The Rejuvenating Power of Red Light 🔴

Welcome back to Thrivency’s weekly newsletter. I hope you’re well! 👋🏽

In case you’re new here, check out the curated list of 45 wellness events happening in April and May that I sent out last week. See something in your city? Let me know if you go!

As for this week, we’re going to explore the beginnings and evolution of red light therapy 🔴, as the latest edition of our Origins of Wellness series.

That’s right, we’re diving deeper into the therapy you’ve seen everywhere from infrared saunas to electric skincare masks. But what do you say we kick things off with a little trivia?

Think you got the right answer? Before you find out if you were really paying attention in physics class (I know I wasn’t 😅), a quick word from our sponsor:

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Red Light Therapy

Areas of origin: Ancient Indian and Egyptian civilizations used heliotherapy, or exposure to sunlight, as a healing modality for ailments and skin issues. But the advancement of actinotherapy, the therapeutic use of ultraviolet (UV), red and near-infrared light rays, is attributed to an early 20th century Danish physician.

Date of origin: The specific use of red light for therapeutic purposes, and the focus of today’s newsletter, is pinpointed to a 1967 experiment by Hungarian scientist Endre Mester.

Original use: Well… some of the best scientific breakthroughs begin unexpectedly. Scientists have historically conducted all types of crazy experiments on mice. Mester was testing his hypothesis that exposure to low levels of red light could cause mice to develop skin cancer, and he ended up with the opposite result. The mice sprouted hair, indicating that the light actually had regenerative effects! 🐭

Since, then a host of different studies have been conducted to show that red light can penetrate the skin barrier at shallow depths and potentially stimulate follicle growth and collagen production.

So how does it actually work?

According to Brown Health, people may seek red light therapy to deal with a variety of concerns: psoriasis, acne, wrinkle, eczema, hair loss, minor wound, and/or mouth sores caused by certain chemotherapy medications.

Red or near-infrared light at 630-850 nanometers actually stimulates the mitochondria within your cells to produce more energy, and thus, generate new cell growth, increase blood circulation and reduce inflammation.

And don’t worry, it’s safe for melanated skin. ⤵️

What’s the best method of red light therapy?

The jury’s still out on this one. There’s a slew of at-home devices out there as this therapy becomes a more widespread trend - electric masks, wall-mounted light panels, handheld wands and specialty helmets.

But it’s widely believed that these smaller devices won’t be as strong or effective over time as treatments offered at a dermatologist’s office. You’ll also want to double check if your at-home device is FDA-approved and actually delivers the light at an effective wavelength.

That’s your history lesson for today! Let me know, are you willing to experiment with red light therapy? And while you’re at it, make sure to cast your vote below:

See you back here next week for our next Community Voices Q&A!

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