Does red light therapy cause hyperpigmentation?
November 22, 2024
Does Red Light Therapy cause hyperpigmentation?
No, red light therapy does not cause hyperpigmentation. In fact, red light therapy is a therapy that can reduce hyperpigmentation.
What Is Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation is when patches or spots appear on the skin that are darker than normal. This condition can occur anywhere on the body, but is most common on the face and other areas that are frequently exposed to the sun.
Hyperpigmentation can be hereditary, but is most commonly caused by UV exposure, acne, injury, or very aggressive cosmetic terapy, including microdermabrasion and chemical peels.
These blotchy, dark areas mean there is too much melanin in that area. Melanin is a substance that the body produces. It provides pigment to the skin, eyes, and hair. It also acts as a natural sunscreen.
There are three different types of hyperpigmentation:
Age spots due to overexposure to the sun
Inflammatory hyperpigmentation due to skin disease or injury, and
Melasma are darker patches of skin that usually appear on the face
Red light therapy can be used to treat all three types of hyperpigmentation.
Common Therapy for Pigmentation
While hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation are harmless conditions in themselves, they can be a sign of overexposure to the sun. While negatively affecting aesthetics, they can also affect psychological.
Pigmentation can be treated with chemical peels or microdermabrasion. Both of these methods can cause skin irritation and pain. Such aggressive therapy can also be overdone, causing hypopigmentation that can create white spots or blotches.
Meanwhile, red light therapy has also become a therapy for skin pigmentation disorders. This therapy uses a panel that emits light diodes at a specific therapeutic frequency to stimulate mitochondria, which speeds up cellular healing.
Red light therapy does not contain any UVA or UVB wavelengths. It does not affect the production of tyrosinase or prompt the body to produce more melanin. In fact, red light therapy can be used to treat UV-induced pigmentation.
Can Red Light Therapy Treat Pigmentation?
Red light therapy has been clinically proven to reduce pigmentation. In this section, we provide some clinical studies that show a link between red light therapy therapy and reduced pigmentation.
In a 2018 clinical study, patients received microdermabrasion after red light therapy therapy.
Microdermabrasion simply uses mild abrasion to remove a small portion of the skin's surface to promote healing.
In this case, red light therapy therapy were performed for eight weeks, and the question was whether this extra step would reduce pigmentation and speed up healing.
In this study, researchers found that red light therapy therapy of patients with melasma significantly reduced pigmentation.
The researchers speculated that this was due to its suppression of the action of melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing melanin. This stimulation process resulted in a reduction in the excess melanin produced by the cells throughout the body.
The researchers in this study also said that near-infrared light can "pre-condition" the skin, helping it resist future UV damage.
In another notable study, Hamblin et al. mentioned the positive benefits of red light therapy for reducing pigmentation, as well as many other benefits.
How Inflammation Therapy Reduces：
PigmentationRed light therapy is an anti-aging therapy. It stimulates cells to function better by increasing cellular energy production. A toxic external environment as well as processed foods can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, which reduces the efficiency of cells in producing energy from raw materials in the form of food.
Increasing cellular energy production has a rapid beneficial chain reaction for all skin cells.
Another major benefit of red light therapy is that it can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
Reducing inflammation is the first step in treating all three types of pigmentation. This helps support normal cellular function, especially melanocyte activity.
Once inflammation subsides and cells receive adequate energy, the body's own amazing healing mechanisms kick in and skin pigmentation returns to normal.
Red light therapy is an effective therapy for photoaged skin.
In one study, photoaged skin was exposed to a combination of red and near-infrared light for 10 minutes per day. Within one week of therapy, there was a significant increase in the production of hyaluronic acid, collagen, and elastin. No adverse reactions were reported.
Another study on the effects of red and near-infrared light on photoaged skin found that 91% of patients reported an improvement in skin tone after nine 20-minute therapy.
Red Light Therapy For Melasma
A 2023 review of nine studies concluded that red and near-infrared light modulate melanocyte activity.People who are extremely sensitive to light may want to consult a doctor before using RLT for a full 20 minutes per day or try reducing therapy times.
How soon will you see results? Many patients experience a reduction in dark spots after a few weeks. Continued use will give you the best results, not only for reducing pigmentation but also for improving skin.
Red Light Therapy for Different Skin Types
In general, red light therapy is safe for all skin types. It is important to consider that longer red light therapy therapy do not necessarily result in better results. The optimal therapy time is 3-20 minutes.
Consult a dermatologist to learn about the best therapy for your individual skin type and needs.
RLT users with darker skin tones may want to review this article to learn if efficacy and therapy guidelines are affected.
Photosensitivity and Red Light Therapy People who are extremely sensitive to light may want to consult a doctor before using RLT for a full 20 minutes per day or try reducing therapy times.
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