Does Red-light Therapy Cause Hyperpigmentation?
No, red-light therapy does not cause hyperpigmentation. In fact, red-light therapy is a treatment that can reduce hyperpigmentation.
What is Hyperpigmentation?
Hyperpigmentation refers to patches or spots that appear darker than your normal skin tone. The condition can appear anywhere on the body but is most common on the face and other areas that are regularly exposed to the sun.
Hyperpigmentation can be genetic, but most commonly it is caused by UV exposure, acne, injury, or very aggressive cosmetic treatments including dermabrasion and chemical peels.
These blotchy darker areas mean there is an excess of melanin in that area. Melanin is a substance produced by your body. It gives your skin, eyes, and hair their pigment. It also acts as a natural sunscreen.
There are three distinct types of hyperpigmentation:
- Age spots, due to excess sun exposure
- Inflammatory hyperpigmentation, due to skin disorders or injury, and
- Melasma, which are blotchy areas of darker skin, usually found on the face
Red-light therapy can be used to treat all three of these types of hyperpigmentation.
Common Treatments for Hyperpigmentation
Although hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation in themselves are harmless conditions, they can be a sign of excessive sun exposure. They may also affect mental health when there is a negative aesthetic impact.
Hyperpigmentation can be treated with chemical peels or microdermabrasion. Both of these can cause skin irritation and pain. There is also the chance of overdoing this type of aggressive treatment, which can lead to a reverse condition called hypopigmentation, resulting in the creation of white patches or spots.
Meanwhile, red-light therapy has also emerged as a treatment for skin pigmentation disorders. This treatment involves the use of a panel that simply emits light diodes at specific therapeutic frequencies to stimulate the mitochondria, resulting in faster cellular healing.
Red-light therapy does not contain any UVA or UVB wavelengths. It does not affect tyrosinase production and does not prompt the body to produce more melanin. In fact, red-light therapy can be used to treat UV-induced hyperpigmentation.
Can Red-light Therapy Treat Hyperpigmentation?
Red-light therapy has been clinically proven to reduce hyperpigmentation. In this section, we provide a number of clinical studies that show the link between red-light therapy treatment and hyperpigmentation reduction.
In one clinical study in 2018, patients underwent microdermabrasion after red-light therapy treatment.
Microdermabrasion is simply the use of light sanding intended to rub away a small part of the surface of the skin to encourage healing. In this case, the red-light therapy treatment was conducted for eight weeks, the question being whether this additional step would result in less pigmentation and faster healing.
In this study, the researchers found that red-light therapy treatment on patients with melasma resulted in significant pigment reduction.
Researchers posited that this was the result of its downregulation of melanocytes, which are the cells responsible for melanin production. This stimulation process resulted in the cells producing less excess melanin in patches on the body.
The researchers in this study also stated that NIR light may ‘precondition’ the skin to help it resist future UV damage.
In another well-known study, Hamblin et. al. mention the positive benefits of red-light therapy on hyperpigmentation reduction, among numerous other health benefits.
How Inflammation Treatment Reduces Hyperpigmentation
Red-light therapy is an anti-aging treatment. It stimulates cells to perform better by increasing cellular energy production. A toxic external environment as well as processed foods can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, reducing the effectiveness of cells in using the raw materials they’re given in the form of food to produce energy.
Increasing cellular energy production has fast beneficial ripple effects throughout all skin cells.
Another main benefit of red-light therapy is that the treatment reduces inflammation and oxidative stress.
Reducing inflammation is the first step in treating all three types of hyperpigmentation. This helps support normal cell function, specifically melanocyte activity.
Once inflammation goes down and cells receive enough energy, the body’s own amazing healing mechanisms spring into action and skin pigmentation can return to normal.
Red-light therapy is an effective treatment for photoaged skin.
In one study, photoaged skin was irradiated for 10 minutes daily by a combination of red and NIR light. The outcome was significantly increased production of hyaluronic acid, collagen, and elastin within one week of treatment. No adverse effects were reported.
Another study on the effects of red and NIR light on photoaged skin found that 91% of patients reported improved skin tone after nine 20-minute treatments.
Red-light Therapy Treatment for Melasma
A 2023 review of nine studies concluded that red and NIR light modulates melanocyte activity. Researchers also found that it reduced erythema and inflammation, while improving collagen production to restore skin firmness and texture.
How soon can you expect to see results? Many patients experience a reduction in dark patches after a few weeks. Ongoing use will give you the best results, not only with regard to hyperpigmentation but also a general improvement in skin health.
Red-light Therapy for Different Skin Types
Generally, red-light therapy is safe for all skin types. It’s important to consider thatm longer red-light therapy treatment sessions are not necessarily better. Optimal treatment times range from 3-20 minutes.
Check with a dermatologist about best practices for your individual skin type and needs.
Photosensitivity and Red-light Therapy Treatment
Individuals with extreme photosensitivity may want to consult with their doctor or experiment with reduced treatment times before using RLT for the full 20 minutes per day.