"Globally, the market was worth $1bn in 2024 and is projected to grow to $1.8bn by 2035. You can even go and sit in an infrared sauna, where instead of hot coals (real or electric) heating the air, your body is warmed directly by infrared light. According to its devotees, it's like bathing in one of those LED-lit beauty masks, boosting skin collagen, relaxing muscles, relieving inflammation and chronic health conditions while protecting against dementia."
"Of course, some of light's effects on our bodies are well established. Sunlight helps us make vitamin D, needed for bone health, immunity, muscles and more. Sunlight regulates our circadian rhythms, too, triggering the release of neurochemicals and hormones while we are awake, and winding down bodily functions for sleep as it fades into night. Sunlight-imitating lamps are a common remedy for people with seasonal affective disorder (Sad) to boost low mood in winter."
Light therapy has entered consumer markets for skin, pain, gum disease and oral care, with devices ranging from LED-enhanced toothbrushes to infrared saunas. The global phototherapy market reached $1bn in 2024 and is projected to hit $1.8bn by 2035. Advocates claim benefits including increased skin collagen, muscle relaxation and reduced inflammation, and some report protection against dementia. Sunlight provides established physiological effects: vitamin D synthesis, circadian rhythm regulation and neurochemical modulation. Seasonal affective disorder is commonly treated with sunlight-imitating lamps. Most consumer devices use red or infrared wavelengths, and clinical research emphasizes choosing the correct frequency.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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