Red Light Therapy for Cellulite: What the Trials Show

Red light therapy does not remove cellulite. What the research shows is more modest: trials that combined red or near-infrared light with massage, suction or exercise measured small improvements in thigh measurements and in how cellulite looked, and those changes faded within weeks to months once the sessions stopped. This article explains what cellulite is, what each trial found, how long results lasted, and how to use a panel on the thighs and buttocks.

What is cellulite?

Cellulite is the dimpled look that appears when fat pushes up between fibrous bands that tie the skin to the muscle below, while the bands hold the skin down. It is most common on the thighs, buttocks and stomach, and it is neither painful nor harmful.

It is very common: about 80% to 90% of women past puberty have some, compared with under 10% of men. Cleveland Clinic, 2021 Mayo Clinic lists age, genetics, hormones, weight gain, inactivity and pregnancy as factors, and notes that lean and very fit people get it too. Mayo Clinic In a dissection study of 10 male and 10 female body donors, men had more small fat compartments per area (10.05 against 7.51), which the authors read as more connecting bands. The authors describe cellulite as "an imbalance between containment and extrusion forces". Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2019 Imaging work adds that the dermis, the firm layer of the skin, is thinner in women than in men, and thinner again in skin with cellulite. Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2005

Cleveland Clinic grades cellulite from 0 to 3:

• Grade 0: no cellulite.
• Grade 1: smooth when standing, mild dimpling when sitting.
• Grade 2: moderate dimpling when standing or sitting.
• Grade 3: severe dimpling with deep peaks and valleys.

Does red light therapy get rid of cellulite?

No. Light cannot cut the fibrous bands that create the dimples, and no evidence shows red light removing cellulite.

Cleveland Clinic finds "no scientific evidence" for red light in cellulite removal. Cleveland Clinic, 2021 That is what we say in our overview of red light therapy benefits, and it matches cellulite medicine in general: Cleveland Clinic notes that treatments can make cellulite less visible but cannot eliminate it completely. Cleveland Clinic, 2021 What some controlled trials did measure is a modest change in how the area looks and in thigh measurements, mostly when light was combined with massage, suction or exercise.

What did trials combining light with massage and suction find?

Small reductions in thigh circumference and fat thickness, and in one study a better look to the skin. The changes were measured in millimetres and centimetres.

• Red and near-infrared laser with suction and massage, 2008: 102 women enrolled and 74 completed. One thigh had 650 and 915 nm laser light with vacuum and massage, the other massage alone, for a mean of 14.3 treatments over 4 to 6 weeks. On MRI, fat measurements fell by a mean 1.19 cm² on the light-treated thighs and rose by 3.82 cm² on the massage-only thighs. 82.26% of completers responded. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2008
• Laser with massage, 2011: 83 people had 8 treatments on one thigh, with the other thigh left untreated. Treated thighs lost a mean 0.64 cm in circumference against 0.20 cm on untreated thighs, with the largest change, 0.82 cm at the upper thigh, one month after the last session. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2011
• Laser with suction and cooling, 2005: 16 women had 12 treatments, with no control group. Blinded grading of photographs found a 21% average improvement in the look of cellulite, along with a small decrease in hip and thigh circumference. American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery, 2005

In each of these, the light was part of one device that also massaged or used suction, so the results describe what the combination did.

What about light with exercise or a topical gel?

The two three-month thigh studies paired light with something else, and both reported improvements where the combination was used. One used 850 nm near-infrared during treadmill training, the other 660 and 950 nm LEDs with a gel.

In the treadmill trial, 20 women aged 25 to 55 trained for 45 minutes twice a week for three months at 85 to 90% of their maximum heart rate. Half also had 850 nm LED arrays on both sides of the treadmill, 15 cm (about 6 inches) from the body, at 39 mW/cm² and 106 J/cm² per session. The authors reported a reduction in saddlebag and thigh circumference in the LED group. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2011

In the gel study, 9 women with grade 2 to 3 thigh cellulite had 660 nm red and 950 nm near-infrared LED light on both thighs for 15 minutes twice a week, 24 sessions over three months. One thigh also had an active phosphatidylcholine gel twice a day and the other a placebo gel. Eight of the 9 thighs that had the active gel with the light dropped a cellulite grade, and ultrasound showed a shallower fat layer. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2007 The improvement was on the side that had both.

Does red light on its own do anything for cellulite?

A 2024 controlled trial of red LED light on its own measured comfort and skin temperature over cellulite areas, and found less tenderness over the hips and outer thighs.

That trial was randomised, placebo-controlled and double-blind, in 25 women with grade 2 to 4 cellulite, using 650 nm LED three times a week for four weeks. With LED alone, the pressure needed to cause discomfort rose by 8% on the right side and 20% on the left, and skin temperature fell by 0.4 °C. Lasers in Medical Science, 2024 The best-known light-only cellulite trial is often quoted as red light, but it used green 532 nm laser light. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, 2013

Is red or near-infrared light better for cellulite?

The cellulite trials used both, usually together. Red light acts mainly in the skin, while near-infrared reaches further below it.

The suction and massage device paired 650 nm red with 915 nm near-infrared, the gel study used 660 nm red with 950 nm near-infrared, the treadmill study used 850 nm near-infrared on its own, and the tenderness trial used 650 nm red. A session that runs both colours covers the bands the research used. On the panel, the 660 nm red and 850 nm near-infrared channels are the closest match.

Can red light improve the skin over cellulite?

The skin layer is the realistic target, since skin with cellulite has a thinner dermis. On the face, red light trials have measured firmer, denser skin over about twelve weeks.

Body skin is thicker and has been studied less with light alone, which we explain in red light therapy for loose skin. The body evidence that exists comes from combined devices. In a study of 10 people, one buttock had 12 sessions of radiofrequency, infrared light, massage and suction while the other was left untreated. All patients improved on the treated side, the change held at two months, and biopsies suggested a firmer dermis with more compact fibres. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2008 Stretch marks often sit on the same thighs and hips, and the research on those is in red light therapy for scars and stretch marks.

How often should you use red light therapy for cellulite?

The trials used sessions of about 15 minutes per area, two to three times a week, for 4 to 12 weeks.

Study	Light	Session	How often	Course
Gel study, 2007	LED, 660 and 950 nm	15 minutes per thigh	Twice a week	24 sessions over 3 months
Treadmill study, 2011	LED, 850 nm, 15 cm away	45 minutes during exercise	Twice a week	3 months
Tenderness study, 2024	LED, 650 nm	Not stated	3 times a week	4 weeks
Suction and massage study, 2008	Laser, 650 and 915 nm, with suction and massage	Not stated	About 2 to 3 times a week	Mean of 14.3 sessions over 4 to 6 weeks
Massage study, 2011	Dual-wavelength laser with massage	Not stated	Not stated	8 sessions

How long do results last?

Not long without maintenance. Where trials checked, the improvement faded within weeks to months of the last session.

In the 2005 suction study, the change in appearance was no longer present one month after treatment ended, and the authors advised continuing treatment. American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery, 2005 In the gel study, the 8 women who had improved were checked again at 18 months, about 15 months after stopping: 5 had returned to their original grade and 3 had kept the improvement, and the authors suggested maintenance. Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2007 The American Academy of Dermatology describes the same for clinic devices: massage with suction tends to wear off within about a month of stopping, and radiofrequency combined with laser, suction and massage gives "a little less cellulite" for a short time. AAD The practical conclusion is to treat light like exercise: something you keep doing, not a course you finish.

Should you still exercise if you use red light therapy?

Yes. Exercise is the habit that dermatology and clinical guidance both recommend for smoother-looking skin, and one of the three-month thigh studies ran its light during treadmill training.

The American Academy of Dermatology notes that replacing fat with muscle can make cellulite less noticeable, and that weight loss helps some people. AAD Cleveland Clinic suggests running, cycling and resistance training, with results that may take 2 to 3 months to show. Cleveland Clinic, 2021 At home, the practical version of the treadmill study is a panel session just before or after a workout, and we compare the two in red light therapy before or after a workout.

What else improves how cellulite looks?

Clinic procedures that release the fibrous bands have the longest-lasting results. Several creams and devices have some evidence, with shorter effects.

• Best support: acoustic wave therapy over several sessions; subcision, a needle procedure that releases the bands, with 99% of 232 patients satisfied and results lasting about two years; and a laser fibre placed under the skin in a clinic, with results lasting a year or longer.
• Some evidence: caffeine creams used daily, carboxytherapy, and 0.3% retinol, which needs about six months of use before results show.
• Not recommended for cellulite: fat freezing, mesotherapy and supplements.

Those ratings come from the American Academy of Dermatology, which also notes that cellulite is not the same as fat, so fat removal often does not help it. AAD Light at home sits alongside these as a regular habit for the skin.

What does a realistic before and after look like?

Expect small changes: less than a centimetre off thigh circumference in the trials that measured it, and a smoother look in some people rather than dimples gone. Photos and a tape measure show it better than a mirror.

• Photos: same light, same position and same distance every two weeks, both standing and sitting, since grade 1 cellulite only shows when sitting.
• Tape measure: at a fixed mark on the thigh, the same distance above the knee each time, because circumference was the measure most trials used.
• Timeline: judge after 8 to 12 weeks, the length of the longer trials.

More on what to expect over time is in red light therapy before and after.

Is red light therapy for cellulite safe?

Side effects reported in the cellulite trials were mild and passed. In the three-month gel study Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy, 2007, they were itching, redness and swelling, all temporary.

At home, use the panel on clean, bare skin with the goggles on, and as our precautions advise, stop and ask a doctor if you notice irritation.

How do you use a red light panel on your thighs and buttocks?

Bare skin, goggles on, 10 to 15 minutes per area at 6 to 12 inches, two to three times a week, alongside regular exercise.

The 9-Spectrum Red Light Therapy Panel is 640 by 230 mm (about 25 by 9 inches) and hangs on a door or wall or stands. Each of its nine wavelengths dims from 1 to 100% on its own.

• Distance: 12 inches to light both thighs or the buttocks together, our suggested distance for a broad area, or 6 inches for one area at a time, close to the 15 cm used in the treadmill study.
• Dose: at 6 inches the panel's near-infrared alone delivers at least 1,200 W/m², or 120 mW/cm², so 10 to 15 minutes gives about 72 to 108 J/cm², in the same range as the 106 J/cm² of 850 nm light per session in the treadmill study.
• Time: 10 to 15 minutes per area on the timer, which runs from 1 to 30 minutes. Do the front, then turn for the back and buttocks.
• Frequency: two to three times a week, before or after a workout.
• Eyes and skin: wear the goggles that come in the box with the controller, pulley and door hook, and use the panel on clean, dry, bare skin. The surface stays at or below 40 °C.

Height and mounting are covered in how to set up a red light panel at home.

Read the precautions before you start: the panel is not for Fitzpatrick skin types V and VI, and it should not be used during pregnancy, with epilepsy, a thyroid condition or thyroid medication, while taking photosensitising medication, or on broken skin. Standard shipping to the US, UK and Germany is free, and returns are accepted within 30 days: an unopened device with its seals intact is refunded less a 10% restocking fee, and an opened device that is undamaged and complete is refunded less 20%.

Kivorla devices are general wellness devices, not medical devices, and they do not remove cellulite. Speak to a doctor or dermatologist about clinic procedures for cellulite, and before using light if you take regular medication.