How To Use Red Light Therapy
If youre looking to gain an edge in energy and mental clarity, and reduce chronic pain, check if RLT is right for you. Using red light therapy is incredibly simple. You can find some affordable, small, and easy-to-store RLT home devices. Many alternative medicine practices, spas, and gyms also offer RLT.
Before using a red light therapy device, remove your clothes only leaving your underwear and socks on. Sit or stand about 4 to 6 inches away from the device. If its your first time, start with only 1 to 2 minutes with each area that needs attention and slowly increase the time to 5 to 10 minutes as your body gets more used to red light. You can use RLT on your entire body for 5 to 10 minutes on each side, 10 to 20 minutes total. And use red light therapy several times a week or even daily. However, allow at least 6 hours between your treatments. In addition to RLT, I recommend that you follow a nutrient-dense diet and lead a healthy lifestyle to protect your health.
How Often Should I Use Red Light Therapy
Red light therapy offers effective relief from a large and diverse variety of conditions. When people are considering it as a treatment method, a question we often hear is, how often should I use LED light therapy at home? The typical answer is, three to five times per week for 10 to 20 minutes. And thats a great place to start. But keep in mind that…
…Theres actually no one-size-fits-all dosage for red light therapy.
This article offers some guidance on how to get the optimal dosage for you. But before we get into that, heres some general information about red light therapy and how it works.
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Is There A Risk Of Growing Hair In Unwanted Places
No, theres no risk of growing hair in unwanted places.
Because red light therapy can only stimulate existing hair follicles, you dont have to worry about seeing hair growing elsewhere as you might see with minoxidil.
However, this also means that red light therapy wont work for you if youre already bald.
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Application Of Laser Therapy For Hair Loss
Administration of laser hair therapy can be done at home with FDA-approved LLLT laser therapy devices or in specialized clinics and salons by trained professionals.
LLLT laser therapy devices can be handheld, wearable or tabletop. These devices are more convenient than making trips to the clinic or salon.
It is advisable to treat your scalp two to three times a week, with exposure times not lasting more than 5 minutes. For best results, you want to administer light therapy regularly on the affected area for about one year. Even then, you should start to see results in two to three months.
Use of massages and application of scalp creams containing antioxidant elements has been proven to improve laser hair therapy results.
Does Red Light Therapy Work For Hair Growth
When it comes to restoring hair loss, there are a variety of treatment options available. Most people are familiar with the drug minoxidil, also called Rogaine®. Some people may have heard of the pill finasteride or its brand name for hair loss, Propecia. An effective and lesser known therapy to treat hair loss is low level laser light therapy , sometimes called laser light therapy and specifically using red light.
A Hungarian doctor named Endre Mester stumbled on LLT in the 1960s . He was conducting experiments on mice, trying to see if LLT would induce cancers . During his research, the laser would be applied to an area of the mouses skin that had been shaved and much to his surprise, the mice regrew hair in the previously shaved region! . As an aside, the mice did not develop cancers however, the concept that LLT and light therapy for hair loss was born.
Although the exact means by which LLLT stimulates hair growth is not fully understood, substantial research has supported its ability to regrow hair lost due to androgenic alopecia, or what is commonly called male pattern baldness both men and women develop androgenic alopecia, regardless of the terminology. In fact, substantial research has been done on the role of LLT in treating hair loss, specifically with red light lasers.
Of all therpies evaluated by our team, LLLT emerged as the best treatment option for hair loss.
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What Are The Benefits Of Red Light Therapy
- Safe and non-invasive way to promote hair growth
- Stimulates Adenosine Triphosphate resulting in more energy activity within the hair follicle
- No adverse effects compared to prescription drugs
- Pain-free
- Collagen production Collagen is an antioxidant that fights damage caused by free radicals that can stunt hair growth. This results in increased hair growth.
- Helps improve skin texture and speed up healing time for most injuries
How Red Light Works To Regrow Hair
When you lose hair, the hair falls out but the hair follicles remain, although they stop producing hair and go dormant. Then, when you lose hair naturally , new hair is either slow to replace the lost hairs, the new hair is thin and weak, or hair growth stops altogether.
Therefore, the key is to get the hair follicles out of dormancy so they can perform their functions again.
What we see as hair is mostly a protein called keratin that makes up the hair shaft. Growth actually occurs under the surface in the follicles. Hair follicles are tube-like formations that anchor hair to the skin. At the base of each follicle is the hair bulb . At the bulbous part of the vase are the dermal papilla and the matrix this is where hair begins to grow.
But, hair growth will slow down or stop completely if the cells in the hair follicles arent functioning properly. Here’s where red light therapy comes in to restore hair growth and increase hair thickness.
Increased Cellular Energy
Red light penetrates the skin to the base of the hair follicles. When red light photons absorb into the skin and reach the cells in the hair follicles, they interact with light-sensitive receptors in the mitochondria, which are energy-producing organelles inside the cells. This interaction stimulates the production of adenosine triphosphate , which is the primary cellular fuel.
Increased Collagen Production
Increased Microcirculation to the Scalp
Are There Any Side Effects?
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Red Light Therapy And Chemotherapy
Evidence suggests that red light therapy can help reduce apoptosis during chemotherapy. Apoptosis is a type of programmed cell death in which the cell is essentially broken up into fragments to be taken away and disposed of. Chemo works by inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. However, this means that it can also cause the death of healthy cells, including those in the hair follicle.
This reduction in apoptosis is likely due to an increased amount of anti-apoptotic proteins in the mitochondria.
While you might think that by this logic, red light therapy would also inhibit cell death in cancer cells, there is currently conflicting evidence of this. It seems red light therapys effect on cancer cells may depend on the type of cancer as well as the strength of red light irradiation. However, there is increasing evidence of positive effects of red light therapy on cancer cells, through different mechanisms. And red light therapy is starting to be recognized as a safe intervention for various side effects of cancer treatment.
Finally, once chemotherapy is complete, red light therapy can be used to help regrow hair by improving blood flow to the scalp to stimulate hair follicles, and by the mechanism described above in which stem cells are stimulated and the anagen phase is lengthened.
Red Light Therapy For Hair Loss And Baldness
Androgenic alopecia affects millions of people worldwide. There are some medications to reverse or slow down its effects. Few if any, match what red light therapy for hair loss has to offer. Here is a sneak peek into some of the questions we seek to answer in detail:
- What is red light therapy and how does it help in hair loss?
- Is there empirical evidence of its use and success?
- How does red light therapy compare to other hair growth therapies?
- What duration does it take before your hair grows back?
Read on for comprehensive answers to the questions above and more.
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Red Laser Light For Hair Growth: What Is It And Does It Work
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Hair loss is one of the most common effects of aging. It actually impacts over half the worlds population and 75% of women over 65 suffer from alopecia or hair loss. There is a way to fight back. Actually, we will be talking about red laser light for hair growth.
Many women are sad to notice more of their scalp showing and hair thinning. They miss the youthful look of a full, shiny head of hair.
Although you can’t go back to when you had a head of hair like a teenager, you can help stop the loss and thinning of hair.
Not only that, you can also stimulate new hair growth without expensive treatments, pain or yet another prescription.
In this article, we will explain the power of low light laser therapy , otherwise known as red light therapy. Red light therapy is a noninvasive, safe, effective and affordable method you can use at home to help avoid hair loss and even grow new hair to fill in the gaps.
Let’s get started!
Make sure you also check our guide to the best red light therapy products here for hair loss and to help hair growth.
Shedding Some Light On Hair Loss
A look at the evolution of laser- and LED-assisted hair regrowth and the future of light therapy in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia
Human hair is evolutionary, intended to provide protection, regulate body temperature, and assist with evaporation of perspiration, but societys obsession with hair has little, if anything, to do with these functions. Concern about hairand its absence or presenceis almost universally about youth, aesthetics, and by extension feelings of emotional wellbeing. We see these concerns on a daily basis in a range of patients with androgenetic alopecia who present early enough to have a chance of slowing hair loss before it becomes a major issue, as well as others who ultimately regret not seeking help sooner. AA affects more than 80 million Americans, resulting in pattern hair loss in both men and women. Unlike telogen effluvium, where hair follicles go into a prolonged resting state that results in global shedding over time, AA in men and women is caused primarily by a genetic predisposition and androgens like 5-dihydrotestosterone in the skin. Conversion of testosterone to DHT in the scalp accelerates the rate at which hair follicle miniaturization takes place, so as new hair follicles are generated they are smaller than their predecessors, eventually leading to miniaturized follicles that do not support hair growth.1
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Higher Production Of Adenosine Triphosphate
ATP is a coenzyme that stimulates activity in cellular structures. In this case, higher presence of ATP means increased activity in the cells of the hair follicles.
Restoration of cell activity in the hair follicles leads to higher cell replication. Consequently, the papilla makes more keratin resulting in increased hair growth.
As such, Increased production of ATP advances hair growth .
ATP has a cell multiplication factor. That means better skin around where your hair grows .
Is Red Light Therapy Safe
Yes- Red Light Therapy is a NON-INVASIVE treatment. It has not been associated with any negative side effects. Specific FDA approval was given In 2007 to hand held laser devices for treatment of male pattern hair loss. This was followed in 2009 by approval of another device for treatment of both male and female alopecia. Device specific instructions and protocols should be adhered to. Where indicated protective glasses should be worn.
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What Is Low Dose Laser Therapy
Low level laser therapy is a safe form of light/heat treatment under investigation for a variety of health indications. It is being used to treat the genetic forms of hair loss common in men and women, androgeneticalopecia or pattern balding.
Low level laser therapy is also called red light therapy, cold laser, soft laser, biostimulation and photobiomodulation.
Led Light Hair Loss Therapy
Healthy hair starts at the scalp. Just as crops need healthy soil to growth your hair needs a healthy scalp to do the same. Dry soil repels water and fertilizer resulting in growth deficiency.
Unhealthy scalp with limited blood flow and access to nutrient results in growth deficiency. But with the proper foundation full, bountiful growth can be achieved.
Are you providing the right environment for growth for your hair?…
Hair loss is a condition that impacts both men and women and can be embarrassing for some, and devastating for others. Although there are some prescription medications that can be effective in certain cases, a growing number of people are choosing alternative treatments that have proven to be highly effective in treating hair loss such as LED Red Light Therapy.
LED, which stands for Light Emitting Diode, is a light treatment and is also referred to as LED red light, LED blue light.
LED Red Light Therapy for Hair Loss is a noninvasive anti-aging approach that works by emitting energy-producing packets of light deep into the scalp skins layers.
The light creates ATP , which strengthens both the cells and the surrounding area creating a perfect scenario for hair growth. Follicles expand, hair gets thicker, and new hairs grow from the now open hair follicles.
Human body transforms light energy into biological energy, just as it is done by plants during the photosynthesis process, i.e. by engaging numerous body cells to achieve that.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
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Red Light Hair Treatment Faq
Can I have this as a stand alone treatment?
Yes thats fine, but for best results, most clients use RLT as part of a tailor-made treatment plan, combining a number of treatment options to stimulate the hair and scalp. We can recommend the best approach at a consultation and assessment of your condition by Dr Barbara Kubicka.
What does the treatment feel like?
Red light treatment is very relaxing. You will experience a gentle warmth during the treatment session. It is rarely uncomfortable, but if it does get too hot or tingly, simply tell the practitioner and we can adjust the settings or delivery.
Whats the recovery time like?
The warm sensation can last for a few minutes after the session but will generally pass within an hour.
Is it safe?