The Power of Red Light Therapy for Acne and Scar Treatment: What Science Says

It does not matter where you have them. Fact is, scars are something no one wants on their skin. That’s especially true if they appear on your face following breakouts of acne vulgaris.

So, if red light therapy (RLT) works as a miraculous sip from the fountain of youth to clear those ugly scars, you definitely want to go for it!

But, does red light treatment really clear acne and scars?

That’s what you are about to find out in this post. 

We show you how red light therapy works to reduce and prevent scars and give you details about red light therapy for treating different types of scars. We also answer this common query: What advantages does infrared therapy have compared to mainstream treatments?

So, let’s get started, first question first!

How Red Light Therapy Reduces and Prevents Scars

Injury, surgical operation, or picking and squeezing acne comedones can all damage skin. In whichever case, your body generates tissue to repair and close the skin. 

That’s the tissue that forms a scar. 

It may take months or years for scars to disappear from your skin, and some stick there forever.

Ugly, right?

Luckily, science suggests red light therapy can prevent scars. It can also speed up scar healing, and leave the scarred spot less noticeable. 

So, how does red light therapy reduce and prevent scars? 

Here’s how.

1. Red Light Therapy Clears Acne, Preventing Scars

The skin condition widely known as acne affects millions of people and has a global prevalence of 9.4%. Acne occurs when sebum (skin oil), bacteria, and skin cells clog hair follicles. It is characterized by inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions, including comedones, lumps, abscesses, pimples, and cysts.

Topical creams and oral therapies are the most widespread treatments for acne. They reduce sebum production, unclog hair follicles, and kill acne-causing bacteria.

Unfortunately, facts suggest these treatment options often cause side effects. As a result, many users are not 100% satisfied with their outcomes.

So, in comes red light therapy!

Red light therapy clears acne by inhibiting inflammation and speeding up the healing of the lesions. So, the skin is not damaged and does not need to overproduce repair tissues, saving your skin from scars.

In scientific terms, red light therapy interacts with the proinflammatory metabolites known as porphyrin. It also regulates the release of the inflammation-controlling proteins known as cytokines. Both processes are core in countering acne-related inflammation.

You should know that the efficacy of red light therapy in clearing acne is a research-backed fact. 

Let’s highlight some of the most significant research outcomes that show red light therapy clears acne and prevents scars.

• One study compared red light therapy and infrared low-level laser therapy in treating acne. It reported a significant reduction in active acne lesions with RLT. This was after 12 therapy sessions in 10 weeks. Instead, infrared low-laser light did not show notable acne improvement, despite higher wavelengths. No complications resulted from red light therapy.
• Another study found that using blue light and red light simultaneously for 12 weeks significantly reduced acne lesions in all participants. 
• In a different study red light vs. blue light therapy for acne was compared. Red light therapy reported a 19.4% success in reducing acne lesions, although blue light had a better outcome. No adverse side effects occurred, save for mild skin dryness.

2. Red Light Therapy Stimulates Cell Energy Regenerators, Reducing Scars

Once acne causes scars, getting rid of the blemishes can be difficult.

Luckily, research confirms that LED light therapy can clear acne scars.

How?

It penetrates the deeper layers of the skin by up to 1-2 millimeters and stimulates cell energy regenerators (mitochondria). This promotes increased collagen production to support overall skin wellness and elasticity.

Also, red light therapy counters inflammation and boosts blood circulation to the skin tissues. It also speeds up wound healing. All these processes are crucial to reducing scarring, whether it is acne or other types of skin scars.

Several studies have shown that red light therapy can effectively reduce scars.

• A 2021 study tested the safety and efficiency of LED red light therapy in reducing post-operative scarring on the face. Results confirmed higher collagen production and lower induration (skin thickening and hardening). Both lend to faster scar healing. The therapy was conducted from a week after the operation to 6 months.
• Some clinical trials performed in vitro (in test tubes) show promising results in treating scars related to keloids and skin fibrosis. In both cases, researchers noted increased red light therapy collagen production. There was also reduced proliferation and migration of the keloids and fibrosis. Use in human cases is still required. 

So, exactly what type of scars does red light therapy treat?

Red Light Therapy for Treating Different Types of Scars

Cut injuries, surgical operations, acne lesions, and other skin conditions can cause different types of scars. 

Can red light therapy be used to treat all these types of scars?

Here’s your answer!

1. Surgical Scars

Surgical scars appear in a linear form at the location of the incision. They can differ in their appearance depending on the size of the cut.

Surgical incisions can leave quite noticeable scars that take a long time to disappear. The damage depends on how deep they are and how well they heal.

At-home red light therapy for surgical scars can be coupled with the prescribed post-operative care with the consent of your doctor. 

In this case, red light therapy boosts blood flow to the operation area, speeding up healing, reducing inflammation, and hastening flattening of raised post-surgery scars.

2. Acne Scars

Acne scars result from the inflammation and blemishing caused by acne. Persons with acne can also cause scarring when they break or squeeze the comedones. 

Typical of acne scars is also hyperpigmentation. 

Red light therapy for acne can regulate melanin production to reduce hyperpigmentation. This lightens dark or brown spots. Enhanced cell growth and regeneration plus regulated collagen production will also help stimulate skin renewal, replacing damaged tissues with healthier skin.

3. Keloid Scars

Keloids are raised scars that form with wound healing. They are common on the face, ears, chest, neck and back. Their raised appearance makes them quite prominent and bothersome.

Collagen overproduction and overactive healing cause keloid scars.

In the treatment of keloid scars, red light therapy penetrates skin layers to stimulate cell repair. This process regulates the activity of fibroblasts (the cells that produce collagen), counters the overproduction of repair tissues, and reduces hyperpigmentation. Red light therapy also controls inflammation and improves skin elasticity around the scarring.

4. Hypertrophic Scars

Hypertrophic scars appear after cuts, injuries, or surgeries. The repair tissues on these scars do not grow above the skin, but they still leave prominent scarring.

The key intent in using red light therapy for hypertrophic scars is to reduce their prominence. RLT does this by stimulating and regulating collagen production so that no excess collagen deposits are formed.

Red light therapy also reduces inflammation and increases blood flow to the tissues around the scar, facilitating healing.

5. Atrophic Scars

Different from keloid and hypertrophic scars that are raised above the skin, atrophic scars are sunken into the skin. They usually result from issues like chickenpox or acne.

Red light therapy can be an effective treatment for these scars. By enhancing cell growth and repair and boosting collagen production, RLT can speed up skin growth to level the scar area with the rest of the skin.

6. Contracture Scars

Contracture scars mostly result from burns. The skin can be deeply damaged, giving a feeling of tightness and restricting skin flexibility.

Red light therapy can promote cell repair to hasten the healing of the damaged skin layers. This softens the scar tissue, promoting increased elasticity at the burn area and supporting better mobility.

What Advantages does Infrared Therapy have Compared to Mainstream Treatments?

As mentioned earlier, many people on topical or drug treatments for acne and scar reduction are unsatisfied with the outcomes.

That explains why many will want to tap into the benefits of red light therapy on skin. 

Below are the advantages of infrared therapy compared to mainstream treatments:

• Painless and non-invasive

Infrared therapy uses low-light waves to penetrate skin tissues without incisions or needles. That means it is painless and non-invasive. Also, unlike injections or surgical incisions, near-infrared light does not require long recovery periods or pose the risk of complications.

• Drug-free treatment

Infrared therapy is a drug-free treatment, except when combining red light therapy with skincare for acne. As such, it has no adverse effects like those encountered when using steroids such as benzoyl peroxide or anti-inflammatory NSAIDs like diclofenac. These can cause side effects, including skin allergies or gastrointestinal issues. Instead, infrared light is safe for long-term use.

• Boosted blood circulation and healing

Because it promotes cell growth and renewal, infrared therapy enhances blood circulation and faster skin healing. This light-triggered cell repair often outperforms other therapies that take longer to deliver similar results.

• Controlled inflammation

We’ve consistently mentioned that red light therapy counters inflammation by penetrating deep into skin tissues and controlling the proinflammatory metabolites. That means infrared therapy targets the root cause and delivers long-term benefits of red light therapy on skin. That’s unlike drugs and topical meds, which mainly treat symptoms.

• Versatile treatment

Mainstream treatments target specific conditions. Instead, infrared therapy works for a range of conditions, including wound healing, pain management, muscle recovery, scars, acne, and fine lines reduction, and skin rejuvenation.

• Supports natural healing

One of the core benefits of red light therapy for acne is that it supports natural healing by promoting the body’s innate healing functions. It also stimulates cell growth and repair, normal mitochondrial activity, and collagen production. By doing so, infrared light supports natural tissue functioning, which is not the case with synthetic topical and oral drugs.

But is infrared light effective in every acne or scar case?

When is Red Light Therapy Ineffective in Healing Scars and Acne?

Studies prove that red light therapy scars and acne treatment is effective. Nonetheless, there’s also a widespread consensus that it might not work in some situations:

• The American Academy of Dermatologists and other experts suggest that photobiomodulation is ineffective with blackheads, whiteheads, and cystic and nodular acne.
• Red light therapy is most effective when used as professional treatment. At-home red light therapy for scars and acne may not work as effectively, especially if not done correctly.

For these two reasons, it is important to keep these tips in mind:

• Always work with a professional dermatologist or certified beautician.
• Combine conventional treatments with red light therapy when advised by an healthcare professional.
• Use red light therapy devices for scars approved by the FDA.

And, on that note, we introduce the RedLiteX devices, specifically created to enhance utmost skin health.

The RedLiteX Mini is a portable infrared therapy lamp that you can use on the go to stay consistent with your skin health regimen.

Instead, the RedLiteX Pro Series gives you a choice from four different models, depending on size and the number of LED pieces. You choose what suits your specific therapy needs.

All the devices are made from medical-grade materials. They also have a user-friendly touch screen for specifying therapy wavelength, duration, and therapy mode. 

The Bottom Line

Acne and skin scars can be stubborn to treat. But LED light therapy can restore hope for those struggling to treat acne and clear scars.

Red light therapy provides a natural way to treat acne and different types of scars. It does that by supporting cell growth and renewal, promoting healthy collagen production, and controlling inflammation, 

Whether you are trying to treat acne or clear scars with red light therapy, you should ALWAYS work with your doctor, a professional dermatologist, or a certified beautician.

Sources:

1. Sutaria AH, Masood S, Saleh HM, et al. Acne Vulgaris. StatPearls. 2025.
2. Vasam M, Korutla M, Bohara RA. (2023). Acne vulgaris: Pathophysiology and nanotech advances.
3. Aziz-Jalali MH, Tabaie SM, Djavid GE. (2012). Red vs Infrared LLLT for Acne.
4. Clinical efficacy of blue and red light therapy for acne.
5. Kurtti A, Nguyen JK, Weedon J, et al. (2021). Red LED for post-surgical scars: RCT.
6. Guangda L, Change P, Li K, et al. (2011). Portable blue/red LED for acne.
7. Mamalis A, Jagdeo J. (2015). Red light inhibits keloid fibroblast growth.
8. Mamalis A, Koo E, et al. (2016). Red LED modulates skin fibrosis traits.
9. American Academy of Dermatology: Lasers and lights for acne.
10. DermNet: Lasers, lights, and acne.
11. Solawave: Red light therapy for different scar types.