Benefits of Light Therapy: Red, Blue, Purple and Infrared

There's more to light than simply helping you see things around you. Its wavelengths stimulate your skin and the cells beneath it. Think of how sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D. That's just one of the beneficial effects light has on your health.

Reap the benefits of light therapy to improve your wellness. From clinical treatments to cutting-edge LED masks like the RENPHO REJUVEN ARTEMIS, light therapy is more accessible than ever. In particular, ARTEMIS uses light-emitting diode (LED) technology and taps more wavelengths to deliver different beneficial effects.

In this article, we will take a deep dive into the science behind light therapy, its associated benefits, and the four most commonly used wavelengths: red, blue, purple, and infrared light.

A Quick Guide to LED Light Therapy

According to Yale Medicine, light therapy is a medical treatment that exposes the patient to specific wavelengths of light to help regulate bodily functions and alleviate health conditions. It's considered non-invasive because it doesn't require surgical procedures to access the cells under the skin.

Also known as low-level laser therapy and photobiomodulation, light therapy uses only non-ionizing light to avoid damaging healthy tissue. Most methods apply visible light, infrared light, or both.

Light is composed of photons. When absorbed by the mitochondria in living cells, photons boost cellular energy production. They enhance tissue functions, such as growing new cells and healing injuries.

Different wavelengths penetrate the skin at different depths. Blue light works on the surface, red light reaches deeper layers, and infrared light goes even further—each offering unique therapeutic benefits.

Different Types of Light Therapy

Let's look at the most common and popular types of light therapy treatments:

Red Light Therapy

One of the earliest recognized photobiomodulation types, red light therapy uses visible light with a wavelength range of 620 to 700 nanometers (nm)—the longest wavelengths in the visible spectrum—allowing it to penetrate deeper into the skin.

This deeper reach enables red light to affect the dermis and even some soft tissues, such as subcutaneous fat, making it effective for promoting healing and cellular regeneration.

Red light wavelengths are primarily used to support:

Skin health and anti-aging
Muscle recovery and pain relief
Mood and energy enhancement
Hair growth
Tissue repair and inflammation reduction

Blue Light Therapy

Blue light therapy employs visible light with a wavelength range between 450 and 495 nm. The light travels a shorter distance than red light and penetrates only the skin's uppermost layers. According to a 2018 study by Yuchen Wang and Ying Wang, blue light stimulates certain light-sensitive parts of molecules in harmful bacteria to produce substances that kill microorganisms.

The primary uses for blue light wavelengths in light therapy are:

Antimicrobial treatment
Regulating the skin's sebum production
Reduces inflammation caused by skin issues (i.e acne)

Purple Light Therapy

Purple light blends two different colors, usually red and blue. Unlike violet light, purple isn't a distinct wavelength—it's a fusion of two

Compared to red or blue light therapy, purple light therapy offers more comprehensive coverage. It combines two wavelengths, so it enjoys the benefits of both.

Infrared Light Therapy

Infrared light sits between the visible light and microwave spectrums. Also called near-infrared light, given its proximity to visible light, it encompasses electromagnetic radiation within the 700-1200 nm wavelength range.

Since infrared light has longer wavelengths than even red light, it can reach further into your body. Near-infrared light can penetrate deeply into muscles, soft tissues, and joints.

Other Light Therapy Benefits

Depending on factors like the light wavelength used during treatment, light therapy can help alleviate the following health conditions:

Actinic keratosis
Eczema
Hair loss
Mild to moderate acne
Psoriasis
Rosacea
Sun-damaged skin
Wounds
Wrinkles

A 2021 study by Magdalena Seidl-Philipp suggests that LED light therapy may treat small and superficial basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common type of cancer.

Red Light Therapy Benefits

Red light promotes collagen and elastin production. Collagen is the protein that acts as the building block of connective tissues, muscles, and skin. Elastin, meanwhile, is a different protein responsible for the tissue's elasticity. Together, these two proteins ensure skin looks youthful and help prevent wrinkling.

Unfortunately, your skin produces less collagen and elastin as you age. Without sufficient protein, skin ages faster and develops wrinkles. Red light therapy can remedy this degradation by spurring your skin cells to produce more collagen and elastin, smoothing your skin and achieving an anti-aging effect.

Other benefits of red light include improving blood circulation and helping wounds heal faster. Red light therapy can also make inflammation less severe, helping damaged tissues repair.

Blue Light Therapy Benefits

While red light stimulates growth, blue light protects cells. Blue light acts as an antimicrobial that targets the bacteria responsible for acne. It produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules that inhibit or destroy Cutibacterium acnes and other acne-producing microbes.

Blue light also has anti-inflammatory effects. It can regulate the production of cytokines that irritate cells. By decreasing the number of cytokines, blue light therapy can help alleviate or prevent inflammation.

Additionally, blue light therapy reduces inflammatory infiltrate, the substances that build up inside swollen cells and contribute to the harsh reaction. Infiltrates are partially responsible for chronic inflammation, a condition in which inflammation persists for long periods. Blue light can provide relief for recurring inflammation by getting rid of the infiltrates that contribute to the health condition.

Blue light also interacts with hair in positive ways. When exposed to blue light, hair starts growing again. This anagen phase of growth also lasts longer, which is welcome news for people suffering from thinning hair.

There's also a relationship between blue light and pigmentation. Melanocytes are cells in your body that produce pigments, the chemical compounds that give natural color to your skin and hair. Some health conditions, such as vitiligo, interfere with the production of pigments. In the case of vitiligo, it results in ugly patches of white skin. Blue light encourages the production of pigments, restoring the faded color of your skin or hair.

While blue light doesn't have the same growth-related effects as red light, it can influence cellular activities. Blue light can promote proliferation, increasing production of new cells. It also encourages cellular differentiation, where stem cells develop into specialized cells. In other words, blue light therapy can heal and rejuvenate skin.

Purple Light Therapy Benefits

Purple light balances the benefits of red and blue light therapy. Remember how blue light penetrates shallowly while red light reaches deeper into the skin? Purple light works with both shallow and deep layers, resulting in more thorough coverage.

Purple light also synergizes the benefits of its component wavelengths. Consider how blue light kills acne-causing bacteria but doesn't heal any wounds. Meanwhile, red light can accelerate healing at the cost of doing nothing to microorganisms. Purple light does both-kill the bacteria that cause acne and heal any injury caused by the skin condition.

Infrared Light Therapy Benefits

Infrared light therapy has several benefits. It promotes vasodilation by mildly heating blood vessels, widening them to improve blood flow. Infrared light also provides pain relief for several issues, such as sore muscles and inflamed joints.

Ready to reap the benefits of light therapy? Get the RENPHO REJUVEN ARTEMIS for less than $200. Stimulate your skin with red, blue, purple, and near-infrared light provided by hundreds of medical-grade LED beads. ARTEMIS lets you personalize your sessions with flexible timer settings and adjustable light intensity, ensuring radiant, renewed, and healthy skin.

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