Red Light Therapy for Aging Skin: Scientific Evidence

All 40 patients in a 2023 human observational study showed improvement in skin tone, texture, and wrinkles after a combination treatment that included topical exosomes, tiny cell-signaling particles, and high-intensity LED light. In this trial, exosomes were applied to the skin, and absorption was supported with sea salt exfoliation, a nitric oxide serum, and ultrasound. LED light combining 660 nm and 930 nm wavelengths was then delivered for 20 minutes, with some patients also receiving injections of calcium hydroxylapatite, a mineral-based filler, to the face or neck following the exosome step. Beyond tone and texture, researchers also noted improvement in pores, blood flow, oiliness, and pigment. Patients who also received the filler injections after the priming step saw faster, more noticeable results than those who had the exosome treatment alone.

30 healthy Caucasian women applied a home-use light-emitting diode (LED) device to the neck daily for 16 weeks in a 2021 human observational study assessing its safety and effectiveness for neck rejuvenation. The device delivered 630 and 850 nm light at an irradiance of 25 mW/cm² from a distance of about 3.15 inches, with assessments also made 8 weeks after participants stopped using it. Skin improvements included significant gains in wrinkle scores, hydration, elasticity, and density, while thyroid function and ultrasound findings stayed stable throughout. The device was also associated with no safety concerns for the thyroid or parathyroid glands over the long term.

A human review published in 2016 evaluated the effect of low-level light therapy (LLLT) on the aging face. The review drew on data from 60 participants treated with LLLT on the face, using wavelengths of 590, 620, 633, 830, and 1000 nm, and fluences between 0.5 and 360 J/cm², with sessions given 6 times per week over a 28-day course. The authors reported that LLLT was associated with improvement in signs of facial aging, though they noted the full effect may take time to become noticeable. The review also described LLLT as a safe therapy for this use.

Skin firmness and wrinkle depth in aging skin were the focus of a 2009 clinical trial testing 660 nm LED light therapy. The study combined lab tests on lab-grown human skin with a split-face human trial, where one side of the face received LED treatment, and the other side was left untreated for comparison. Treatments used a dose of 4 J/cm² delivered at 50 mW/cm² in sessions lasting about 2.67 minutes, given 3 times weekly for 4 weeks. In the lab model, a skin-firming protein rose by 31 percent, and a substance that breaks down skin structure dropped by 18 percent, while in the human trial, more than 90 percent of participants showed reduced wrinkle depth and roughness, with 87 percent seeing improvement in wrinkle severity. No adverse events or downtime were reported.

In 2020, a human observational study compared the LED-treated left side of the face with the untreated side in people with photoaged skin. The trial included 24 participants who received treatment at near-contact distance using wavelengths of 637 and 854 nm at an irradiance of 25 mW/cm², in 9-minute sessions given twice weekly over 8 weeks. Significantly higher skin elasticity was reported on the LED-treated side at the 6- and 8-week follow-ups, though the device's overall effect on facial rejuvenation was described as partial. Safety data from the study supported its use as a home device.