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Deep Tissue Red Light Therapy Dosing: Does High Intensity Increase Penetration?

Deep Tissue Red Light Therapy Dosing: Does High Intensity Increase Penetration?

Improving the penetration of light into the skin is a key area for direct treatments with Photobiomodulation. However, many of the effects from Red Light Therapy are systemic in nature, particularly from non-contact LED panels that inherently have poor penetration. Meaning that even if the light doesn't directly penetrate deep enough, deeper tissues can benefit through indirect mechanisms.  Which is why adhering to proper dosing protocols is more important than maxing out the penetration depth to speculatively deliver better results.  Through the years, influencers have insisted that high intensity is essential for deep tissue treatments. These claims rarely come with citations or...

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The Superior Optics of Skin Contact for Red Light Therapy

The Superior Optics of Skin Contact for Red Light Therapy

Within typical LLLT and PBM (non-thermal) parameters, it is often recommended to use the skin contact method for deep tissue treatments. For superficial applications the non-contact method (using devices at a distance) is allowed.  The Phototherapy textbook by Tuner and Hode recommends non-contact for what they call "shallow problems", and for "deeper problems" to use skin contact method with some pressure. [1, Tuner&Hode, pg 118] "At medium depth: Press the probe into skin. The deeper tissue to be treated, the higher the pressure." [1, Tuner&Hode, pg118] One article makes this statement in a more technical way: "Increased light transmission was found to correlate with...

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The Optimal Intensity is not the Highest Intensity: The Big Dosing Myth

The Optimal Intensity is not the Highest Intensity: The Big Dosing Myth

A long time ago - researchers and doctors would discuss the optimal intensity as being a low intensity that has been proven to deliver consistent results. Many are still talking like this today. In the commercial industry, the "the highest intensity" marketing is often hinged on claims that you (1) get faster treatment times and (2) get better penetration. To the extreme point that it seems people are scorching themselves with reckless levels of intensity for fears they would not get adequate penetration otherwise. Yet the research and experts often contradict these points. Exposure time is often cited as being...

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LED Heat Lamp Therapy Part 2: Temperature Dosing

LED Heat Lamp Therapy Part 2: Temperature Dosing

 A type of Radiant Heat Therapy is called Water Filtered IRA (wIRA). It uses a broad spectrum Near-Infrared halogen incandescent emitter with mostly non-thermal NIR wavelengths (thanks to the water filter). Typical intensities of wIRA are 80-160 mW/cm^2 delivered in a large area with mostly Red and NIR wavelengths. [1] This intensity range should be recognizable, as it is similar to the range we are currently seeing in many "highest intensity" LED red light therapy panels, that we affectionately call more appropriately as LED Heat Lamps. The wIRA therapy attributes the benefits to both thermal and non-thermal mechanisms.[1] However, despite...

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LED Heat Lamp Therapy Part 1: Energy Dosing

LED Heat Lamp Therapy Part 1: Energy Dosing

There is a new form of light therapy that has been recently invented in the past couple of years. It is called LED Heat Lamp Therapy, which uses high-intensity Red & NIR LED panels for therapeutic heating and photonic energy delivery. These are no longer true Red Light Therapy as that follows the non-thermal light therapy sciences of Low Level Light Therapy and Photobiomodulation. As we discuss in great detail in a previous blog. As is the basic definition described in most studies: "Instead of utilizing heat, PBM harnesses the photochemical conversion potential of low-intensity near-infrared (FR/NIR) light within the...

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