What Happens If You Overdo LED Light Therapy?

• 01 What is LED Light Therapy?
• 02 What is an LED Light Therapy Mask?
• 03 What are the Benefits of LED Light Therapy?
• 04 Is LED Light Therapy Safe?
• 05 How Often Can You Use Light Therapy from Home?
• 06 What Happens if I Overuse My LED Device?
• 07 The Takeaway: Can You Overdo LED Light Therapy?

6-minute read

How much light is too much? The jury is still out, but sticking to recommended treatment times is still your safest bet.

What is Red Light Therapy? 

Red light therapy is a skin rejuvenation technique that involves applying red light wavelengths between 600 and 700nm to the skin’s surface. The light stimulates the functional activity of cells to produce various benefits such as generating new collagen, boosting skin elasticity, and reducing inflammation and redness. Red light has a powerful impact on cell activity and skin health. Recent years have seen a rise in the use of red light facemasks at home to achieve improved skin health and appearance.

What is an LED Light Therapy Mask?

Typically made of plastic or silicone, an LED light therapy mask is a bot-like face covering fitted with LED bulbs that emit various wavelengths to treat the skin. Masks attach to the face using a strap or some wearable devices use inbuilt goggles. The bulbs emit red, blue, and infrared light. Some masks have up to 7 LED colors including yellow, green, cyan, purple, and white. The focus here is on red and infrared light therapy. 

What are the Benefits of LED Light Therapy?

Red light therapy benefits:

- Collagen synthesis
- Smooths fine lines
- Boosts skin elasticity
- Visibly lifts and tightens the skin
- Boosts blood flow

Infrared light therapy benefits:
- Improved circulation
- Reduced inflammation
- Pain relief
- Accelerated wound healing
- Promotes relaxation
- Muscle recovery
- Boosts cellular energy production
- Enhances skin health

Is Red Light Therapy Safe?

Yes, LED light therapy is a safe and effective treatment option posing little risk of skin damage, even when ‘overused’ (more on this soon). It is an FDA-cleared treatment and several studies have attested to its effectiveness in skin rejuvenation and improving visible signs of aging such as fine lines and skin sagging. It is important to note that red light therapy is not suitable for all people such as those with increased photosensitivity or during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Also, it is important to protect your eyes during the treatment.

How Often Can You Use Light Therapy from Home?

Light therapy is a cumulative therapy; the more you use it, the better results you get. Consistency of treatment is very important. This is a large reason for the rise in popularity of the at-home device, as 3-4 professional light therapy sessions per week is not feasible for many.

Most LED devices can be used daily, for between 3 and 20 minutes. The recommended treatment time is designated by the manufacturer and depends on the power density of the device. It is important to adhere to the treatment times on each device.

Many red light therapy devices recommend use at least 3-4 times per week to achieve desired results. You can safely use LED masks daily, as long as you are following the treatment time (e.g. 10 minutes).

What Happens if I Overuse My LED Device?

Some emerging data suggest overuse of LED light therapy masks may not pose much of a safety risk, it may impact the effectiveness of your treatment.

One way red and infrared light therapy impacts the skin is by creating low-level and temporary oxidative stress. Red and infrared light creates reactive oxygen species in the body. This stress state activates the body’s healing and defense systems for cell repair, skin rejuvenation, and anti-aging. However, there are some suggestions if the dose of light is excessive, these Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) may have the opposite effect. Overexposure may, for example, create so many reactive oxygen species that the body’s defense and repair systems cannot keep up with demand. This is particularly important when using LED light therapy for skin rejuvenation and anti-aging, where the dose required is lower than for example in medical treatments.

It is also worth bearing in mind, that it is not clear whether at-home devices, would even be powerful enough to trigger this extreme response, but exceeding treatment time will not actually boost the production of more ATP in a single LED light therapy session.

It seems it is about striking a balance, between stimulating skin cells to get the beneficial effects of red light therapy without causing too much stress for the skin cells.

The Takeaway: Can You Overdo LED Light Therapy?

Technically, it appears you can. But the likelihood of doing so with a device cleared for at-home use is yet unclear. It appears overexposure would have to be quite excessive to produce to create so much free-radical stress in the body that it would cause harm to the cells.

The main takeaway is that you cannot try to squeeze a weeks worth of LED sessions into a single treatment session and consistency is more important than excess. As we said, LED light therapy is a cumulative therapy and results are seen with consistent, 3-20 minute treatments over several weks and months. There is no added benefit to wearing your LED light therapy mask for longer than is advised as there is a limit on the amount of ATP the cell can produce when boosting mitochondrial function for skin rejuvenation.

Even where the risk of damage is low, a longer treatment does not equal better results, so always adhere to the treatment time recommended for your device. Often brands such as Project E Beauty will recommend 3-4 treatments per week, but this is a minimum in order to see results and daily treatments are appropriate for at home LED devices.

  written by Sophie Flair