When considering cold laser therapy, it’s important to weigh its potential advantages and risks. You can find practitioners or devices in many convenient settings, but this treatment may not work for everyone.
Benefits
Red light therapy is nontoxic, noninvasive, and considered safe for all skin types. It does not require the use of harsh topical substances or heat which can irritate or burn the skin.
Also, the treatment does not use ultraviolet (UV) light, which is reported to cause skin cancer.
Red light therapy is easy to access at medical or dental offices, spas, tanning salons, or beauty clinics. At-home devices are also widely available.
Side Effects and Risks
There are no set guidelines for how long or strongly red light therapy should be applied, so there is a slight chance of adverse effects. Also, the long-term safety of this procedure is yet to be determined. If you use red light therapy devices incorrectly or too often, you may experience damage to your skin or eyes.
Immediate results are possible in some cases, but it can often take weeks or months before you see improvements.
At-home red light therapy devices are also safe, but they are not as powerful as professional instruments. The quality of devices varies, and some machines may not produce the benefits you expect. Clinical treatments with a trained provider may offer greater assurance of effective results with little to no side effects. However, this may require more frequent visits.
People with sensitive skin or diabetes should ask their healthcare provider before trying this therapy. Pregnant women should also seek their healthcare provider’s advice.