Red Light Therapy

Recent research has highlighted the potential of red and infrared (IR) lights for photo-aging and photo-damaged skin treatment at lower energy levels. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of low-level red and near IR light emitting diode (LED) combination on collagen, elastin, and ATP production.

Human dermal fibroblasts or skin tissues were exposed to daily irradiation of red (640 nm) plus near IR (830 nm) LED lights at 0.5 mW/cm2 for 10 minutes. Various techniques including qPCR, ELISAs, histology, and ATP assay were used to evaluate gene and protein expressions, crosslinks of collagen and elastic fibers, and ATP production.

The low-level red plus near IR lights combination significantly increased gene expressions and synthesis of procollagen type I, elastin proteins, type III collagen, and elastic fiber formation in human fibroblast cell cultures and skin explants. Additionally, ATP production in human dermal fibroblasts was enhanced after the combined treatment.

The study suggests that the low-level red plus near IR LED light combination effectively stimulates collagen and elastin production, offering potential anti-aging benefits and an effective treatment for photo-aged skin.