Red Light / Infrared / LED Therapy - at-Home Devices - Anyone with Experience in Purchasing These?

Lyupyup on 21/03/2021 - 14:36

Does anyone have any first hand experience with purchasing one of these devices, or doing significant research on them?

My partner wants to get one to treat rosacea among other things, and after some quick research (eg study and study it seems to be effective. However paying for one-off in clinic treatments is crazy $$, and the home use products on the market don't seem well regulated against a common set of standards, and making purchasing decisions is a bit difficult. Some are masks, some are light panels, lamps, domes etc. Most have the light wavelengths used in nm, but usually are missing key info about mW/cm2 rating (intensity of the light emitted), and hard to tell how effective they would be. Some very very expensive, some cheap. Some have just red, some have blue/yellow/red/green/near-infrared. Would appreciate anyone's thoughts on what to look for and where to draw the line on a product that represents good value to money (we are not rich!).

Here are some example products i've looked and short summary of my thoughts but if anyone has experience with products in this category or has done research would love to hear what you think about pretty much anything to do with the overall technology or any products.

LED masks
Omnilux - supported by studies, but very expensive!
CurrentBody - It’s made by the people behind the omnilux, there’s evidence and clinical data to back up the device but cheaper

LED lamps / panels
RejuvaliteMD - pretty expensive, has amber, red, near-infra red combo. amber is good for rosacea according to some studies. 62 mW/cm2 at a distance of 4” from the light
cheap aliexpress types - doesn't have near infrared, no mention of mW/cm² light intensity, and well - it's from aliexpress :p but maybe it's good??
red lights with intensity measurement - expensive but comes from a place that knows it's stuff and has light output mW/cm2 and wavelength data

Health & Beauty

Comments

  • ChrisLevo on 21/03/2021 - 15:03

    Our daughter suffers from it and it is now controlled (very well!) with drugs and a "Slip, Slop, Slap" sunlight avoidance regime.

    Her dermatologist said that treatments promoting any sort of light rays are up there with what Pete Evans would prescribe.

    • yupyup on 21/03/2021 - 16:10
      +2

      glad that the drugs work for your daughter, which drug are you finding effective if you don't mind my asking? we were once prescribed long term antibiotics and steroid cream, but found different medical opinions and evidence that these only work short/medium term and tolerance builds over time leading to more problems down the track. There is quite a lot of research into LED treatments and many dermatologists actually offer this as a treatment now, so surprised your dermatologist said that, I don't think it's quite Pete Evans level haha.

  • EightImmortals on 21/03/2021 - 15:20
    +1

    Was reading up on this last week and there seems to be a fair bit of research that has been done but you need to know what wavelengths perform what function. I bought this one with yesterday's 25% off coupon (https://www.blublox.com/products/hive?variant=37682174951606 ) which hasn't arrived yet so I can't comment on it's effectiveness.

    Here's some further reading:

    https://infrared-light-therapy.com/red-light-therapy-rosacea…
    https://rosacea-support.org/treating-rosacea-with-infrared-l…

    • yupyup on 21/03/2021 - 15:59

      thanks for your reply and the info. are you treating rosacea as well? in your research did you read articles which suggested a combination of yellow/amber+red wavelengths to be more effective for rosacea specifically? we found less focus on infrared for rosacea.

      from a convenience/comfort perspective we like the idea of a lamp/dome design as it allows you to lie down comfortably while receiving treatment. Masks also give that but have read some are uncomfortable on the nose, and as mentioned in your first link we wanted something further away from the face due to heat concerns (also lack of face contact is a plus). what made you go for the panel design and the Hive Mini over other panels? i like the fact that the mw/cm2 are listed

      • EightImmortals on 21/03/2021 - 16:43
        +1

        No i was looking into it for muscle soreness/injury. Good luck though, never know till you try. :)

  • Kail on 21/03/2021 - 15:24

    I've heard of this but not tried to myself. I currently use the pill to control my acne.
    I am quite interested in hearing about results your partner may have if they choose to buy one.

    I found a webmd article with some information, not sure it contains anything you haven't already looked up yourself.
    https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/acne/phot…

    • yupyup on 21/03/2021 - 16:02
      +1

      we are treating rosacea not acne but as they are both inflammatory skin conditions we found in our research that light therapy can be beneficial for both, blue wavelengths more so for acne, amber/red for rosacea.

      • Kail on 21/03/2021 - 17:35

        I remember seeing the lamps in the chemists ages ago but cannot seem to find them online, I'm probably typing the wrong thing in. It might be worth visiting Chemist Warehouse and seeing if they have any in-store as you might find some of the missing info you are looking for in small print on the box.
        The price ranges vary so much, I can see why you are struggling. For something health related though, you have to be careful. Good luck finding the right product!

  • MagicMushroom on 21/03/2021 - 17:30

    Have you talked to your local GP or dermatologist for professional advice?

    • Kail on 21/03/2021 - 17:39

      A problem they might have with a dermatologist, is if they offer the treatment in their own clinic, they will recommend it for more $ rather than advising OP to buy something more affordable for at-home treatment.

      • MagicMushroom on 21/03/2021 - 17:49

        Still best to seek professional advice rather than fully trusting information out on the web and your knowledge, unless OP works in a relevant field/researcher.

        • yupyup on 21/03/2021 - 20:00

          totally agree. we've seen numerous GPs and dermo's, we're at a place where we are happy with the evidence for LED / LLLT in comparison to other alternative treatment options and their drawbacks, and mainly just interested in people who already have knowledge on home use products

      • yupyup on 21/03/2021 - 20:06

        yep. some dermo's she's seen actively push their own brand/ affiliated brand of crazy expensive products to the point where the appointments with them felt less like seeing a specialist doctor, and more like visiting a salesperson haha. and definitely was hard to get advice on at-home products as they just want you to use their in-clinic treatment which is like $70 a session or more, which is not feasible to do ongoing for us.

  • Kiminoth on 21/03/2021 - 19:22
    +1

    Recently bought https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07V4J1X2V/ref=ppx_yo_d… during the week.

    I first heard about this from Ben Greenfield https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/article/biohacking-articles… and thought I would give it a crack.

    He offen spruiks Joov, but the above product fits in with what he recommends (scroll down to section 1. Clinically-Proven Wavelengths)

    However, it turns out that, based on the research you're about to discover, that natural red light does indeed boost testosterone, but only if you use a device with wavelengths in the 600-950 nm range. And you must also be careful not to use a device that gives off too much heat.

    Red and near-infrared light—especially between 600-950 nm—has been studied extensively and its positive effects have been well documented in clinical trials.

    But even within that window, for the purposes of light therapy, you want to only use devices that deliver red light in the mid-600 nm range and near infrared in the mid-800 nm range.

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