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From photon to mitochondrion
Red light therapy is not heat, not UV, and not magic. It is a specific photochemical reaction, in a specific organelle, at specific wavelengths. Here is the full chain — and where it stops.
Red light therapy is neither heat nor ultraviolet. Between 600 and 950 nm, light passes through living tissue and a mitochondrial enzyme — cytochrome c oxidase — absorbs it. Everything else follows from that. Dose matters more than power, and consistency matters more than either.
Page reviewed on 09/09/2026. Antared devices are wellness products: they do not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
The mechanism
This chain is the one described in the reference review from Harvard's Wellman Center for Photomedicine. It remains a leading hypothesis, not a dogma.
See the sourcesBetween 600 and 950 nm, haemoglobin and water absorb little: this is the optical window of living tissue. Below it, blood absorbs everything; above it, water takes over. The window is not a marketing choice, it is a physical constraint.
This enzyme is the last link of the respiratory chain, inside the mitochondrion. Its copper and haem centres absorb precisely in the red and near-infrared. It is the photoacceptor identified by Tiina Karu.
Under stress, nitric oxide binds to the enzyme and slows electron transport. The leading hypothesis is that the photon displaces that molecule. Once released, it also dilates blood vessels — hence the flush during a session.
Electron transport resumes, ATP production rises, and signalling cascades switch on: protein synthesis, cell migration, anti-inflammatory response. It is at this level, and not before, that the effects observed in clinical trials become plausible.
The wavelengths
A nanometre decides how deep the light reaches and which molecule absorbs it. The full spectrum, relative depths and the device-by-device mapping have their own page.
See the wavelengthsDose
Photobiomodulation follows a biphasic dose response: the effect rises with dose, plateaus, then falls back. It is the point this industry's marketing avoids most carefully.
Why we write it downProtocols converge around 10 to 20 minutes per area. Doubling the session does not double the result, and may reduce it.
Three to five sessions a week, sustained over weeks. Skin and hair trials measure at sixteen weeks, not seven days.
For a panel, between 15 and 50 cm depending on the device's irradiance. A worn device — mask, knee wrap, boot — removes this variable entirely.
The most decisive variable, and the only one entirely up to you. A device you do not use has an efficacy of zero, whatever its nanometres.
Safety and dose
No. The spectrum used starts at 590 nm, well above ultraviolet, which stops at 400 nm. There is no tanning and no UV-related photocarcinogenic risk. Any warmth you feel during a session comes from the LEDs themselves, not from far-infrared heating.
Protocols converge on 10 to 20 minutes per area, 3 to 5 times a week. Doubling the duration does not double the result and may reduce it, because the dose response is biphasic. Three short sessions you keep every week beat one long session every fortnight.
Do not stare into the LEDs. The light is not dangerous at home irradiances, but it is dazzling in visible red and invisible in the near-infrared: the blink reflex does not protect you. Close your eyes, or use the goggles supplied with the device.
Anyone pregnant, on photosensitising medication (some antibiotics, retinoids, St John's wort), with an undiagnosed skin lesion, an eye condition, photosensitive epilepsy — avoid pulsed modes in that case — or undergoing cancer treatment. Our devices are wellness products: they replace no medical advice.
It depends what you are measuring. For muscle recovery, trials see an effect from the first session. For skin and hair, the reference studies measure at sixteen weeks of regular sessions. Be sceptical of any brand promising a visible result in a week.
Not beyond a certain point. The biphasic response means that past the optimal dose the effect declines. High irradiance mainly shortens the session: it does not replace consistency, and it makes respecting durations more important, not less.
Between 15 and 50 cm depending on the irradiance the manufacturer states, and that irradiance must be given at a stated distance. A worn device — mask, cap — removes the variable altogether, which is the main reason to choose that format.
Look at three numbers, and only three: irradiance in mW/cm² at a stated distance, the exact wavelengths in nanometres, and the area actually lit. An LED count on its own tells you nothing. Our parameters are on every product page, and our selection method on our values.
Questions about the trial, warranty and certification are gathered on the general FAQ. To apply these figures to a specific moment of your week, the protocols give seven sessions with numbers, and the benefits page lists what has been measured, domain by domain.
Put it into practice
10 to 20 minutes per area, 3 to 5 times a week: the only question left is which area you light, and whether the device lets you keep that rhythm. Every product page states wavelength, irradiance and distance.
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Compact 7-spectrum panel, red through near-infrared, for a daily session that sits on your desk.
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