Red Light Therapy to Help Reduce Cellulite

Red Light Therapy to Help Reduce Cellulite

Got Cellulite? You are not alone. Nearly 90% of women and 10% of men develop cellulite. Red light therapy is emerging as a safe, natural, non-invasive, and highly effective way to treat cellulite.

The key to minimizing cellulite is to increase collagen production so that

  • the connective tissue that binds skin and muscle forms a firmer latticework with fewer weak spots where fat can push through, and
  • the skin becomes thicker and more elastic, which camouflages the appearance of cellulite.

Here’s how red light therapy works on cellulite:

  • Increased cellular metabolism and energy: As light photons are absorbed by the mitochondria (energy centers of cells), energy production in the cells is stimulated. This leads to cells that are healthier and more resilient.
  • Increased collagen production: Red light stimulates fibroblast production (fibroblasts are the precursors to collagen), which will help thicken skin as well as the underlying connective tissue, and restore elasticity. Once skin becomes more elastic and thicker, subcutaneous fat is more contained and less likely to push outward.
  • Increased elastin production: Elastin is a structural protein that gives skin and connective tissues their elasticity. Once damaged, it often does not regenerate, which is why photoaged or sun-damaged skin becomes loose and saggy. Red light therapy activates growth of fibroblasts, which leads to abundant elastic and collagen fibers.
  • Fat leakage: Red light causes fat cells to “spring a leak” by forming small openings in the cell walls, which releases fatty acids known as lipids. One study by Boston researchers found that 80% of lipids were released from fat cells after just four minutes of exposure to red light. Within six minutes, nearly all the fat had been released.