Research on Red & Infrared Light Therapy Used in Our Products
Plain-English results and primary-source links related to red and near-infrared light therapy.
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Start with Red Light Therapy Education or return to the Education Hub. Below are measurable results from published research, with a direct link to each study.
Skin Health & Youthfulness Selected research
38% reduction in wrinkle depth, 18% increase in skin elasticity and 48% increase in dermal density after three months.
31% increase in type I collagen production and 18% decrease in MMP-1, an enzyme associated with collagen breakdown. More than 90% of participants showed reduced wrinkle depth and skin roughness after 12 treatments.
32% reduction in wrinkle volume after four weeks of red-light treatment.
After eight weeks using a home device that included red light, skin hydration, elasticity, roughness, pore size and eye-wrinkle volume improved. Type I collagen increased while MMP-1 decreased.
Inflammation & Pain Selected research
Osteoarthritis: 79% lower pain two months after treatment, with reduced swelling and improved knee movement.
Osteoarthritis: 82% reported significant pain relief and recovery of joint mobility.
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/islsm/3/4/3_91-OR-20/_pdf
Rheumatoid Arthritis: 70% less pain than placebo and 28 fewer minutes of morning stiffness in a review of controlled studies.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: 90% experienced meaningful pain relief and 56% improved joint range of motion.
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/islsm/3/2/3_91-OR-11/_article/-char/en
Rheumatoid Arthritis: 90% improved in affected finger joints. Pain, swelling, tenderness and grip strength also improved.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Symptom severity, hand function and median-nerve stiffness improved after treatment.
Fibromyalgia: Pain decreased by about 3 points on a 10-point scale after four to six weeks across multiple studies.
Fibromyalgia: Pain, fatigue, morning stiffness and daily function improved after four weeks.
Back Pain: 82% of patients reported excellent or good pain-reduction results.
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/islsm/4/3/4_92-OR-14/_article/-char/en
Back Pain: 98% improved after 12 weeks, while the average disability score fell from 50% to 10%. Improvements were maintained at one- and five-year follow-ups.
Back Pain: 89% experienced significant pain improvement and 67% improved trunk mobility after five weeks.
Migraines & Headaches: 67% greater reduction in headache frequency than placebo, 82% greater reduction in headache duration and 33% greater reduction in pain intensity using laser acupuncture.
Headaches: 11 fewer headache days per month following laser-acupuncture treatment.
Sports Injuries and Movement Pain: 29% greater immediate pain relief than placebo, and 75% responded after one treatment.
Neuropathy: A review of eight studies found improvements in nerve pain, nerve-conduction speed and pressure on the feet.
Amputation-Stump Pain: 72% lower pain and a 100% increase in the ability to perform daily activities independently in a three-person case series.
Fat & Body Contouring Selected research
3.5 inches lost across the waist, hips and thighs after six low-level light treatments over two weeks.
Brain Health Selected research
Mild Cognitive Impairment: Cognitive and attention scores improved after five daily sessions, including an approximately 9-point increase in MMSE scores in the treatment group.
Alzheimer's Disease: Cognition, quality of life and balance improved more when photobiomodulation was added to moderate exercise for 12 weeks.
Traumatic Brain Injury: 82%—9 of 11 participants—reported clinically meaningful overall improvement after eight weeks in a case series.
Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury: Brain-scan measures of white-matter recovery improved at three months. Symptom scores improved in both groups without a clear difference between treatment and sham.
Parkinson's Disease: Walking speed, stride length, balance and cognition improved from baseline among six long-term users followed for five years.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39385144/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30824206/
Depression: 54% lower depression scores, with 40% reaching remission after two weeks in a small pilot study.
Generalized Anxiety: 63% lower anxiety scores, with 50% reaching remission in a small pilot study.
Hair Growth Selected research
51% increase in hair count after 17 weeks compared with sham treatment.
Hair count and hair density increased within five weeks.
Nearly 80% were rated clinically effective in a real-world study of 1,383 people with pattern hair loss.
A review of 10 controlled studies found significantly greater hair-density gains with low-level light therapy than with sham devices.
Healing and Recovery Selected research
39% faster healing of chronic wounds, with greater pain relief than standard care.
Deep Burn Wounds: Lower scar and raised-scar formation than skin grafting in children.
Diabetic Ulcers: 37% reduction in treatment-resistant ulcer area after two weeks compared with 15% in the control group.
Diabetic Wound Healing: Red and near-infrared light reduced inflammatory signals and supported tissue repair across preclinical studies.
Note
Results are specific to the condition, wavelength, dose, treatment method and schedule used in each study. This page summarizes published research for educational purposes and does not claim that any product diagnoses, treats or cures disease.
Related: Red Light Therapy Education · EWOT Education · Education Hub