Does red light therapy work? (2025)

Follow any beauty biohacker is on social media now and you will hear them talking about the benefits of red light therapy. There is so much hype around this technology that it’s fair to ask: “Is red light therapy effective?”

As an increasingly popular longevity tool, red light therapy is said to help improve skin and hair health, enhance cellular vitality, and reverse signs of aging. While there is evidence to support claims of red light therapy, studies are limited. To discover best practices when it comes to red light therapy and how to apply it in our daily lives, we asked experts to share their knowledge about its effectiveness.

How do I access red light therapy?

Red light therapy has long been used by athletes and health professionals to promote recovery and reduce oxidative stress. These days, this has become the norm at your local gym and spa as well. You’ll likely be able to find red light therapy rooms or ‘red light stations’ there, which form part of a hot and cold contrast therapy circuit along with cold plunges and saunas.

The ability to easily access red light therapy doesn’t stop there. Online you will find many brands selling red light therapy beauty tools designed for home use. Red light therapy options include face masks, massage guns, blankets and plates, and even red light therapy helmets that claim to stimulate hair growth.

For example, the Theragun Pro Plus offers five treatments combined into one with its full-body hot massager that features near-infrared LED light and vibration to give you 15 minutes of massage in just two minutes.

Therabody

Theragun Pro Plus

Prices and effectiveness vary by brand name, design, and quality. Cheap masks may not reduce fine lines and wrinkles as much as you’d like, but at least you’ll look like you’re gearing up for a trip to Bezos’ New Shepard.

Benefits of red light therapy

In the age of Botox needles and plastic surgeon’s knives, red light therapy has become non-surgical. It uses specific wavelengths of visible red light and near infrared light to stimulate cellular activity and help them heal more efficiently. “Red light therapy is an umbrella term that includes all frequencies of red light in the spectrum, from basic visible LEDs to invisible near-infrared laser light,” says Graeme Glass, aesthetic director at Lyma.

“These specific wavelengths of light — especially visible red and near-infrared light — can stimulate cellular activity and support the body’s natural repair processes. Mitochondria (the battery packs in human cells) are particularly good at absorbing the energy of near-infrared light and using it to produce chemical energy that the cell uses for growth and repair… In short, cells behave more like they did when they were younger.”

RLT has been shown to rejuvenate skin to improve texture and tone, reduce wrinkles and aid recovery, for example. It has been shown to help post-workout give muscles more energy to repair and function, relieve joint stiffness, increase circulation and boost energy levels. There is also evidence that red light frequencies can help regulate circadian rhythms, to calm the mind and induce sleep. But remember that these are controlled studies used with laboratory equipment, so at-home devices can give you different results.