The science, without the hype
Learn
What the research supports, what it does not, and how to read a spec sheet without being sold to.
Does Red Light Therapy Actually Work? What the Evidence Supports
A category by category read of the red light evidence: strong for skin and hair, mixed for pain, thin for fat loss and systemic claims.
FDA Cleared, Registered or Exempt: What Each Actually Means
Cleared, registered, exempt and approved are four different things. Only one involves the FDA reviewing your device, and none of them mean approved.
How Long Before Red Light Therapy Shows Results?
What the clinical trials actually measured and when: 12 weeks for skin, six months for hair, and a pain effect that peaks after you stop.
Panel, Mask, Wrap or Cap: Which Form Factor You Actually Need
Panels, masks, wraps and caps deliver very different doses to very different places. How to pick the form factor that matches your actual target.
Red Light Therapy Before or After a Workout?
The one trial that tested red light before, after and both around strength training found a large difference. Here is what it measured.
Red Light Therapy Dosage: Irradiance, Joules and How Long to Actually Use It
How to convert a device's irradiance into a real session length, why more is not better, and why most published irradiance numbers are inflated.
Red Light Therapy for Joint and Muscle Pain: What Holds Up
The meta-analyses on red light for joint and muscle pain, why dose decides the result, and why clinic laser data may not transfer to a home panel.
Red Light Therapy Safety: Eyes, EMF and Side Effects
What the real risks of red light therapy are, which warnings are marketing, and when to skip it or ask a doctor first.
Red Light Therapy vs Infrared Sauna: Different Mechanisms
Both are sold as infrared. They use different wavelengths, reach different tissue and work by different mechanisms. What the evidence supports.
Red Light Therapy Wavelengths Explained: 630nm, 660nm, 810nm and 850nm
What each red light therapy wavelength actually does, how deep it reaches, and which numbers on a spec sheet are worth paying for.
What the Research Says About Red Light Therapy for Hair Growth
What the sham-controlled trials show for red light and hair growth, which devices the evidence actually covers, and how much of it is manufacturer funded.
What the Research Says About Red Light Therapy for Skin
A skeptical read of the clinical evidence for red light therapy and skin, including what the controlled studies measured and where the data runs thin.
Why Irradiance Numbers on Spec Sheets Are Usually Wrong
How brands measure irradiance, why the number on the box is usually inflated, and what a credible mW/cm2 figure has to state before you can trust it.
Why Two Meters Give Two Answers: Solar Meters vs Spectrometers
Why a consumer solar meter reads roughly twice what a spectrometer reads on the same panel, and which number you should use to set session length.