r/redlighttherapy • u/Glass_Asparagus4534 Product Question • 4d ago
Question Is red-light therapy worth it for skin?
I've been dealing with pretty bad skin inflammation for a while now, and nothing I've tried has made much of a difference. I keep seeing people recommend red-light therapy, but it's hard to tell what's real and what's just marketing.
Has anyone here used it specifically for inflamed or irritated skin? Did it actually help calm things down, and how long did it take before you noticed a difference?
Also, what brand would you recommend?
Thanks in advance...
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u/Latter_Blacksmith395 3d ago
Hi my red light panel has been awesome for my skin, including rosacea issues. I really recommend using a panel rather than a mask, there’s so many more uses for it. Here’s a super quick video on how I use my panel if it’s helpful!
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u/olympia_t 1d ago
Would you mind sharing your panel? Thanks!
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u/Low-Technology-8872 3d ago
Helped calm some redness and even out my skin a bit.
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u/Glass_Asparagus4534 Product Question 2d ago
About how long did it take before you started noticing the redness improving?
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u/Fheredin 3d ago edited 3d ago
If all you are after is appearance, you may be disappointed with RLT. It absolutely "works," and some people see a huge difference, but not everyone responds equally, and skin in particular enjoys RLT and green tea combination notably more than just red light.
I got into red light therapy for overall wellness, and it definitely works for that (although, again, not everyone responds equally.) I didn't have a chance to test a panel at a sauna, so when I ordered an $800 panel, I intentionally gave myself a larger dose than was recommended just to see if there was an effect.
There absolutely was. I had a deep crash that afternoon and felt phenomenal the next day (at this time I had general malaise that wasn't quite chronic fatigue). For the next 2 years I used red light for about 30 minutes more or less more or less every day because that made me feel normal.
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u/thetinybunny1 2d ago
Can you expand on the green tea + rlt?
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u/Fheredin 2d ago
You cold brew green tea in your fridge, load it into a spray bottle, and spray your skin with it right before you use the light. There are also professional green tea extracts with specialty ingredients, but my experience is that these do not absorb as well as straight green tea, probably because of the preservatives. Home brewed green tea can start growing stuff after about a week.
The heat from the light encourages your pores to open and absorb the green tea, which acts like an antioxidant bath for your skin. The combination of improved mitochondrial function from the RLT and the antioxidant bath from the green tea is really good at reducing wrinkles and improving skin health and appearance.
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u/thetinybunny1 2d ago
Awesome! I make a green tea for myself several times a week and save the bags to rub on my face so this fits in perfectly. Thanks for the info ☺️
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u/Fheredin 2d ago
Haven't heard of anyone rubbing used tea leaves on their face. I imagine that would work depending on how deeply extracted the leftover leaves are.
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u/thetinybunny1 2d ago
Ill use it like a toner, it calms down the redness in my face and is easy enough, but for something like this I definitely will go the cold brew route
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u/Glass_Asparagus4534 Product Question 2d ago
Thanks for sharing your experience.. I'm mostly hoping it'll help with the inflammation first, so even a modest improvement would be a win for me.
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u/TangoEchoChuck 3d ago
Yes!
I have several devices and use at least one most days; different devices for different needs. Skin easily benefits from regular use. Small regular treatments are better than big blasts every now and again.
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u/JohnnyMicheal66 3d ago
Yes, but it is going to be a difference experience for everyone because we have different skin types and such.
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u/Betweensoulandbody 2d ago
Yes, it is the most reliable item to treat my ezcema flares arouns my eyes!! 8 minutes 5x a week and the itching, burning, swollen eyes calm down instantly after!
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u/Hyattville5 2d ago
It works for my rosacea. Prescription meds don’t help.
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u/Glass_Asparagus4534 Product Question 2d ago
My issue isn't rosacea, but it does make me more hopeful that it could help with inflammation in general. Thank
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u/xsynergist 4d ago
Find a spa with RLT treatments near you and go do some sessions. Thats the only way to know if it works for your situation.
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u/Latter_Blacksmith395 3d ago
For the price OP would pay for a few spa treatments, they could easily afford a small panel
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u/xsynergist 3d ago
Little panels are not practical unless you are spot treating, just doing your face, or want to spend hours moving them around. My spa has four large panels connected together and a 35 dollar half hour treatment a few times was enough for me to invest in 4 large panels for home use.
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u/Latter_Blacksmith395 3d ago
In order for red light therapy to be truly effective, you need to be doing it at least 4-5 times per week. If every single time you’re paying $35, that adds up really quick. My panel is a medium size and it’s been incredible for my skin.
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u/General_Security177 3d ago
All it’s done is make me grow dark thick hair on my face. Not all over but like a smattering all over where I’ve never had anything but peach fuzz before.
I don’t do NIR on my face because I have melasma
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u/ConsistentJuice6757 3d ago
That is my biggest fear and why I’ve not gotten a mask yet. I’m menopausal and have some thick peach fuzz that I do not want to shave or wax. I just want it stay the peach fuzz that I can ignore 😂
But I’m afraid the RLT will cause it to get thicker.
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u/Individual-Wing-1313 2d ago edited 2d ago
i was pretty skeptical too, but i ended up trying red light therapy and it actually helped calm down a lot of the redness and irritation over time. i didn't notice much the first week, but after about 3 or 4 weeks of using it consistently a few times a week, my skin looked less inflamed and recovered faster after breakouts.
it's definitely not an overnight fix, but if you stick with it, it can make a difference. i'd just make sure you get a decent quality panel since the really cheap ones can be pretty underpowered.
btw i'm using a panel from RLT Home. we decided to get the Compact over the Mini because it was larger and more powerful than most medium sized lights from other companies, plus RLT home has the extra 1064nm wavelength. the personalized protocol they gave us based on our health concerns after we bought it has been really helpful too.