Is red light therapy real or fake?

“TL;DR: There are thousands of science papers on red light therapy proving its efficacy in many indications, so it is definitely “real”, as long as the right equipment, training and claims are involved.

With low-end devices, poor training and when exaggerated claims are made, red light - any therapy is “fake”, including red light therapy.”

Blue, infrared, red light therapy - legit or not?

• With proper equipment and training - and responsible claims - red light therapy is as real as it gets

• When low-end equipment, poor training and miracle claims are made, red light therapy is as fake as any other therapy

• Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

• Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

• The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

With proper equipment and training - and responsible claims - red light therapy is as real as it gets

Red light therapy, as well as infrared and blue light therapy, is becoming ever more popular.

With this popularity hundreds of LED red light therapy devices have appeared on the market and with all the miracle claims, the internet, tiktok and instagram misinformation and the confusion, a lot of people understandably question whether red light therapy is legit or not.

To put it very shortly, properly applied red light therapy - as well as blue and infrared light therapy - are real and work for the conditions they are indicated: facial and whole body anti-aging, skin healing, musculoskeletal injuries, pain reduction, acne reduction and psoriasis management, among many others, when used on its own.

In combination with other therapies (e.g. radiofrequency for face and whole body skin tightening; ultrasound/radiofrequency for cellulite reduction; pressotherapy for water retention on the legs etc), red light therapy maximises the results of those treatments, even though on its own it is not that effective.

(Even though it is great for overall skin rejuvenation and anti-ageing, nobody’s skin is “tightened” or cellulite reduced only with red light therapy.)

At the time of writing this article, there were 62,000+ science papers on red light phototherapy at Pubmed, the world’s library of scientific papers. Clearly 62,000 papers are not written for something that is “fake”.

When low-end equipment, poor training and miracle claims are made, red light therapy is as fake as any other therapy

Blue, infrared and red light therapy is fake is when applied haphazardly, with cheap equipment, basic training or when exaggerated miracle results are claimed. In that case indeed phototherapy is fake, as in all cases where money hungry and/or untrained therapists or poor, low end equipment are involved.

So, do your due diligence, find a reputable clinic in your area and have red light therapy (or the infrared / blue light versions) there.

Alternatively, buy a quality home use device (definitely don’t buy not the cheapest), do some reading from reputable sources (the device manuals are as basic as they get) and have treatment at home, always keeping in mind that 1x clinic treatment with a top of the range device is equivalent to 5x or 10x home treatments with a top of the range home device.

Note: treatment with totally un-researched light frequencies, such as green, yellow, turquoise and - God forbid - violet, falls within the fake light therapy category. No research means shooting in the dark, with all the implications of safety and effectiveness. Usually cheap, low end devices provide those wavelengths.

Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia

At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 240mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.

We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.

Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.

On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1).

Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts

At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.

This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.

As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.

Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.

And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.

We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert cellulite / skin tightening treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1).

The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening

Do you want to deeply understand radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening?

Attend a half-day, 1-day or 2-day or 3-day one-to-one masterclass and confidently offer your clients the safest, strongest and most effective treatment possible.

Service available via Zoom or at our central London practice.

Learn more or check prices and book training at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1)