Longevity Treatment Guides

Both red light and infrared therapy use light wavelengths to promote healing and wellness, but they work differently. Compare their benefits, uses, and which might be right for you.

How to read a PBM or light-box spec: nanometers, irradiance (mW/cm²), energy (J/cm²), distance, and time. LED vs laser, biphasic dosing, and why a pretty bed can still be underdosed.

Photobiomodulation using near-infrared wavelengths (often ~800–850 nm) that penetrate deeper than visible red. Still a light-signaling dose, not an infrared sauna. Common on mixed LED panels and “NIR” helmets.

Clinic “light therapy” is usually one of three jobs: photobiomodulation (red/NIR LED or laser), bright-light boxes for circadian/SAD, or—misnamed—infrared heat. This parent is the map. Not tanning, not UV, not an ablative cosmetic laser.

A 10,000-lux light box used in the morning for seasonal affective disorder and circadian timing. This is about lux and clock time, not red/NIR photobiomodulation. UV should be filtered. Bipolar mania is a stop sign.

Photobiomodulation uses low-level red and near-infrared light to influence cellular activity (e.g., mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase), aiming to reduce inflammation, support recovery, and improve skin quality. Delivered via LED panels, laser diodes, or targeted devices.