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Does red light therapy reverse skin ageing?

What you hear: “Shining red or near-infrared light on your face and body reverses skin ageing and speeds up muscle recovery.”

What the studies found

In a trial of 136 volunteers, 30 sessions of red light improved skin roughness, collagen density and blinded photo ratings compared with no treatment. A 2022 review of home skin devices recommended light-emitting diode devices only for acne; it found no home LED trials for wrinkles that met its criteria. For recovery, a review of 19 trials (672 people) of three recovery methods found low-certainty evidence that light applied before exercise lowered muscle soreness by about 12 points on soreness scales compared with control.

What you could do

If you enjoy it, treat it as a mild cosmetic or comfort aid, not an anti-ageing treatment.

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Not medical advice. General information from published studies, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Talk with your doctor before starting a supplement or changing a medicine, especially if you are pregnant, take other medicines or have a health condition.

How we judged it

Partly true: Some truth, but oversold as usually said. We judge the claim as it is usually said online, not the habit itself. Trials assign people at random, so they can show cause; observed studies follow people and show a link, not proof. Last checked: October 2026.

The studies, in their own words

1. Wunsch et al. Photomed Laser Surg 2014

   The treated subjects experienced significantly improved skin complexion and skin feeling, profilometrically assessed skin roughness, and ultrasonographically measured collagen density.

2. Cohen et al. Arch Dermatol Res 2022

   we recommend the home-based use of intense pulsed light for hair removal, laser diodes for androgenic alopecia, low power radiofrequency for rhytides and wrinkles, and light-emitting diodes for acne vulgaris.

3. Canez et al. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2025

   There is low-certainty evidence that PBMT applied before exercise significantly reduces muscle soreness (MD: -12.27 points, 95 % CI -18.14 to -6.40; I2 = 48 %).

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