#1

I guess I went down the rabbit hole and came across near infrared light and its uses.

I figured this would probably be a good place to hear what experiences people have and where they got their infrared device from.

#2

The idea behind this is to generate Serotinin which is then available for Melatonin. I do have an irradiation device, but I have rarely used it. I might try it out again. I would think it probably has merit, but using it is a bit of a faff as you cannot really do anything else when using it.

#3

Thereā€™s another thread on this that may give you some insights. I started Rapa about the same time I got my red light. I have 2, both Platinum Bio 900/450. Iā€™ve used it religiously now for 12 weeks. Ari Whittenā€™s book, Red Light Therapy, has good info and cites a lot of research. Is it the Rapa, is it the red light? Is it both? Idk but I have less aches and pains. My skin sure seems tighter, my goal was less aches and pains - particularly in my knees, so Iā€™m achieving that. Iā€™m just getting back into a workout routine so I canā€™t address muscle gain etc yet. I like how I feel after I use it. I donā€™t have scientific measurements but I think itā€™s more effective than any pain medicine that was prescribed takes some time to work. I had horrific pain in my neck due to degenerative disks, itā€™s virtually gone and Iā€™m giving credit to both Rapa and red for this.

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#4

Iā€™ve got the Platinum Bio 900 and 2 Sperti UVB lights. I also rigged up a vertical PVC with a slot in it and hooked it to a 1HP centrifugal fan with the inlet in the furnace duct. Also my son made me a turntable that rotates about 3 times in 5 minutes.

All this is installed in a little alcove in the bathroom. So exit the shower, turn on the lights, turntable,blower and spend 5 minutes drying everything off.

Canā€™t believe I talked my wife into this. The only problem is that the way the blower is installed it really sounds like a jet might be taking off when it comes on. Iā€™m thinking about maybe some of those egg carton shaped sound absorbers or something.

Oh, were you asking if it works? Actually I noticed it most on my skin and hair and I donā€™t even care about my skin and hair. Soft soft skin and hair is growing where it was receding before. I think the thing works. Also now I dream at night and remember it, never before. So I think it improves sleep.

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#5

When I see the skin and hair comments, I canā€™t help but be surprised. Granted I did not buy a NIR/red light panel for skin/hair. I bought a panel after reading up about NIR and synthesis of mitochondrial melatonin and to try to regulate my circadian rhythm. But Iā€™ve used a panel religiously 10 minutes per day for almost 9 months and have absolutely seen no observable changes at all - besides some light spots of hypopigmentation that were not apparent prior to using such a panel. Admittedly in these years reading about NIR/red light Iā€™ve never seen any pictures that could support all the alluring claims Iā€™ve read either - albeit Iā€™d be interested in seeing them :slightly_smiling_face:.

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#6

A few of the claims for red light :

ā€œRed Light Speeds Wound & Scar Healing and Decreases Pain & Inflammationā€

Reduces wrinkles, etc, blah, blah, blah.

I have 432 watts of 660/850 nm of IR radiation.

I stand in front of it in the mornings for 10 - 20 minutes.

It warms me up.

Nothing else in the last 9 months.

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#7

I love red light therapy. Itā€™s amazing for skin and hair - I can see a difference. I have many devices that Iā€™ve used for more than a year and will buy more.

Do not get hard panels. The problem with hard panels is that the light is too far away from the skin. The light needs to be very close to the skin to provide a sufficient dose to be effective. The farther away the light is, the weaker the light is.

I use this one for face daily (15 - 20 min).

I also have several devices from DGYAO. If you want to buy from DGYAO (available on their website and on Amazon), make sure you buy the latest generation because the lights have improved. If youā€™re not sure which one is the latest generation, you can ask me. Also compare prices on their website vs. Amazon because they can be different. I have devices from other companies as well.

https://www.dgyao.net/

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#8

The power of the mind is not to be ignored.

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#9

Itā€™s not the mind.

I can see a difference in my skin. I bought my first device for my hands from DGYAO last summer with zero expectation. I bought it not for skin improvement but for other reasons. To my surprise, I saw an improvement in the skin on my hands. Thatā€™s when I got hooked and purchased other devices for other body parts.

I actually learned about the red light face masks from Hot and Flashy, a YouTuber. Sheā€™s tried and reviewed many masks, including the one I use. Although her favorite is Omnilux. I prefer EcoFace Platinum over Omnilux. I believe Hot and Flashy is 60 and she looks amazing. She also does a lot of other stuff for her skin.

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#10

This is exactly my experience. The warmth is pleasant in these cold autumn days, but that is about it.

@Kandice. I have a panel with four different wavelengths NIR and red light (that I selected based on studies). It was made by the manufacturers of a renowned brand (their panels are cleared by the FDA), and tested in a lab. I donā€™t want to mention the name, since it seems these brands have invested a lot in advertising. (As an example, just take a brief look at the accounts on social media without any posting history singing their praises). As said: if someone could after all these years post some convincing pictures it would be nice. But Iā€™ve never seen them.
Admittedly I never heard of ā€œHot and Flashyā€ either, but just taking a brief look at her Youtube channel now after you mentioned her shows that her channel is focused on all kinds of different skin creams, sun lotions and skin therapies, etc. Aside the fact she earns an income from affiliate marketing with her videos. It would be difficult to conclude what of these many therapies/creams/affiliate income streams etc may have what potential effects.

#11

Hot and Flashy shows before and after pictures using the red light masks in her videos. You can watch the videos and judge for yourself. Hot and Flashy purchased most products with her own money and she will tell you if she is sponsored by a company. Iā€™ve learned a lot from Hot and Flashy.

I know about the hard panels. The issue with those is that whether youā€™re standing or sitting in front of them, there is big gap between the light source and your skin. The bigger the distance, the weaker the light that hits your skin. And if the light is not strong enough, it will not be effective. Thatā€™s why you want the light to be as close to the skin as possible. And itā€™s difficult to do with a hard panel, unless you put your face right against it, which is not very comfortable. Same goes for light bulbs. There are devices that you can hold against the face, but then your hands will get tired. Thatā€™s why product design is so important for the ease of use and effectiveness.

#12

We probably have a different opinion about this, and itā€™s good to hear it is working for you.

Based on studies I came across I believe NIR can have health benefits, but the convincing studies when it comes to skin improvement/collagen synthesis (not the two small trials, sponsored by manufacturers of panels) are simply lacking.
Iā€™ve mentioned this in another thread where I cited several studies, but there are many studies showing (N)IR upregulates different MMPā€™s in the skin. The amount of NIR and thus the distance from the device, among many other factors obviously plays a role in this. But based on those studies: Iā€™d personally not be willing to put my skin in direct contact with a NIR panel/mat with a high power density regularly until research shows it is safe. I cited a study that discussed how the amounts of NIR from such a device in direct contact with skin, are much higher than youā€™d get from bathing in the sun around the equator each day. The studies that show the longterm effects of such types of exposure are not existent. (Unless you are referring to some studies that show the effects of using a low level (infra)red laser directly on the skin locally to treat specific health conditions).
So I use a panel since I believe NIR exposure may potentially come with some interesting health effects, but I donā€™t follow the mantra ā€œthe more, the betterā€ as long as there are no studies supporting that notion. But that is just my approach and opinion.

#13

Help me understand thisā€¦ You stand on the turntable to get the light exposure and air dry, for 5 minutes after each shower?

#14

The manufacturers of red light masks designed their products with the right intensity for the face. And you never exceed 20 minutes for each session when you use a red light device because red light/IR does cause some oxidative stress, which is beneficial in a small dose, but not when itā€™s more.

#15

Do you know the exact power density (not at a distance from the mask, but directly in contact with the mat, since that is how the mat is used)?

#16

There is an inverse relationship between distance and light intensity - as the distance increases, light intensity decreases.

This is because as the distance away from a light source increases, photons of light become spread over a wider area.

The light energy at twice the distance away is spread over four times the area.

The light energy at three times the distance away is spread over nine times the area, and so on.

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#17

Each mask is different. Some companies will give you that information and some donā€™t. Hot and Flashy actually listed all the energy output for the masks in one of her videos.

And when you have different products from different companies, you can tell that they have different energy output from how bright the lights are. The brighter the lights, the more energy they put out. In general, the higher the energy, the more effective it is.

Also the number of lights in a device is important. The more light bulbs there are, the more energy it puts out.

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#18

Yes. I donā€™t think a towel gets you dry enough to fully eliminate fungus. I donā€™t want to be damp. Also the blower completely dries the bathroom. Sperti comes with a 5 minute timer. Sometimes after the sperti lights go off I stand for a little longer in front of the Bio 900. Not much longer as I get bored easily. Actually the fan only needs to run for about 3 minutes and youā€™re dry.

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#19

That is the common misconception, it appears - and the argument a lot of brands use to ask thousands for their panels. The higher the power density, the more heating of skin, the more apparent upregulation of different MMPā€™s was noted in studies.

Personally I want to know the exact power density at different distances from the panel/device, versus guessing. It has been discussed also that the power density that a lot of brands list is in fact not correct - this is a known issue and among others the effect of using solar meters to test power density.
But as said, this is just my approach, and if what you are doing works for you: all the better and I can understand you want to keep doing it.

#20

Of course, there is a limit! Itā€™s true within a reasonable range of intensity. The companies know that!

I have 7 devices now and Iā€™m in the process of buying one more. I also have my eyes on another product.

Itā€™s very possible that the hard panels have benefits for the body internally (especially IR as it can travel further into the body); although itā€™s difficult to see their effectiveness from the outside. To be able to have visible changes to the skin, however, you need the lights to be very close to the skin, in order to get enough intensity/dose to be effective.