Light therapy is a non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical, cost-effective treatment option for a variety of medical and cosmetic issues. It has been tested in thousands of clinical trials over the past few decades, and has been proven to be a safe and effective treatment option with no negative, harmful, or long-term side effects - and with no risk of burning the skin.
Additionally, there are no harmful UV light rays emitted from our light therapy devices, as low-level light therapy LED machines DO NOT contain UV (ultraviolet) rays - so there is no risk of cancer-causing damage to skin cells and tissues.
So, what is light therapy?
Light therapy is the application of specific wavelengths of light energy to a person's body, in order to obtain therapeutic benefits/results.
The light energy is absorbed by the cells in our bodies - so this therapy works at the cellular level.
Light therapy causes cells to increase their production of ATP. (ATP is the form of energy the cells use to fuel their necessary work.)
This increased ATP production causes a positive cascade of metabolic processes, leading to repair of tissue damage and regeneration of cells - increasing our cellular health.
In other words, light therapy provides weak and compromised cells with added energy, so that the cells' health and performance are significantly improved.
Light therapy has been extensively researched by NASA, and the devices we use at Lymphatic Therapy of Boulder County are based on NASA-researched LED technology. Our devices are scientifically proven, FDA-cleared as Class II Medical Devices, and medically CE-marked to treat a variety of musculoskeletal, joint, pain, and skin conditions.
Research has shown that light therapy benefits are:
Increased blood flow and microcirculation
Decreased inflammation
Decreased pain
Increase in specific cellular activity which accelerates wound healing, tissue repair, and tissue regeneration
Reduced muscle and joint pain, stiffness, and spasm
Decreased arthritis pain
Kills acne bacteria/improves acne
Increased production of collagen and elastin
Improved skin tone, texture, and clarity
Promotes anti-aging benefits in skin
What specific issues and diagnoses can be treated with light therapy?
Pain - including post-surgical pain, post-injury pain, arthritis, joint pain, back pain, muscle pain, sprains, fractures, tendonitis, bursitis, muscle tension, and muscle spasms.
Inflammation - post-surgical swelling. This encompasses ALL surgeries - plastic and cosmetic surgeries, joint replacement surgeries, oral surgeries, hernia repairs, abdominal surgeries, C-sections, heart and lung surgeries, etc.
Light therapy is safe to use after surgery (provided your surgeon approves).
Acute and chronic inflammation. This includes chronic systemic inflammation seen in autoimmune issues; swelling from injury; and swelling/inflammation included in the above listed pain issues.
Near-infrared phototherapy activates mast cells, macrophages, and neutrophil cells, which decreases inflammation and protects against infection.
Wounds - accelerating tissue repair, decreasing wound size, and accelerating wound closure.
Light therapy accomplishes this through known benefits of decreasing inflammation, increasing fibroblast proliferation, stimulating angiogenesis, and increasing collagen synthesis.
Note: although the FDA has not yet recognized light therapy as an approved treatment for wound healing, it is CE-cleared in Europe for post-op wound healing, and is used there extensively for wound healing - including on diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, and burn wounds.
For more detailed research, see the 2019 article in Wound Care Journal, titled "Photobiomodulation Therapy for Wound Care: A Potent, Noninvasive, Photoceutical Approach".
Post-surgical - in addition to reducing inflammation and pain, as well as accelerating tissue repair, decreasing wound size, and accelerating wound closure, light therapy can also help post-surgical hyperpigmentation, as well as reducing the incidence of hypertrophic scars and keloids. There is evidence of reduction of scar tissue formation and appearance, as well as reduction in appearance of stretch marks.
Acne - blue light therapy kills p-acne bacteria, while red and near-infrared light therapies decrease inflammation and stimulate healthy collagen and elastin production in the skin.
The simultaneous emission of three wavelengths of light therapy is what sets our devices apart from others - and what makes our treatment of acne so effective.
Wrinkles, fine lines, and aging skin - red light therapy increases production of collagen and elastin, resulting in improved skin tone, texture, and clarity.
Our devices simultaneously emit red and near-infrared light waves - providing both collagen/elastin production and reduction of inflammation - for a comprehensive treatment.
Athletes - near-infrared light therapy increases microcirculation and decreases inflammation, which enables delivery of more oxygen and nutrients to tissues prior to training - leading to increased performance. Following a training session, it helps with speed of recovery through the same processes.
Post-Cosmetic procedures - light therapy decreases inflammation, a side effect of chemical peels, micro needling, laser, ablative procedures, etc.
Hair loss - specific devices offered at Lymphatic Therapy of Boulder County are FDA-cleared to treat hair loss as well. This includes reversing hair loss, preventing further hair loss, and countering male and female pattern balding.
There are just a few contraindications to light therapy:
There is no FDA-clearance for children under 12 years old
Not recommended for pregnant women over the abdomen
Not recommended for lactating women over the breasts
Contraindicated in cases of active cancer
When currently taking steroid medications
When taking photosensitive drugs, or for 1 week after finishing
Contraindicated with history of epilepsy or seizure disorder
FDA-Clearance MATTERS!!
If you are tempted by the numerous inexpensive options for red light therapy on the market (even Amazon sells them!), be sure to first look up the device on the website Devices@FDA.
If the device shows up on this website, you can rest assured it has been reviewed for
SAFETY and 2. EFFECTIVENESS
You want a device that does what it claims to do - that it provides medically therapeutic benefits, and that it is professional-grade (to withstand hundreds and thousands of uses over time).
Inexpensive, non-regulated devices are usually ineffective, or stop working completely.
These unregulated machines lead to very disappointed customers, and are often responsible for the negative reviews you may have read.
Remember: quality medical-grade devices give quality therapeutic results.
The light therapy devices used at Lymphatic Therapy of Boulder County are FDA-cleared as Class II medical devices.
More about our devices in an upcoming blog.
Reach out to us for further information, and to schedule your relaxing light therapy treatments. We look forward to seeing you and helping you along your path of health and wellness!
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