Red light therapy may be one of the best additions you can make to your practice, spa, gym, or clinic. Also known as photobiomodulation (PBMT), red light therapy is effective, affordable, and highly in demand by clients who want a wide variety of high quality, technically advanced treatments in a single location.

Red light therapy provides a wide variety of benefits in the treatment of medical conditions and health issues, from clearing acne to managing pain to enhancing bone recovery; red light therapy can even help your patients lose weight and complements other therapies, such as cryotherapy, for better overall therapeutic results for your patients.

Cryotherapy and Red Light Therapy

Cryotherapy and red light therapy are similar in that they are both advanced technology that work on a cellular level to provide a number of health benefits and promote healing. Cryotherapy and red light therapy may be combined to optimize the effects of each approach.

About cryotherapy

Cryotherapy literally means “cold therapy.” The technique involves exposing the body to extremely cold temperatures for several minutes at a time. Cryotherapy may be applied to the entire body or limited treatment areas. Immersing the body in extremely cold air for short times can provide a number of health benefits. It can reduce migraine symptoms, numb irritated nerves, help treat mood disorders, ease arthritis pain, and treat certain skin conditions.

Benefits of cryotherapy

Cryotherapy can help treat mood disorders by stimulating the release of adrenaline, noradrenaline, and endorphins. Research shows whole-body cryotherapy can help provide short-term relief from both anxiety and depression. Because it can help boost mood, red light therapy can complement treatment with cryotherapy and other approaches to treating mood issues.

Cryotherapy can reduce pain from a variety of causes. Research shows cryotherapy works well to alleviate arthritis pain in ways that allowed patients to engage in physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions that are more aggressive. Red light therapy also treats pain from a wide variety of causes, including Achilles tendinitis. Cryotherapy can improve antioxidant levels, so it can help treat skin problems, such as atopic dermatitis.

About red light therapy

Photobiomodulation is a straightforward procedure that delivers light to tissues in the skin and deep below. Because of their bioactivity, the red and infrared light wavelengths between 600 and 1100 nanometers (nm) are often referred to as the “therapeutic window.” 

These wavelengths penetrate the skin to reach damaged cells. Once absorbed into the cells, red light stimulates the function of mitochondria, also known as the “powerhouse” of the cell. Mitochondria convert food into a form of energy the cell uses for everyday function. Stimulating energy production in this way helps cells recover from damage. These wavelengths also help increase the production of nitric oxide that causes blood vessels to widen, enhances exercise and recovery, and stimulates the release of insulin and growth hormone.

Red light therapy is a fast, convenient, and non-invasive approach that treats a wide variety of conditions. One of the greatest advantages to red light therapy is that providers can combine it with almost any other treatment, including physical therapy, medicine, and even cryotherapy. Red light therapy causes little to no side effects or complications, so it is safe for almost every patient and for inclusion in nearly every treatment plan.

Red light therapy benefits

Red light therapy can enhance performance and recovery

Red light therapy can increase muscle mass, which in turn, can increase performance. A 2016 study of identical twins showed that using red light therapy on leg muscles right after exercising increased muscle mass.

Red light therapy can also improve how well muscles perform, which means individuals can exercise for longer periods of time and with less risk of pain or injury. Researchers in one study enrolled 36 male participants with beginner or moderate physical activity habits. One-third of the participants performed leg presses then underwent red light therapy immediately afterwards. Another third did leg presses only, and the last group did not do either leg presses or red light therapy. The researchers found that those who underwent red light therapy after exercise were the only group that showed an increase in muscle performance.

This means photobiomodulation allows gym owners, personal trainers, and physical therapists to help their clients and patients enhance muscle performance while doing their regular training exercises or therapy.

Cryotherapy and red light therapy for weight loss

Cryotherapy promotes weight loss by freezing fat cells, when then later die and are removed from the body. Research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that daily exposure to cold temperatures could reduce body fat by as much as 2 percent. Another study published in the Journal of Obesity found that long-term cryotherapy activates cold-induced thermogenesis. In that study, long-term cryotherapy led to an overall loss of body mass by an average of 3 percent; loss of body mass was particularly significant around the waist.

Like cryotherapy, red light therapy can help people lose weight. Red light wavelengths create small openings in fat cells, which allow fatty acids to escape from the cells. Releasing these fatty acids, known as lipids, causes fat cells to wither. In one study, researchers found that, after a four-minute exposure to red light, fat cells released 80 percent of their lipids. By six minutes after red light therapy, the cells had released almost all the fat.

Red light therapy can also stimulate adipocyte apoptosis, a natural process that promotes the death of old or damaged cells. Exposure to red light causes the fat cells to release lipids during adipocyte apoptosis, further reducing the fat cells.

Red light therapy can also quiety hunger pangs by controlling the hormones that regulate appetite, leptin and ghrelin. A 2012 study found that photobiomodulation therapy reduced hunger hormone levels by 19 percent.

Many people who want to lose weight also want to get rid of cellulite. A 2011 study describes how researchers investigated how well red light therapy treats cellulite. The researchers assigned female participants to two groups. The first group did only high-intensity treadmill training, while the participants in the second group underwent PBMT while doing the same treadmill training as the participants in the first group. They found that participants who used both red light therapy and treadmill training got rid of cellulite in the buttocks and hips, while those in the treadmill-only group did not. The results of study showed that red light therapy could spot-reduce excess fat stored around the waist, hips, and thighs.

Red Light Therapy Provides a Great Return on Investment

Most practices rely on a fast and reliable return on investment for their equipment. Solbasium provides solutions to fit nearly every practice. The entire Solbasium full body bed series are the only ones in their class to offer an industry-leading 6-year warranty, lifetime guarantee on LEDs and they will pay for themselves many times over during the warranty’s coverage period.

A single red light therapy session costs from $25 to $85. A number of factors can influence the session cost, such as your location and whether you offer it as a standalone treatment or combine it with other treatments, such as cryotherapy.

Solbasium has designed their red light therapy products specifically for cryotherapy businesses. Solbasium understands that cryotherapy professionals rely on high quality internal electronics, products designed for long use, and an industry-leading warranty, so we have included all of those in our red light therapy products. We also have extensive experience in the industry and offer exceptional customer service to back every product we offer.

The demand for red light therapy continues to rise

The demand for red light therapy is absolutely exploding. In fact, Global Market Insights says that the Light Therapy Market industry is valued at more than $1 billion in 2020, and predicts the industry will enjoy a 5.1 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2021 to 2027. Global Market Insights attributes this growth to the rising incidence of skin-related disorders and growing awareness about personal care. Patients increasingly prefer non-invasive treatments like red light therapy, and are increasingly aware of the benefits of photobiomodulation. In other words, patients are already seeking out clinics that provide red light therapy, and many more patients will request the service in the future – adding red light therapy to your clinic now can help you attract more patients today and tomorrow.

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