Game-changing findings about red and near infra-red light to command weight loss results

woman measuring her waist with red light waves in the background representingRed and near infra-red light to command weight loss

For years we’ve told our medspa’s weight loss patients that they couldn't tell their body where to lose the weight.  But we don’t say that anymore, not since medical scientists announced there is a way.  And it’s not a new drug or gadget.  In fact, it’s nothing new.  It’s well-established technology, red and near infra-red light therapy. And this new compilation of data proving what red and near infra-red technology can do is nothing short of a weight loss breakthrough!   In this article, we’ll discuss their conclusions about red and near infra-red light therapy to command weight loss results, to promote fat burning and even to induce targeted fat loss in problem areas…and we share our medspa proprietary protocol so that you, too, can help your patients lose weight where they want to lose it.

But first…here’s why you should trust us and believe what we say.

 

We are experienced industry experts

We are Kay, an RN/Attorney and Shannon, an Esthetician, faculty at the Body Contouring Academy. 

 

In 2006, at the very dawn of non-invasive aesthetics, we opened our first medspa in San Antonio, Texas.  Our most recent medspa opened in 2015, reached seven figures within a year, and still operates at seven figures today.  

 

We’ve authored med spa reference books and we host a podcast focused on building and growing successful aesthetics businesses.  

We’ve utilized light therapy to treat our medspa patients since 2006

Especially pertinent to this article, we’ve used a broad-spectrum of light therapy (including red light and near infra-red (NIR) light therapy) to assist patients in improving a multitude of issues since we opened our first medspa doors in 2006.  

 

What you’ll learn in this article

To thoroughly discuss all of the amazing things that light therapy can do would require you to study a lengthy textbook, rather this semi-short (to-the-point) blog article directed at using red and near infra-red (NIR) light to help you improve your patients’ weight loss results.  

 

The scope of this article is limited to the discussion of the use of red light and near infra-red (NIR) light therapy to command weight loss, fat burning and targeted stubborn fat loss.

 

But be aware that there's a difference between using red and near infra-red light to command weight loss and using red and near infra-red (NIR) light for targeted reduction ... .and the new evidence on how the technology can actually achieve both.

 

Fat reduction patients

At our medspa, we treat patients wanting to sculpt a problem area, but are not necessarily seeking weight loss.  We use red and near infra-red light devices proven to reduce fat and inches, but not proven to lead to weight loss.  Example: Lipo Laser

 

Weight loss patients

The focus of this article is on helping your patients who are seeking weight loss use red and near infra-red light to command weight loss results, while at the same time achieving spot reduction.  We’ll recommend machines and provide you with our protocol to implement in your practice.

 

Let’s get started!

The basics: Why light therapy?  

 

  • Food and water are not your body’s only needs; every cell in your body must have energy in the form of light too.  
  • Fortunately, the world consists of a whole spectrum of light wavelengths…at least five of which provide bioactive benefits to the human body. 

 

The 5 light wavelengths that provide bioactive benefits to the human body

 

1.  Ultraviolet (UV) Light Wavelength

Neither UVA, UVB & UVC penetrate deeply into the skin: the depth varies by wavelength          

    

Nanometer Range (Light wavelengths are measured in nanometers (nm))

    • Ultraviolet light spans the wavelengths between 100-400 nm  
    • Divided into UVA (315-400 nm), UVB (280-315 nm), UVC (100-280 nm) 

 

Visible to the human eye?

    • Not visible to the human eye

 

Bioactive benefits to the human body

    • Enables the human body to synthesize Vitamin D

 

Used as a form of light therapy?

2.  Blue Light Wavelength

Affects the uppermost layer of the skin only.

 

Nanometer Range

    • Blue light vibrates between the 380-500 nm range

 

Visible to the human eye?

    • Yes, visible to the human eye

 

Bioactive benefits to the human body

    • Increases brain function and improves memory
    • Boosts the mood
    • Regulates the circadian rhythm (the sleep/wake cycle)
    • Stimulates collagen and elastin production
    • Kills bacteria and reduces inflammation

 

Used as a form of light therapy?

Yes, blue light wavelengths are used to treat acne, reduce photoaging changes and to provide rejuvenation benefits to the skin  

3.  Far-infrared Light Wavelength

Can penetrate up to 1.5 inches below the skin’s surface.

 

Nanometer Range

    • Far-infrared light wavelengths are found between 3000 nm - 0.1 mm

 

Visible to the human eye?

    • No, not visible, but humans can detect far-infrared light as heat and may report “seeing” far-infrared light as heat

 

Bioactive benefits to the human body 

    • Improves blood and lymphatic circulation
    • Promotes wound healing
    • Promotes detoxification 
    • Assists in muscle recovery
    • Enhances the immune system
    • Promotes weight loss

 

Used as a form of light therapy?

    • Yes, far infra-red light wavelengths are utilized in dry ‘infrared’ saunas and other infrared devices 

4.  Red Light Wavelength

Has the ability to travel fairly deep into the skin, but does not penetrate as deeply as near infra-red light wavelengths.

 

Nanometer Range

    • Red light emits wavelengths found most commonly in the range of 635 nm - 650 nm, but can be up to 699 nm 

 

Visible to the human eye?

    • Yes, red light is visible to the human eye.

 

Bioactive benefits to the human body

 

Used as a form of light therapy?

    • Yes, there are many devices that emit either red light alone or in combination with other light wavelengths.  Depending on the level of the machine, these devices are available to the consumer, to the non-medical professional and to the medical professional alike.   

5.  Near Infra-Red Wavelength

Of all the therapeutic wavelengths, near infra-red penetrates the deepest into the skin.

 

Nanometer Range

    • Near-infrared light wavelengths fall between 700 nm and 2500 nm

 

Visible to the human eye?

 

Bioactive benefits to the human body

    • Reduces body fat
    • Regenerates cells
    • Rejuvenates the skin
    • Improves circulation, both blood and lymphatic
    • Provides pain relief
    • Heals wounds and injuries faster
    • Lessens pain in muscles and joints
    • Promotes healing
    • Faster recovery time after a workout

 

Used as a form of light therapy?

    • Yes, there are many machines that emit near infra-red light.  Most are combined with red light or other wavelengths. And as with red light therapy devices, they are available to the consumer, to the non-medical professional and to the medical professional alike. 

You have to agree that’s a broad range of benefits!  

 

Now let’s cover some basics about the light therapy machines that deliver these amazing benefits.

 

Light Therapy Devices

 

  • With the exception of the UV light wavelength, you can find all of the bioactive light wavelengths in light therapy devices, either with a single wavelength or a combination of more than one wavelength.  Problem is, there are literally hundreds - if not thousands - of light therapy devices to choose from.  

 

  • Be aware that many other names are used for light therapy: LED (light emitting diode), cold laser, LLLT (low level laser therapy), red light therapy.  

 

  • Each light therapy device, though the specific wavelength(s) may differ, delivers non-invasive treatments that use a low level light to induce a biological process called photobiomodulation (PBM).  

 

  • Photobiomodulation (PBM) acts directly on the cells to provide benefits.  The specific benefits delivered vary from wavelength to wavelength.  When wavelengths are combined and delivered in a single device, PBM can produce even greater benefits.

We can save you time searching for your red light and near infra-red light device.   

Choose for a lamp applicator or a belt applicator

Red and near infra-red light with stand

Red/NIR Light Therapy via Lamp Applicator

find it on Amazon!
red light, infrared light therapy belt

Red/NIR Light Therapy via Belt Applicator

find it on Amazon!

#ad We are amazon associates, so if you click on a link that is a qualified purchase, we may earn a small fee.  It comes as no extra cost to you and we only recommend products based on our experience and/or use.

Excited to get started?!  Let’s move on to how to use red and near infra-red light to command weight loss results. 

 

How to use red and near infra-red light to command weight loss

 

Understand the mechanism of action

Despite the hundreds of studies that prove red light and near infra-red light (1) enhances weight loss, (2) promotes fat burning and (3) shrinks inches, the exact mechanism of action is still somewhat debated. What’s not in debate though?  Study after study has consistently shown it works. 

  1. This is the widely accepted theory of the mechanism of action:  

Combination red and near infra-red light (NIR) treatments work by 

(a) causing fat cells to release stored fat into the bloodstream, 

(b) where the body can 

      • burn the fat off for energy needs during exercise and/or 
      • burn the fat off for energy needs during a calorie deficit. 

 

2. Therefore, your patient must expend energy (exercise) and/or produce a calorie deficit (follow a weight loss diet) when undergoing a red and near infra-red light treatment series so as to produce optimal fat burning and weight loss results.

 

So…

Use this equation as the basis of each of your weight loss and fat loss treatment protocols

 

 Red & NIR light  + Weight Loss Diet (calorie deficit) + Exercise (energy expenditure) 

= weight loss, fat loss and inch loss

 

Light therapy machine exceptions?  (though we may not completely agree)

 

⇨ Some red and near infra-red devices (such as Lipo Laser and Zerona Z6) have been shown to reduce fat and inches without the use of diet and exercise, though we firmly believe (from years of experience) that your patients will not achieve best results without a concomitant healthy lifestyle (i.e. healthy eating and movement).     and

 

Both Lipo Laser and Zerona Z6 have been shown to produce inch loss, but neither of these machines have been proven to command weight loss.  

 

Other light therapy machines 

⇨ And especially if you’re not using Zerona Z6 or Lipo Laser, we recommend combining  treatments using red/NIR light therapy with diet and exercise.  

I

For red and near infra-red light to command weight loss

A calorie deficit is critical: Red and near infra-red light only sets the stage for fat burning

 

Remember the mechanism of action?  Fatty acids from fat cells are released into the bloodstream to be burned off for energy.

  • Red and near infra-red light therapy causes fat cells to release fatty acids into the bloodstream where that fat has the potential to be burned off.
  • The body will not burn this released fat unless it needs it for energy.  
  • BUT…if the body doesn’t need it for energy, it will store the fat that was released in nearby fat cells.  
  • When this happens, the released fat may move to different fat cells, but it will not be burned.  It remains in the body.
  • This is why your patient must be in a calorie deficit to achieve actual fat loss.

II

For red and near infra-red light to command weight loss

Good blood flow to the fatty area is critical: Red and near infra-red light doesn’t burn fat by itself

Think about the mechanism of action.  Fats from fat cells are released into the bloodstream to be burned off for energy.  There must be good blood flow to carry the fats away to be burned for energy.  

  • Red and near infra-red light boosts blood flow.
  • Educate your patients about lifestyle factors that help with increasing circulatory flow: adequate hydration, low stress levels, quality sleep, daily movement and healthy nutrition.

PRO TIP

The amount of blood flow to fat tissue is highly variable depending on the body area.  

Some areas are highly vascularized (visceral fat) while others are poorly vascularized (outer thigh fat).  

The poorer the blood flow, the poorer the fat burning results using diet and exercise alone and the more resistant to non-invasive body contouring treatments.   

Learn more about body fat facts here.  

 

To use red and near infra-red light to command weight loss AND spot reduction…

III

For red and near infra-red light to command weight loss

AND 

target fat loss in problem areas (Spot Reduction)

 

See how red and near infra-red light does what we used to believe impossible

  • As long as a calorie deficit exists, exercise is recommended, but not critical, to achieve fat loss or weight loss

BUT…

  • To help your patient lose weight plus target stubborn fat in problem areas, i.e. Spot Reduction, targeted exercise is critical concurrently with a series of targeted red and near infra-red light treatments.  
  • The studies published to date have examined simultaneous targeted exercise and red/NIR application, in other words, the activity was in tandem with the red/NIR light treatments.

     

Take a look at a couple of the studies evidencing spot reduction:

One study looked at women riding stationary bicycles three times a week for four weeks while being exposed to a light therapy lamp on their hips, thighs…and waist and the same number of women who did the same exercise without red/NIR application.  The group using the combination of exercise and red/NIR lost 444% more fat in the hips, thighs and waist.   

 

In another study, researchers evaluated women walking a treadmill while wearing a belt emitting red/NIR light.  The study found significant reductions in abdominal fat, significant abdominal inch loss and a reduction in fat mass in the study participants, which the control group did not achieve.  

 

What do these studies (and others like them) show us?

Exercise + simultaneous targeted red/NIR =  Spot Reduction with Weight Loss

 

Isn’t this fantastic??  

So…how do you put this into action to help your patients’ with weight loss plus spot reduction…in other words, tell their body where to lose the weight?

This is how we help our medspa weight loss patients achieve targeted fat loss…how they tell their body where to lose the weight

And you can use our protocol too!

Exercise

  • Most of our patients either don’t have the time for exercise or don’t want to exercise, so we offer Vibration Therapy at our Medspa.  
  • Vibration Therapy is a passive form of exercise that takes just ten minutes…and patients love getting their ‘exercise’ by using it.  
  • Learn more about using Whole Body Vibration Therapy to enhance your patients' weight loss goals in our Guide to using Vibration Therapy to optimize weight loss goals. 
  • Set the Vibration Therapy machine to run two ten-minute sessions (for a total of twenty minutes).
whole body vibration machine

Don’t have a Vibration Therapy machine?  We have two of them.  This is like the ones we use.

find it on Amazon!

#ad We are amazon associates, so if you click on a link that is a qualified purchase, we may earn a small fee.  It comes as no extra cost to you and we only recommend products based on our experience and/or use.

Simultaneous Red/NIR Light Application 

  • Prior to powering on the Vibration Therapy machine, apply the application of red/NIR light to the targeted area.
  • You may apply a belt type applicator to the patient’s problem area or shine a lamp applicator to the problem area.
  • The patient should wear protective eyewear.
  • If you use a lamp type applicator, you’ll either need to provide protective eyewear for all others in the area or use a treatment room to avoid exposure to others.

 

Frequency and duration of treatments

  • Obtain baseline data, i.e. weight, measurements, photos
  • Recommend 2-3 treatments per week.
  • Start with a treatment series lasting 4 weeks and reassess with weight, measurements, photos.

Final Thoughts

The combination of red and near infra-red light has long been recognized for its ability to deliver multiple benefits, including fat burning and inch loss.  But what’s new (and truly groundbreaking) is the newly compiled evidence proving its ability to command weight loss while at the same time producing spot reduction when combined with exercise.    

 

We’ve walked you through the theory and evidence, provided you with two good choices for your red and NIR light therapy machine and we’ve even shared our own red and NIR light therapy weight loss/targeted fat loss protocol which you can use in your business.  

 

Now we urge you to apply what you’ve learned and use red and near infra-red light to command weight loss (and simultaneous spot reduction) for your patients.  

 

Want to stay on the cutting edge of non-invasive body contouring?  

We can help.  Check out our body contouring certification courses. 

Posted in Industry News, Machines & Devices, Weight Loss