Interested In Light Therapy As Part Of Your Skin Care Routine? Tune In
This episode of mindbodygreen’s Clean Beauty School podcast was made in partnership with Sunlighten Saunas, the leaders in light science and infrared technology for over 25 years. Tune in to learn about how red light and infrared tools can support skin and whole-body health. Save up to $1,600 on your sauna purchase and an additional $50 on your red light purchase with code mbg.
In the beauty space, light therapy is the topic of the moment. And while the technology may sound new, the biological response is as old as time.
“Our bodies are solar panels. If you think of your body, you have to have light received by it. That’s part of living. It is needed for all living things,” says Connie Zack, Sunlighten Saunas Co-founder. “When a specific wavelength enters your body, it really turns into medicine.”
The key is understanding which wavelengths actually matter, and what each one is doing beneath the surface of your skin.
Zack joins me on the most recent episode of mindbodgreen’s beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. In the episode, Zack explains the science behind various wavelengths on the light spectrum.
Tune in to hear our entire conversation—if you’ve ever been interested in light therapy, infrared saunas, and how these long-studied technologies can benefit your complexion, this is the episode for you.
And in the meantime, here, I’m sharing the three priority wavelengths to look for to help support collagen production, dermal regeneration, dark spot reduction, and more.
Red
Perhaps the most famous of the light therapies, red light masks have dominated the beauty zeitgeist for years now. With a wavelength of 630, red light can go past the surface of the skin and support skin from the inside out.
“It helps reduce inflammation, supports cellular energy1, and helps to essentially turn back the clock by accelerating cell turnover. When we’re young, the skin’s turnover cycle moves at a faster pace, but as we age, it slows down. These are tools that can help speed it up, so you get new skin and it looks younger and better,” says Zack.
While red light tends to get most of the spotlight in beauty, it’s only one piece of the puzzle. To really understand how light therapy works—and how to get better results—it helps to look at the broader spectrum, including the wavelengths that penetrate different layers of the skin for a wider range of benefits.
Near infrared
Near Infrared (often shortened to NIR) falls under the infrared light spectrum which has profound implications for full body health.
“Infrared is such a beautiful part of the sun’s light spectrum, and near infrared is one part of that spectrum. I always call it a ‘spectrum within the spectrum’ because it’s a spectrum of light within the sun’s spectrum of light. The majority of the sun’s light spectrum is actually in the infrared part,” she says. “I call it the healing part of the light spectrum because there aren’t any damaging rays in that spectrum.”
The infrared light spectrum penetrates the deepest into the body. NIR’s wavelength is 880 nm, which means it can go beyond the surface and penetrate into the dermis, where collagen is produced.
However, as NIR is not part of the visible light spectrum like red is, it’s sometimes harder for people to understand—so it's usually not marketed as heavily. But because it’s reaching those deeper layers of the skin, it’s actually doing the heavy lifting by addressing structural cells like collagen and elastin2.
“ Near infrared is so important for your skin and is such an incredible beauty tool. Near infrared penetrates the skin directly, is the wavelength that penetrates the skin the deepest, and is incredibly powerful—more powerful than red light. I call it my vanity wavelength.”
For proof, Zack points to NIR’s wound healing abilities, as shown in several studies.
“Look at the data on what happens when you apply near infrared to an open wound3 and how the wound repairs itself. That was probably my light-bulb moment, when I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, this is significant.’”
A note on NIR & red light together
Yellow
“What’s right next to red is yellow. It doesn’t go as deep, but that’s okay, you’re still getting the benefit,” she says. “Yellow can help stimulate flow, get oxygen moving, and support cellular repair.”
Yellow’s wavelength is around 590 nm. So you’re getting the positive biological processes that light therapy delivers4, it’s just closer to the surface of the skin—so the outcome may be a bit more surface level, rather than structural (as with NIR or red).
Quite astutely, Zach compares it to other skin care treatments that come at a variety of strengths, all of which have their own use cases. “It’s similar to peels. If you’ve done a peel, dermabrasion, dermaplaning, or microneedling, you know there are many therapies and ranges you can do, which are all beneficial in their own way,” she says.
If you’re exploring light therapy for skin longevity, the most effective approach isn’t about chasing one “miracle” color. It’s about choosing devices that offer a thoughtful combination of wavelengths that work at different depths of the skin—supporting everything from surface brightness to deeper collagen integrity.
Tune in
To hear more of this conversation—and hear us discuss other wavelengths such as Far Infrared, Blue, and Green—tune into the conversation below. You’ll hear us talk about the beauty benefits of light therapy, as well as full-body results such as detox, athletic performance, and stress relief. It’s a must-listen for anyone considering buying their own LED mask or panel.