The surprising science behind light-stimulated photoprotection. Our Solar Relationship The rising and falling of the Sun directs the cycle of our day.
This source of radiant energy illuminates our world and fills it with warm energy. From the dawn of humankind, our original.
The rising and falling of the Sun directs the cycle of our day. This source of radiant energy illuminates our world and fills it with warm energy. From the dawn of humankind, our original
outdoor lifestyle was only ever with Nature. Our ancestors lived in cooperation with the wilderness, always under the ever-present light of the Sun. And for generations on generations, our skin adapted to balance the total radiant energy intake to the harmful effects of too much exposure. This homeostasis, or balance with the natural world, was maintained, until the day our lifestyle made a drastic change in our sudden expansion of industrialization.
Before the advent of indoor living & artificial lighting, our regiment was directly attuned to the solar system’s rhythm. Our biological system is patterned in the ebbs & flows of the natural day cycles. We rise at the light of the rising sun, we work & play by the light of midday, we wind down at sunset, and we hold community gatherings by the glowing campfire. The patterns of our primordial lifestyles are etched into our biology, still ever present in our bodies of today. However, our bodies today have been largely cutoff from the natural cycles of the solar energies, leading to an unhealthy relationship to sunlight.
Today, the fear of the skin-damaging effects of sunlight exposure often psychologically outweigh the biological benefits of optimized sunlight intake. While ultraviolet light, in excess, can indeed cause harm to the skin, the positive effects of proper sunlight intake are an essential nutrient. Without proper sunlight absorption, our biology is like a battery running on low-power-mode, desperate to be plugged back into that solar grid. To protect ourself from a damaging dose of ultraviolet light, we often swing too far away from the ideal balance, leaving our body in a state of chronic sunlight deficiency.
Ultraviolet-induced damage, or sunburn effects, is the damaging of skin-cell DNA by the exposure to a toxic-dose of ultraviolet sunlight. Although ultraviolet light is invisible to our eyes, we see the effects after overexposure through the familiar phenomena of sunburn. To avoid the sunburning effects, we are taught to avoid sunlight exposure & apply sunscreen to minimize damage. While both these recommendations do reduce the likelihood of sunburn, they also reduce the total solar energy we absorb daily, a critical health metric that has been lacking from the current medical paradigm.
Proper Therapeutic Light stimulates a cellular ‘sunscreen’ effect. Rather than avoid the Sun altogether, or relying solely on skin creams for protection, we can turn towards an exciting discovery in photobiomodulation (Light Therapy). Studies have now proven that Red Light Therapy puts our skin cells into a state of ultraviolet protection [Read Here]. In short, the red light wavelength alerts the cells to prepare for ultraviolet exposure, upregulating genes for defense.This fascinating result makes sense in context, when we realize the natural human lifestyle attunes to the solar cycles. In the dawn, when the sunlight contains no ultraviolet, the body is stimulated by red & infrared wavelengths into a state of preparation for the ultraviolet-rich light that will come at midday.
Beyond just protecting skin from UV-damage, studies also repeatedly demonstrate the healing effects of Red Light Therapy applied to sunburnt skin. “With appropriate settings—namely, low irradiance and controlled temperature—IR can be protective against skin cancer, and utilized therapeutically for skin rejuvenation, wound healing, hair restoration, and even pain control” [source].
Light Therapy continues to turn heads across cosmetics, beauty, medicine, and beyond. The wide applications of specialized Light Therapy are often bewildering to someone just learning about photobiomodulation, or therapeutic doses of light. While Light Therapy most famously increases bloodflow & cellular energy, this additional benefits of skin photoprotectivity are not to be overlooked. Whether we are seeking to reduce ultraviolet-induced skin damage, or to heal the cells from sunlight overexposure, Red Light Therapy provides a new logical solution.
Now, we will turn to review two of the scientific studies that inform our conversation. ----
Study Title: Transcriptomic analysis of human dermal fibroblast cells reveals potential mechanisms underlying the protective effects of visible red light against damage from ultraviolet B light [Read Here]
At a glance:
- Experimental Study | Department of Life Science, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Dongguk University
- Conclusions: “Visible red light enhanced the UVB-protective effects in normal human skin cells via the transcriptomic modulation of genes involved in cell-protective processes.”
- Published in Journal of Dermatological Science
Abstract
Background: Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is a major cause of skin photodamage, including the damage associated with photodermatoses, aging, and cancer. Although many studies have shown that red light has photoprotective effects on skin, the mechanisms underlying these effects are still poorly understood.
Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the photoprotective effects of visible red light against UVB-induced skin damage in normal human dermal fibroblast cells using a transcriptomic approach.
Methods: Next-generation sequencing-based transcriptomic analyses were used to profile transcriptomic alterations and identify genes that are differentially expressed by visible red light and by UVB exposure. To understand the biological networks among identified genes, a literature-based biological pathway analysis was performed. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays were used for mRNA-level validation of selected key genes.
Results: We observed that visible red light contributes to skin cell protection against UVB by modulating gene expression that enhances the adaptive response to redox and inflammatory balancing and by upregulating genes involved in DNA excision repair processes. We also identified that several key genes in the red light-induced biological network were differentially regulated.
Conclusions: Visible red light enhanced the UVB-protective effects in normal human skin cells via the transcriptomic modulation of genes involved in cell-protective processes. Our findings from this next-generation sequencing analysis may lead to a better understanding of the cytoprotective effects of visible red light and provide direction for further molecular or mechanistic studies.
The science is clear & reproducible; we can use therapeutic light to protect our bodies from damaging ultraviolet light. The upregulation of genes associated with the protection of the cell from a future dose of ultraviolet-induced damage is observed. This experimental observation provides the confidence to recognize red light therapy as a complement to ultraviolet protection routines, as well as a complement to cream-based protection.
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At a glance:
- Clinical Review | Department of Dermatology, University of California Irvine - Results: “Interestingly, IR may have some photoprotective properties against the carcinogenic effects of UVR. Furthermore, IR has been used with encouraging results in skin rejuvenation, wound healing, and hair restoration when given at an appropriate therapeutic dose.”
- Published in journal: Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed
Abstract
Background
Infrared radiation (IR) is the portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between visible light (VL) and microwaves, with wavelengths between 700 nm and 1 mm. Humans are mainly exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation (UVR) and IR through the sun. Unlike UVR which is well known for its carcinogenic properties, the relationship between IR and skin health has not been as extensively studied; as such, we gather the available published evidence here to better elucidate this relationship.
Methods
Several databases including Pubmed, Google Scholar, and Embase were searched for articles relating to infrared radiation and the skin. Articles were selected for their relevance and novelty.
Results
Detrimental effects such as thermal burns, photocarcinogenesis, and photoaging have been reported, though evidence suggests that these may be due to the thermal effects produced secondary to IR exposure rather than the isolated effect of IR. There are currently no chemical or physical filters specifically available for protection against IR, and existing compounds are not known to have IR-filtering capacity. Interestingly, IR may have some photoprotective properties against the carcinogenic effects of UVR. Furthermore, IR has been used with encouraging results in skin rejuvenation, wound healing, and hair restoration when given at an appropriate therapeutic dose.
Conclusion
A better understanding of the current landscape of research surrounding IR can help illuminate its effects on the skin and highlight areas for further research. Here, we review relevant data on IR to assess its deleterious and beneficial effects on human skin, along with possible means for IR photoprotection.
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Blog Discussion:
This paper highlights three important concepts:
1. Infrared light in proper doses can protect the body from ultraviolet damage 2. Infrared light in significantly high doses harms the body
3. Infrared light in optimal doses heals the body
These key takeaways are foundational findings in the field of Light Therapy. It is important to recognize that for proper effects of healing with light, the proper dose must always be considered. Like all things, an improper dose can make even the safest of substances a toxin infrared light is no exception. However, when the dose is optimized for the user and applied consistently,incredible effects of healing are witnessed.
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Well, that’s it for our blog on the photoprotective effects of light.
Do you have questions on light therapy or would you like additional information on any of the topics or studies discussed above?
Feel free to message our Nuon team at NuonMedical.com
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