Are Red Light Therapy Tanning Beds Effective?

Red Light Therapy beds are making their grand entrance into tanning salons all over the United States. Due to consumer awareness regarding the damaging effects of tanning beds, salons are now jumping at the chance to offer an alte
ative that will not only draw in new customers who want to improve their skin but will also keep existing customers who want to repair the damage they have incurred from using tanning beds.

But are these red light therapy beds effective? The answer isn’t really cut and dry. Red light therapy has been proven to stimulate collagen and elastin production, increase cellular energy, and boost circulation. Studies have shown that this unique therapy reduces wrinkles, lessens pore size, evens out skin tone, reduces redness, helps with rosacea, and more. Sounds great, right? The thing is, all of the scientific evidence on red light therapy is based solely on red LEDs (light emitting diodes) and not on red bulbs which happen to be used in most beds.

LEDs offer a more precise and tighter wavelength that is able to penetrate into the layers of the skin more efficiently than red bulbs. The light emitted from the bulbs used in tanning beds disperses and is more scattered and can vary plus or minus 40 nanometers whereas LEDs only vary plus or minus 10 nanometers.

The red bulbs found in beds, as long as they are in the correct nanometer range, are more than likely beneficial to the skin but do not have the same scientific proof backing them and don’t emit the same densely concentrated reparative light that LEDs produce.

So, if red LEDs are more effective than red bulbs then why aren’t more tanning facilities using LEDs in their beds? LEDs in the optimum nanometer range are much more expensive than the bulbs currently being used in tanning beds making it cost prohibitive for salons to incorporate this specific from of light.

Therefore, if you are planning on visiting your nearest tanning salon to take advantage of this popular technology be aware that the bed you will be pulling out your wallet to use may not be as effective as you once believed. If you are looking for systems that utilize LED technology then rest assured that there are a number of FDA cleared units that you can use in your own home as well as in dermatologist offices to achieve the optimal anti-aging benefits that light emitting diodes yield.