Is Red Light Therapy Better Than Botox?

IN THIS ARTICLE:

• 01 What is Red Light Therapy?
• 02 What are the Benefits of Red Light Therapy?
• 03 Does Red Light Therapy Reduce Wrinkles?
• 04 What is Botox?
• 05 What Does Botox Do?
• 06 Can Red Light Therapy Replace Botox?
• 07 Does Botox or Red Light Therapy have Better Results?
• 08 Is Botox or Red Light Therapy More Affordable?
• 09 Will Red Light Therapy Interfere with Botox?
• 10 Can you do Red Light Therapy After Botox?
• 11 The Takeaway: Is Red Light Therapy an Alternative to Botox?

7-minute read

Red light therapy and botox are fast becoming cult favorites for the skin-obsessed amongst us, but how does each treatment compare?

The rise of the red light facemask has us turning to at-home treatments to achieve a much-coveted skin glow and to stave off premature aging. But how do these masks stand up to other treatments such as anti-wrinkle injections, and can we really cancel our botox appointments opting instead for a gentler approach to anti-aging? Let’s find out.

What is Red Light Therapy?

Red light therapy is a skin rejuvenation technique that involves applying red light wavelengths between 600 and 700nm to the skin’s surface. The light stimulates the functional activity of cells to produce various benefits such as generating new collagen, boosting skin elasticity, and reducing inflammation and redness. Red light has a powerful impact on cell activity and skin health. Recent years have seen a rise in the use of red light facemasks at home to achieve improved skin health and appearance.

What are the Benefits of Red Light Therapy?

- Collagen synthesis

- Smooths fine lines

- Boosts skin elasticity

- Visibly lifts and tightens the skin

- Boosts blood flow

Does Red Light Therapy Reduce Wrinkles?

Yes, red light therapy has made a name for itself in the beauty tech world as a powerful anti-aging treatment option. Even the science says so. Red light boosts mitochondrial activity to produce a chemical called Adenosine Triphosphate. ATP accelerates the production of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and elastin, essential skin building blocks that decline as part of the aging process. Loss of these proteins and other structural compounds leads to skin sagging, dark spots, fine lines, and dynamic wrinkles such as crow’s feet, laugh lines, and nasolabial fold.

What is Botox?

Botox, or botulinum toxin is a purified substance injected into the skin to induce the relaxation of muscles, temporarily preventing movement in the injected area. It is a purified protein derived from bacterium clostridium botulinum. When injected into the skin it blocks signals from the nerves that cause the muscles to contract. Despite ‘botox’ infiltrating common skincare lingo, it refers to just one of several brands that produce the botulinum toxin A. Others include Dysport, Xeomin, and Jeuveau.You may simply see botox referred to as 'anti-wrinkle injections'.

What Does Botox Do?

Botox is primarily used as an anti-aging treatment to prevent and improve the appearance of dynamic wrinkles, ie wrinkles caused by facial movement. This includes crow’s feet, forehead, and frown lines. Patients may also get botox for migraines or ‘masseter botox’ injected into the jaw to prevent teeth grinding. It has other medical uses such as spasms, excessive sweating, and bladder problems.

Can Red Light Therapy Replace Botox?

This is a difficult question to answer and typically hinges on individual preference and personal skin goals. If the question is, are red light therapy and botox an alternative for one another, the short answer is no. While red light therapy and botox may serve a similar end goal - ie a reduction in fine lines, and to slow down skin aging, the journey to that destination is substantially different. Both treatments have individual strengths. Let’s deep dive below

Red light therapy boosts skin health, in a way that Botox does not (or at least not to the same extent). Red light therapy boosts mitochondrial activity to rebuild damaged skin cells with new collagen stores. Increased collagen production improves skin elasticity and firmness and the overall health of the skin cell is improved, it literally causes the skin cell to perform optimally - ie as a younger cell would. Red light also creates oxidative stress in the skin cells to trigger free radicals activating the body’s anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory defense systems.

Blocking nerve signals in the muscles to impede movement does not have the same impact on overall skin health. Botox ‘physically’ prevents the formation and intensification of dynamic wrinkles. There is some limited evidence that botox may boost the production of collagen with repeated treatments but it is unclear how many treatments this would be. Botox is not primarily designed to boost collagen like other techniques such as microneedling and LED light therapy.

Does Botox or Red Light Therapy have Better Results?

Botox: Initial results are more dramatic than you would see with red light therapy and become fully visible after about 5 days. After this initial ‘setting’ period, the effects of botox begin to wear off, and completely disappear after about 3 months. This makes botox a not-insignificant repeat treatment every 3-4 months.

Red light therapy: Red light therapy gradually improves skin health, and visible results can be seen within the first month of consistent treatments. The results don’t ‘wear off’ and it continues to improve skin health and slow the aging process over several months and years.

Is Botox or Red Light Therapy More Affordable?

An increase in at-home device options for red light therapy means we can now perform treatments at home from anywhere from 100$ to more expensive panels and body devices averaging $1000+. The average cost of a red light mask is about 400$, but there are many more affordable alternatives with similar specifications on the market. Cheaper, does not necessarily mean a better quality product. It’s important to do your research and compare what brands offer in terms of power density, wavelength, and the number of LEDs. Investing in a red light device is a once-off investment allowing you to continue at-home treatments for several years.

There is no sugar-coating it, botox is an expense, and it requires regular appointments to maintain results. A single appointment averages at about 400$ and only lasts for about 3 months. The results are immediate and it dramatically reduces the appearance of fine lines in the area injected. It does not improve skin health to the same extent as other treatments. With cosmetic injectables, it is important to research the risk involved with a trusted dermatologist before deciding whether to get the treatment.

Will Red Light Therapy Interfere with Botox?

No, red light will not interfere with your botox injections and both can be safely combined into a robust anti-aging skin regime. Be sure to ask your injector when and how to reintroduce red light therapy after your botox appointment. Generally, red light therapy is a gentle and safe treatment with few contraindications for other treatments and topical skincare.

Can you do Red Light Therapy After Botox?

Some dermatologists combine the treatments in-clinic, using red light therapy to promote faster healing after injectables, however, every case is different and it is best to consult your injector before performing red light therapy on the same day as your botox appointment.

Devices

LightAura | LED Face Mask

Intense anti-aging, anti-blemish LED light therapy mask with 7 colors and 450 powerful LEDs

View product

The Takeaway: Is Red Light Therapy an Alternative to Botox?

Red light therapy and botox are popular and effective anti-aging treatment options. Botox prevents the formation and worsening of dynamic wrinkles in certain areas of the face through paralyzing muscle movement. Red light therapy rejuvenates skin health and appearance by triggering processes in the cells that enable them to act as a younger cell would. It boosts the production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid to improve elasticity, and firmness and smooth out fine lines. The results of botox are immediate and wear off throughout the subsequent 3 months until your next appointment. Red light therapy supports a gradual improvement in skin health over weeks, months, and years so it is considered more of a long-term investment in the health of your skin to slow down the aging process naturally.

   written by Sophie Flair