What is Your Purpose Using Red Light Therapy? (And the Difference Between Red and Near-Infrared Light)

As I mentioned earlier, red and near-infrared light work through the same physiological mechanisms at the cellular level.

So then you might wonder, why distinguish between them at all? What differences—if any—exist between red and near-infrared light?
Let’s briefly delve into the most significant differences to be aware of, and then at the end of this section, I’ll provide a practical summary to help make your decision easier.

There are basically four differences to be aware of:

1.Red light is visible to the human eye, while near-infrared is almost entirely invisible.

①This isn’t significant, other than the fact that you can see that it’s working. Some people will get a near-infrared light and think “Is this thing even on? Is it even doing anything?”because it doesn’t emit light that is visible to the human eye.So it can be a bit of a shock for some people to turn an LEDlight “on” and not see any light.Then we have the placebo effect.

②Then we have the placebo effect. As with any therapy, part of the effect always comes from the placebo effect. And certainly,one’s ability to see and feel something working figures into the placebo effect. So while there is no actual research testing this theory, based on my experience working with people, I believethat it is likely that red light has a superior placebo effectcompared with near-infrared light. Again, just because the human eye cannot see the near-infrared light, it immediately causes some people to wonder “Does this thing even do anything—I can’t see or feel anything. What the heck did I just buy—a light that doesn’t even emit any light?” In other words,some people will have thoughts that create an ANTI-PLACEBO EFFECT, which works against them (and causes them to send me angry emails because they’re confused and think that they just bought a non-functional light). To be blunt, part of the reason I suggest a 50-50 mix of red and near-infrared over a pure infrared device (most of the time) is simply to avoid people getting confused and thinking that their light doesn’t work.

2.Near-infrared (800-880nm) has significantly more power output per LED bulb. Some estimates are about 30% more power output. So the dose will be higher with near-infrared lamps compared to red lamps of the same wattage, so you get a more potent dose.

3.Near-infrared can be more expensive, depending on who you purchase it from. Certain companies like Joovv charge significantly more money for near-infrared compared to red.

4.Near-infrared penetrates a little deeper into the tissues compared to red light (especially through the skull).

①This is the much more important difference between red and near-infrared light.

②Red light from 630-680nm will not penetrate as deeply into the human body, and therefore, is likely superior for treating skin and other superficial issues like combatting hair loss,since more of the light energy stays on the surface tissues.

③The 800-880nm range (near-infrared) is better suited for penetrating deeper to affect muscles, bones, tendons,ligaments, organs, the brain, and hormone-producing glands Particularly if you want to treat the brain, research indicates the really only near-infrared will penetrate the skull to deliver light to the brain. So if that is one of objectives, I recommend getting a pure near-infrared light or mixed red and nearinfrared light.

④If you primarily want the light for anti-aging purposes (e.g.wrinkle reduction and combatting cellulite), red light may be a better choice. (Arguably, that is nitpicking because nearinfrared probably has most if not all the same benefits.)
Whereas if you want to treat deeper tissues like muscle, bone,tendons, glands, or the brain, near-infrared is a better choice.(Keep in mind you can also get lights that have both wavelengths , which is probably ideal for most people and purposes.)

The most significant difference here worth noting is the penetration depth.

It’s worth figuring out exactly what you intend to use the light for—either more surface treatments or treating deeper tissues.

That said, please keep in mind that both red and near-infrared light have the same effects on cells, and both essentially work for all purposes. Nearinfrared will still work great for anti-aging benefits on the skin, and red light will still work for things like fat loss or muscle gain. But if you have specific things that you want to treat, you can choose the light wavelengths that will be best for your individual needs .

In most cases, we’re talking about a slight edge for one over the other for specific uses. But in some cases (e.g. penetrating the skull), certain wavelengths do have a clear advantage over other wavelengths.

Other than that, the only other distinction is that red light is visible to the human eye while near-infrared is invisible to the human eye.

In fact, for most uses, research has shown that both red and near-infrared light can be effective in providing benefits. For example, here is a list of wavelengths proven effective for various conditions, so you can see for yourself that both red and near-infrared are effective:

The point of all that is only to illustrate that for pretty much all conditions,both red and near-infrared light have proven to work. So you really don’t need to worry too much about the differences between the wavelengths or start thinking “oh no, I don’t have the right wavelength for fat loss… skin health” etc. Again, for most things, either red or near-infrared will do the trick!

My general recommendation is that if you want to treat deeper tissues,prioritize near-infrared over red light. The more you want to treat skin issues, prioritize red light. That’s a general principle you can use to tailor your choice of a light to your unique needs keeping in mind that both types of light will work for most purposes.

For most purposes, a large mixed LED panel with a mix of 660nm and 850nm is the best choice.

But for specific issues, you may want to consider other options:

①For skin issues and hair loss, it is possible that red light at 660nm may be the most optimal. (Though near-infrared at 850nm will still have most of the same benefits. It’s just a question of what is most optimal.

②If you only want to treat deeper organ, gland, joint, or muscle/tendon issues (and NOT skin issues), then you may want to go with a pure 850nm light device.

③If you only want to treat your brain (e.g. for depression, anxiety,cognitive performance, or neurological disease), then near-infrared is best.

④Again, let me emphasize that for most purposes and for most people,the best choice is a combination of the 660nm and 850nm LEDs in a large LED panel that will treat a large area of the body at once. This option is best because it works for basically any and all purposes you could possibly want it for. A combined red and near-infrared light therapy device offering both 660nm and 850nm will allow you to do anything you want on any given day—whether anti-aging treatments on your skin, or healing an injury or lower back pain, or muscle recovery and fat reduction.