Does Red Light Therapy Tan You? Tanning Beds and Vitamin D
No. Red light therapy does not tan you, and it does not make vitamin D. A tan is the skin's response to ultraviolet (UV) light, which sits below 400 nm, and vitamin D is made by one narrow slice of UV at roughly 290 to 320 nm. Red light therapy uses red light at about 620 to 700 nm and near-infrared at about 800 to 1,100 nm, hundreds of nanometres away from both. That is also why it is a different thing from a tanning bed, even when the two stand side by side in the same gym or salon and both glow. This article explains what causes a tan, what red light does to skin instead, how to tell a red light bed from a "red light tanning bed" with UV lamps in it, and how to fit red light around sun, self-tanner and holidays.
Does red light therapy tan you?
No. Tanning needs ultraviolet light and standard red light therapy devices do not emit any, so skin does not make extra melanin in response.
The World Health Organization divides UV into UVA at 315 to 400 nm, UVB at 280 to 315 nm and UVC at 100 to 280 nm. It describes UVA as responsible for the immediate tanning effect and UVB for delayed tanning and burning. WHO Visible red light begins around 620 nm, more than 200 nm above the top of the UV range, and near-infrared is further away still.
A human study that compared red light directly with blue-violet light and UVB agrees with the physics. French researchers exposed volunteers with medium skin (types III and IV) to rising doses of 630 nm red LED light and 415 nm blue-violet LED light, and compared both with UVB. The blue-violet light produced pigmentation that lasted up to three months. The red light produced none. Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, 2014
What is the difference between red light therapy and a tanning bed?
A tanning bed uses UV lamps to darken skin, and a red light therapy device uses red and near-infrared light that cannot. The table shows how far apart they are.
| Red light therapy | UV tanning bed | |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Red, about 620 to 700 nm, and near-infrared, about 800 to 1,100 nm | Ultraviolet, mostly UVA (315 to 400 nm) with some UVB (280 to 315 nm) |
| Tans skin | No | Yes |
| Makes vitamin D | No | Only from the UVB share, and health bodies advise against using it for that |
| What trials measured | Smoother skin texture and denser collagen on ultrasound after weeks of sessions | Darker skin, and in long-term studies a higher rate of skin cancer |
| Cancer classification | The American Academy of Dermatology says research has not found red light to cause any cancer | Classed as carcinogenic to humans by the WHO's cancer agency since 2009 |
| Regulation in the US | Sold as LED or laser light devices | "Sunlamp products" with a required UV danger label, timer, goggles and an under-18 warning |
The US Food and Drug Administration is direct about tanning: the rise in melanin behind a tan is a sign of damage, and "There is no such thing as a safe tan." FDA In 2009 the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer placed UV tanning devices in its highest category and reported that melanoma risk rises by 75% when their use starts before age 30. IARC We cover the cancer question for red light itself in can red light therapy cause cancer.
What is a red light tanning bed?
It is a tanning bed with red tubes added next to its UV lamps, sold under names such as hybrid, collagen or beauty-light bed. It tans because of the UV lamps, and the red tubes do not change what the UV does.
US rules define a sunlamp product as any device built to include one or more ultraviolet lamps that irradiate the body to induce tanning, so a bed with even one UV lamp is a tanning bed in law, whatever else is fitted. 21 CFR 1040.20 The same rule requires a label that begins with the word DANGER and names ultraviolet radiation, and requires protective eyewear to be supplied. A second rule adds a warning that these beds should not be used by anyone under 18. 21 CFR 878.4635
That label is the quickest way to tell the two apart in a salon or gym. If the unit carries the UV danger label, it is a tanning bed. A red light only bed or booth has no UV lamps and no such label, and you will come out the same colour you went in. The red light booth offered at one large US gym chain is of this second kind, and we compare it with a home panel in Planet Fitness Total Body Enhancement vs a red light panel at home.
Does red light therapy give you vitamin D?
No. Skin makes vitamin D only under UVB, and red and near-infrared light are far outside that band.
The US National Institutes of Health describes the trigger as UVB "with a wavelength of approximately 290 to 320 nanometers" striking uncovered skin, and notes that UVB does not pass through window glass. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements The official action spectrum for vitamin D production peaks at 297 nm. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 2010 The shortest wavelength on any Kivorla device is 460 nm, which is visible blue.
So a red light panel is a skin and recovery tool, and vitamin D comes from elsewhere. The NIH sets the recommended daily amount at 600 IU (15 micrograms) for ages 1 to 70 and 800 IU over 70, with an upper limit of 4,000 IU for adults. The NHS advises 10 micrograms a day for adults and suggests everyone consider a supplement in autumn and winter, with oily fish, egg yolks and fortified foods among the food sources. NHS The WHO adds that artificial tanning should never be considered a way to reach sufficient vitamin D. WHO
What does red light do to skin instead of tanning it?
It is absorbed in the skin's cells and has been linked in trials to smoother texture and denser collagen, and it does not tan. The changes build over weeks of regular sessions.
In a randomised trial of 136 volunteers, those given red light at about 9 J/cm² twice a week for 30 sessions had better complexion, lower skin roughness and higher collagen density on ultrasound than the untreated controls. Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, 2014 We go through the skin trials in red light therapy for the face and the realistic timeline in how long red light therapy takes to work.
One note on colour. The pigment study above found darkening from blue-violet light, and the American Academy of Dermatology notes that darker skin tones are more sensitive to visible light in general. AAD On our devices blue is a separate setting (the blue mode on the mask, the 480 nm channel on the panel), so a red and near-infrared session can be run without it. Our precautions advise against using the panel on Fitzpatrick skin types V and VI.
Can you tan and do red light therapy on the same day?
Yes, on skin that is not burned. Red light adds no UV, so it neither deepens a tan nor protects one.
Salon pages often suggest red light before a tanning session to "prepare" the skin. The research behind that idea is a pilot study in which 13 healthy volunteers and two people with a sun-sensitivity condition had 660 nm LED sessions on a patch of thigh before a measured dose of UV. In 85% of them the treated patch was markedly less red a day later than the untreated one on at least one test. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 2008 It is an interesting early result about redness on a small area of skin. It did not measure tanning or DNA damage, and it is not a reason to treat a UV bed as safer. The IARC working group found that artificial tanning gives little if any protection against later sun damage. IARC, 2006
The practical points are short:
- After a day in the sun: a red light session is fine on calm skin. If skin is hot, red or sore, wait until it has settled.
- Sunburn: leave burned skin alone. The American Academy of Dermatology's sunburn advice is cool baths, moisturiser, water and time. AAD
- Self-tanner and spray tans: the colour comes from dihydroxyacetone, which the FDA describes as darkening the skin by reacting with amino acids in its surface. FDA That is a chemical reaction, not a light reaction. Do the red light session first on clean bare skin, then apply the tanner.
- Sunscreen: red light is not sun protection. Wear sunscreen outdoors as usual, and use the device on clean skin, as covered in using a red light mask with make-up or sunscreen.
- Medication: our precautions say not to use either device while taking medication that makes skin sensitive to light. The FDA's list includes some antibiotics, retinoids and diuretics. FDA
Do Kivorla devices emit any UV?
No. Neither device contains a UV emitter, so neither can tan skin or make vitamin D.
The 4-Wavelength Red Light Therapy Mask emits 665 nm red with 850 nm and 1064 nm near-infrared in the red mode, and 460 nm blue with 850 nm in the blue mode. It runs at 50 to 103 mW/cm² with a 5, 10 or 15-minute timer, and its manual allows 10 minutes up to four times a week at high brightness or 15 minutes up to three times a week. The 9-Spectrum Red Light Therapy Panel covers 480, 590, 630, 660, 670, 810, 830, 850 and 1060 nm, each dimmable from 1 to 100% on its own, with a 1 to 30-minute timer and goggles in the box. Suggested use is 10 to 15 minutes per area, at 6 inches for a joint or 12 inches for a broad area.
Standard shipping to the US, UK and Germany is free. Read the precautions before ordering, since returns are accepted within 30 days, less a 10% restocking fee if the device is unopened with its seals intact, or 20% if it is opened but undamaged and complete.
Kivorla devices are general wellness devices, not medical devices, and are not a source of vitamin D or a form of sun protection. Do not use them while taking photosensitising medication, and if you have a skin condition, speak to a doctor first.