cell growth and enhance rejuvenation when exposed to one’s skin, according to studies in the National Library of Medicine.
“Light is an important element to human health overall and red light therapy helps with the production of cellular energy," Roviello said. "It helps with inflammation. It helps with circulation and blood flow."
Roviello said he experienced the benefits for himself after discovering light therapy brought relief to his cervical spine injury.
“I didn’t need to continue to take any sort of painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs or muscle relaxers,” Roviello said. “Things I was consistently taking for a while.”
LED light therapy is a non-invasive light therapy that penetrates the skin. Different wavelengths or colors have been found to achieve different benefits.
“It treats what’s on the skin or what’s just under the skin,” Dr. Lee Laris said. “It’s not very penetrating but it can do a good job to reduce inflammation and to help the body heal itself.”
Laris, the medical director at Phoenix Skin, said he uses light to treat patients with different conditions, including acne, psoriasis, and rosacea.
“It’s pretty amazing that we can actually use light to make a difference,” Laris said.
In his office, he prescribes patients with acne to sit under a combination of blue light to kill bacteria and red light to reduce inflammation.
“People see phenomenal changes with that. We can clear skin significantly using that modality,” Laris said.
He said he’s also seen red light help hair grow and reduce aging, but Laris said those results are anecdotal evidence.
“Although, there’s never been any specific studies that show that it makes a big difference, I think the evidence is in the fact that everyone is buying and using and continuing to use the treatment,” Laris said.
Studies surrounding different wavelengths of light are in the works.
Dr. Laurent Martin, an assistant professor at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, is focused on developing a non-pharmacological treatment for pain.
“We’re thinking by kind of tricking the retina or the photoreceptive cells in the retina, we could actually act on this pain-modulating area,” Martin said.
Instead of introducing the light through the skin, researchers are exposing patients to light through their eyes.
“We tested different wavelengths of light and we found that green could actually reduce pain sensitivity,” Martin said. “We did two clinical trials, one in migraine patients and another in fibromyalgia patients, and so, in both clinical trials, we saw a reduction of pain intensity and for the migraine patients, also the frequency of the migraine.”
From wearable devices to full body panels, red light therapy is trending around the Valley with new businesses promoting the treatment.
“It’s only a ten-minute session. It’s not a big investment of your time,” Roviello said. “We have very powerful panels, so it’s not just like a face treatment.”
Roviello, Laris and Martin said they see light therapy becoming more widely used as adjunctive medical treatment, once more conclusive evidence is found.
“We’re learning there’s just more and more disease in society in many different ways, whether it’s the rise of autoimmune conditions or pain inflammation,” Roviello said. “People are starting to seek alternative therapies now and I think you’re going to see it continue to increase.”
Red light therapy is considered relatively safe with rare side effects when people are using it correctly with eye protection.
People are still encouraged to consult their doctors before using it.
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