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How ONYXRed light’s Near Infrared & Red Light Combats Skin Aging.
Red light therapy is becoming increasingly popular as a safe and effective anti-aging treatment. Unlike traditional treatments, red light therapy works by stimulating cellular energy, resulting in enhanced collagen production, improved blood circulation, and other protective effects on the skin including from UV damage. Studies have shown that red light therapy can reduce wrinkles and improve skin tone and texture.
Components of Healthy Skin
There are 3 main components that help your skin appear firm, supple, and smooth. The 3 components that must be abundant and balanced are collagen (which provides skin firmness), elastin (which supplies skin elasticity and rebound) and glycosaminoglycans or GAGs (which keep the skin hydrated). (1)
A study concluded that treatment of human skin cells with red and near infrared LEDs significantly increased hyaluronic acid synthase (a GAG) and elastin gene expression in human fibroblasts in as little as 3 days. Furthermore, synthesis of the 3 components of healthy skin: hyaluronic acid, collagen protein and elastin protein were also increased in human fibroblasts exposed to red or near infrared. (2)
What happens to Skin as we age?
After the age of 20, a person produces about 1 percent less collagen in the skin each year. As a result, the skin becomes thinner and more fragile with age. There is also diminished functioning of the sweat and oil glands, less elastin production, and less GAG formation (helps with hydration). (1)
Collagen and its Role in Skin
Collagen is the main type of protein found in the human body and provides structure throughout the body and this includes your skin! In fact, 70% to 80% of your skin is made of collagen! (3)
During aging, the synthesis of collagen gradually declines, and the skin thus becomes thinner in protected skin, especially after the seventh decade. Several factors contribute to the aging of the skin. In several hereditary disorders collagen or elastin are deficient, leading to accelerated aging. (3) Collagen production has been shown to increase with the use of red light.
Elastin Properties in your Skin
Elastin provides the ability for your skin to stretch and recoil. Though this is an important feature of skin, it only comprises of 2 – 4% of the dermis of your skin! (4) Elastin is a protein and has a very low rate of turnover, so it is susceptible to damage over time from many factors. Age-related reduction in elastin production and damage to elastin have a substantial impact on the skin’s appearance, resulting in looser, sagging, and fragile skin. Healthy, functional & protected skin has the ability to maintain the elastin fibers in the skin. Elastin has been shown to increase with exposure to red light.
What is GAG in your skin?
Glycosaminoglycans or GAGs are long chain sugar molecules that are responsible for supporting collagen and elastin. Glycosaminoglycans are water-binding molecules that can hold nearly 1,000 times their own weight, which helps provide moisture to the skin. While Collagen and Elastin provide structure and recoil, GAGs are equally responsible for preventing wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid, a primary GAG in skin, has been shown to increase after exposure to red light.
Melatonin Production and it’s protective properties
Melatonin is a little known benefit of Near Infrared therapy! Melatonin, generally known for assisting in getting a great night’s rest also has a lot of other benefits including protecting your skin from the elements. Absence of light stimulates production of melatonin from the pineal gland, however, the largest stimulus of subcellular melatonin is near infrared light. While the sun can provide near infrared to stimulate production of melatonin, you can get all the benefits from the ONYXred light therapy device without harmful UV rays.
Melatonin is a significant scavenger of free radicals and antioxidant. The antioxidative mechanism of melatonin is different from the action of antioxidants such as vitamins C, E or glutathione. Melatonin is unique in that it does not undergo redox cycling and therefore it does not cause oxidation. Increased oxidation without a balanced amount of antioxidants can result in many diseases and metabolic disfunction. Melatonin is a major skin protectant often overlooked! (6)
Red light therapy has SPF-like protection
UV exposure is a known factor for causing skin to accelerate the aging process. While we have many skin products and spf lotions that can protect the skin from these mostly harmful wavelengths, a lot of these products contain harmful ingredients as well. With the power of ONYXred light therapy you now may have a new weapon that can give you some protection from UV.
In a 2008 study subjects were exposed to 660 nm red light prior to UVB exposure (5). On another area of the body they were exposed exclusively to UVB. In the 660 nm treated region, the skin had a reduction in redness, otherwise known as erythema, in some cases less than 50%! The study concluded that the red light exposure had a protective effect of approximately SPF 15. The ONYXred light offers you the same wavelength tested in in this groundbreaking study.
Your skin needs bloodflow and nutrition too!
Your diet has a strong impact on the health of your skin. According to the Cleveland Clinic, A diet high in Omega-3, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Lycopene, and Polyphenols all contribute a glowing healthy skin. (6) But even if you nail your diet, you still need to make sure you have optimal blood flow to get the nutrients to your skin!
Near infrared and red light pierces circulating hemoglobin molecules in red blood cells causing them to release a chemical called Nitric Oxide into the blood vessels locally. The nitric oxide reacts with the vessel walls, causing them to relax, thus allowing more blood to flow in the region.
Adding infrared saunas to your red light routine can optimize the health of your skin!
In our wellness facilities we use a combination of full spectrum infrared saunas and our ONYXred light therapy devices. The compounding effects on the skin are impressive. While your body is heating up you are vasodilating, thinning your blood and increasing your heart rate. This allows more blood flow to enter the smallest of blood vessels in our skin and throughout our body.
Not only are you increasing the rate of blood flow for red light to shine on, you are also purifying your skin by sweat coming out your pores. This brings moisture to the surface of your skin as well as detoxifies the deepest layers of your skin.
We generally suggest waiting toward the second half of you sauna sessions to utilize the ONYXred light. This way the red light will reach more blood flow on the surface of your body. As a general guide, 10 minutes front and 10 minutes back; 6 to 12 inches away is ideal.
ONYXred light therapy can make an incredible improvement on your skin and overall health
Your ONYXred device can provide your skin with so much nourishment and healing power. The boost in collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid will keep your skin youthful and resilient. The increased blood flow helps bring nutrition and oxygen to your skin’s surface. The protective properties of melatonin help to fight off oxidation, inflammation and protects your skin from UV damage.
The 6 powerful wavelengths of ONYXred light therapy gives you the most advanced approach to your skin care routine all while healing your body at a cellular level.
Many of our clients use our infrared saunas to manage their inflammatory diseases. Some of these diseases are most evident in people’s lungs including: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and pulmonary fibrosis. All of these are the result of ongoing inflammatory processes. The recent Covid-19 pandemic has created acute lung disfunction and inflammation which is why we need to look at all potential ways to help restore lung function; It is truly a matter of life or death!
What if light, particularly red light and near infrared light, could help the lungs heal and reduce inflammation? Let’s look into the possibilities and studies behind this hypothesis!
The recent Covid-19 pandemic has put a strong emphasis on lung health. Many of the deaths that are associated with Covid-19 begin with an impairment in the lungs. This impairment can seriously affect those with compromised organs that need high amounts of oxygen saturation. Even a slight decrease of oxygen (hypoxia) can further cause damage to these already compromised organs. [1] The inflammatory response of SARS-CoV-2 is likely the reason for death as a result of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). While steroids are generally used to prevent the inflammatory response, they have mostly proven ineffective or even dangerous in the early phases of the disease or to young patients.1 This is where Near Infrared Light, aka Photobiomodulation (PBM) could bring us some hope!
Many laboratory experiments show that red and near infrared light, with wavelengths in the range of 600–700 nm and 700–1000 nm respectively, have the potential to reduce pneumonia, lung inflammation and fibrosis, and hence acute respiratory disorder syndrome, a major cause of death in every coronavirus infection. Our ONYXred light therapy device includes 6 different wavelengths that fall within the spectrum indicated for this potential treatment.
In a pulmonary fibrosis study, involving mice, mice were treated with 660 nm light. They found that it reduced inflammation of the alveoli, reduced proinflammatory cells, decreased the thickness of interstitial fluid, decreased deposits in the lungs & increased elasticity.2
In another study, 780 nm near infrared light had some of the similar benefits but included reduction in lung fibrosis, reduction of TGF beta which is expressed in diseased states, & increase of IL-10 which is an anti-inflammatory cytokine.3
Taken together, these early results suggest that red and near infrared light have the potential to reduce some of the critical complications of coronavirus infections. In a human trial, patients were suffering with bronchial asthma and/or allergic rhinitis. The results showed a significant improvement in those receiving the light treatment vs those who were not.5,6
A systematic review of 17 papers concluded that: “PBM could be helpful in reducing the lung inflammation and promoting the regeneration of the damaged tissue. PBM can increase the oxygenation indirectly in order to rehabilitate the affected organs. Thus, the infra-red lasers or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are recommended in this regard.” 7
Sweatworks Studio, Powered by Awaken For Wellness offers our red light within our saunas. We believe that this only compounds the positive effects of the PBM light. To support this concept, we looked at a 25 year study that looked at those that used the sauna 1 time per week vs 4 times per week. This long term cohort study concluded that frequent sauna sessions may be associated with a reduced risk of acute and chronic respiratory conditions.8 The combined effect of heat therapy and red light could bring faster healing and increased thinning of mucosal fluid.
Our ONYXred lights include 6 wavelengths: red light 630nm, 660nm, Near Infrared 810, 830, 850, & 908nm. The significance of near infrared is that near infrared will penetrate deeper than red light and doesn’t get absorbed as quickly by the skin layers. Our panels have the option to use both at the same time, which we do recommend, however the near infrared will have the strongest effect on the lungs. Generally 6 inches away would be optimal to target the lungs with a recommended maximum of 10 minutes on the front and 10 minutes on the back.
After the review of multiple studies and cases, we can conclude that using near infrared and red light in all chronic and acute respiratory diseases is offering strong promise. Awaken for Wellness & SweatWorks studio are excited to offer this potential healing to our clients.
- https://www.jcvaonline.com/action/showPdf?pii=S1053-0770%2821%2900287-1 Marilena Marmiere, MD* Filippo D’Amico, MD* Alberto Zangrillo, MD*,y Giovanni Landoni, MD*,y *Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute yFaculty of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy https://www.jcvaonline.com/action/showPdf?pii=S1053-0770%2821%2900287-1
- Brochetti R.A., Leal M.P., Rodrgues R., da Palma P.K., de Oliveira L.V.F., Horliana A.C.R.T., Damazo A.S., de Oliveira A.P.L., Paula Vieira R., Lino-Dos-Santos-Franco A. Photobiomodulation therapy improves both inflammatory and fibrotic parameters in experimental model of lung fibrosis in mice. Lasers Med. Sci. 2017;32:1825–1834. [PubMed] [Google Scholar][1]
- de Brito A.A., da Silveira E.C., Rigonato-Liveira N.C., Soares S.S., Brandao-Rangel M.A.R., Soares C.R., Santos T.G., Alves C.E., Herculano K.Z., Vieira R.P., Lino-dos-Santos-Franco A., Albertini R., Aimbire F., de Oliveira A.P. Low-level laser therapy attenuates lung inflammation and airway remodeling in a murine model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, Relevance to cytokines secretion from lung structural cells. Photochem. Photobiol. B. 2020;203:111731. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2019.111731. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
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- Yusupalieva M.M., Savtchenko V.M. The effectiveness of combined laser therapy for the treatment of the patients presenting with bronchial asthma and concomitant allergic rhinitis. Kurortol. Fizioter. Lech. Fiz. Kult. 2017;94:14–18. doi: 10.17116/kurort201794414-18. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
- Marzieh Nejatifard1, Sohrab Asefi 2, Raika Jamali 3, Michael R Hamblin 4, Reza Fekrazad 5 Affiliations expand, PMID: 33128927, PMCID: PMC7550078, DOI: 1016/j.cyto.2020.155312
- Sauna bathing reduces the risk of respiratory diseases: a long-term prospective cohort study, September 2017, European Journal of Epidemiology32(4):1-5, DOI:1007/s10654-017-0311-6, Project: Sauna and Health
