Anchored in: “Unlocking the Power of Light on the Skin” — PMC/NIH, 2024, and “Near Infrared Light Therapy of Eye Diseases: A Review” — International Journal of Medical Sciences, 2021
Walk into any beauty retailer right now and you’ll find red light therapy devices everywhere — masks, wands, panels. Red light has become the darling of the skincare world, and for good reason. The research on red light and skin is excellent.
But here’s what most of those products aren’t telling you: near infrared light goes deeper. Significantly deeper. And for true skin rejuvenation — the kind that works from the inside out rather than the surface in — near infrared light is the wavelength that changes everything.
At Light Therapy San Diego, our SpectraLight beds deliver both red and near infrared light together, alongside blue and green, in every session. It’s the combination that produces results no single-wavelength device can match. Here’s the science behind why.
How skin ages — and what near infrared does about it
Skin aging happens at multiple levels. At the surface, collagen and elastin break down, causing lines, wrinkles, and sagging. Pigmentation becomes uneven. Cell turnover slows. But underneath the surface, deeper changes are happening too — microcirculation decreases, tissue oxygenation declines, and the deeper layers of the dermis lose their structural integrity.
Most skincare — including many light therapy devices — addresses the surface. Near infrared light addresses the deep.
A comprehensive 2024 review published in PMC through the NIH confirmed that near infrared light, in the range of 700 to 950 nanometers, penetrates to the deepest layers of the skin where collagen production actually occurs. The research documented that near infrared wavelengths are absorbed by chromophores deep in the dermis, stimulating fibroblast activity — the cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin — and supporting the structural renewal of skin from its foundation up.
The same review documented that photobiomodulation with near infrared light has demonstrated effective outcomes in the management of scars, non-healing wounds, and musculoskeletal disorders — pointing to its powerful tissue repair capabilities that apply equally to skin health.
What happens to your skin in a SpectraLight session
When you’re in our beds, near infrared light is penetrating several millimeters into your dermis — reaching the layers that topical creams and surface-level treatments simply cannot access. Here’s what’s being activated:
- Fibroblast stimulation — the cells that produce collagen and elastin are energized and more active
- Mitochondrial activation — skin cells have more energy for repair and regeneration
- Microcirculation improvement — better blood flow delivers more oxygen and nutrients to skin tissue
- Antioxidant pathway activation — oxidative stress, one of the primary drivers of skin aging, is reduced
- Reduced inflammation — inflammatory processes that break down collagen are suppressed
The result over consistent sessions: firmer skin, reduced fine lines, improved tone and texture, faster healing of blemishes, and a quality of radiance that comes from cells that are genuinely healthy — not just surface-treated.
Near infrared and wound healing
One of the most compelling areas of near infrared research is wound healing — and it has direct implications for skin health. A study published in PMC documented that 810nm near infrared light significantly improved wound healing in immunosuppressed subjects — accelerating tissue regeneration, increasing fibroblast proliferation, and stimulating angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels that supply healing tissue).
This is the same mechanism that makes near infrared light so powerful for skin rejuvenation. Whether the tissue being healed is a wound, a scar, or simply aging and depleted skin, the biological process is the same — and near infrared light supports every step of it.
Red light does its job. Near infrared goes further.
We love red light. It’s powerful for surface collagen stimulation and skin repair. But when you combine it with near infrared light in the same session — which is exactly what our SpectraLight beds do — you get a full-spectrum approach to skin health that works at every depth simultaneously.
Surface renewal and deep structural rejuvenation. Together. In one session.
This is why our clients consistently tell us their skin looks different after a few weeks of regular sessions. Not subtly different — noticeably different. The kind of difference that has people asking what they’ve changed in their routine.
What they changed was adding near infrared light to their life.
Come try it for yourself — first session is completely free. 🤍
— April & Tiffany,
Light Therapy San Diego
Book your complimentary session at lighttherapysandiego.com
