Seven Wavelengths or Nine? What Multi-Wavelength Red Light Panels Actually Give You

For most of the last decade a red light panel meant two wavelengths, 660 nm red and 850 nm near-infrared, wired together. Then the premium brands started adding bands: PlatinumLED's BIOMAX went to seven, from 480 nm blue to 1060 nm deep near-infrared, and became the panel the review sites measure everything against. Kivorla's panel runs nine. Here is what the extra wavelengths are for, and the two things that matter more than how many there are.

What each band does

• 480 nm blue. Absorbed near the surface. Blue is the acne wavelength in the dermatology studies, and the reason to be able to switch it off is that it also affects alertness and the body clock, which you may not want in an evening session.
• 590 nm amber. Studied for redness and flushing. Kivorla carries it; the seven-band panels do not.
• 630, 660 and 670 nm red. The skin bands. 660 nm is the most-studied wavelength in the whole field. 670 nm is the one used in the eye and mitochondrial research. Kivorla carries all three; most panels carry one or two.
• 810, 830 and 850 nm near-infrared. The muscle and joint bands, reaching the mid dermis and below. 810 nm is the wavelength in most of the brain research; 830 nm in the facial rejuvenation trials; 850 nm in most consumer panels.
• 1060 nm deep near-infrared. The deepest band, and the newest in home panels. Reaches below the dermis.

Why the count matters less than the control

An independent review of the seven-band BIOMAX 900 measured how its output was shared out: about 75% of the light at 660 and 850 nm, and only 2% at 480 nm and 4% at 1060 nm, with all seven running together whenever the panel is on. That is not a criticism of the panel. It is what a fixed spectrum is. It means the five extra bands are a small seasoning on a standard two-wavelength dose, and you take all of them whether the session is for your face or your hamstring.

Kivorla's panel is built differently. Each of the nine wavelengths dims independently from 1 to 100%, so a facial session can run red and amber with the near-infrared turned down, and a recovery session can run 810 to 1060 nm with the blue off. Nine wavelengths you can set are a different tool from seven you cannot. That is the feature to compare, not the number.

The number that matters more than either

Irradiance: how much light reaches the skin, in mW/cm², at a stated distance. Every wavelength on a panel is only as useful as the power behind it. Two things to check when you compare.

First, whether a figure is given at all, and at what distance. Kivorla states at least 1567 W/m², about 157 mW/cm², across the full spectrum at six inches, of which at least 1200 W/m² is near-infrared and at least 150 W/m² is red.

Second, who measured it. The BIOMAX 900 figure most often quoted, about 90 mW/cm² average at six inches, comes from an independent reviewer with a meter. Kivorla's figure is our own specification. A manufacturer's number and a reviewer's number are not the same kind of number, and we would rather say so than let the comparison flatter us. If a maker will not state irradiance at a distance at all, that tells you something too.

What to take from this

• Two wavelengths, 660 and 850 nm, cover the most-studied ground. Everything beyond that is useful only if it carries real power and you can control it.
• Ask whether the bands can be set individually. A fixed seven-band spectrum is a two-band panel with trimmings.
• Ask for irradiance at a stated distance, and ask who measured it.
• Wear the goggles. Most of any panel's output, whatever the count, is invisible near-infrared.

Competitor specifications and third-party measurements are as published by those sources and are not verified by Kivorla. Research cited on this page examines these wavelengths in general and was not conducted on Kivorla devices. Kivorla devices are general wellness devices, not medical devices. Individual results vary.