"red bed" and Stretch marks

photo_kyla
photo_kyla Posts: 322 Member
edited October 11 in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone have experience using a "red bed"? I think it's an infrared, heat bed type thing. It doesn't tan. They have one at our gym and recommend it for joint and muscle aches and "to increase collagen production in your skin" (make it firmer and reduce flabby skin and stretch marks). Has anyone noticed a difference in their skin after using a red bed for a while?

Replies

  • tami7447
    tami7447 Posts: 23 Member
    bump
  • Perfectlycrooked
    Perfectlycrooked Posts: 275 Member
    bump!
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
    I have never heard of this before!

    The only thing that works for stretch marks/scars/collagen break down that I know of it is pure Vitamin E oil. Dermatologist recommended.
  • SiltyPigeon
    SiltyPigeon Posts: 920 Member
    Bumpsies.... You've got my attention! I've never heard of this before!
  • DreamLittleDarling
    DreamLittleDarling Posts: 800 Member
    would love to hear the answer to this! the salon I go to has a red light therapy bed, and the pamphlet for it says it reduces uneven skin tones, boosts collagen production, reduces the appearance of stretch marks and a bunch of other things I would love to have happen lol

    So I REALLY wanna know if it works or not!
  • AmerTunsi
    AmerTunsi Posts: 655 Member
    I believe it is the Red Light Therapy the sister to Blue Light Therapy ... for RLT to "work" you have to have several treatments and you can't do it for more than 5 mins at a time and then stop.. repeat. and so on. Every person is different and I have tried both the RLT and BLT and saw some results ... but it really something that you have to do consistently and you would better off getting an at home system like the Tria system or the baby RLT that can be found online or at Sephora. Keep in mind that there is no Scientific proof that either of them do anything they claim to do. But like I said I saw some improvement in the appearance of stretch marks ad clarity in the skin.. but once you stop using it the skin goes back to normal. I personally found Strivectin SD (new formula) did the same thing, but the results have lasted now even without using it. And for tightening the skin you can try an emulsion lotion ... I use the Amazing Grace Emulsion Lotion by Philosophy.
  • photo_kyla
    photo_kyla Posts: 322 Member
    I believe it is the Red Light Therapy the sister to Blue Light Therapy ... for RLT to "work" you have to have several treatments and you can't do it for more than 5 mins at a time and then stop.. repeat. and so on. Every person is different and I have tried both the RLT and BLT and saw some results ...
    I think this is something different. The package that the gym offers is for 3 sessions of 30min each, per week for 3 months.... I think they also called it Far Infrared Therapy
  • AmerTunsi
    AmerTunsi Posts: 655 Member
    I was trying to think of the name .. it is called the Baby Quasar RLT.. I prefer these products of the Tria systems because it is a plug in and you don't need to buy anything more or replace cartridges like the Tria. I also recommend you getting tanning goggles like you would in a spa/salon to protect your eyes.
  • photo_kyla
    photo_kyla Posts: 322 Member
    I might have to try that Amazing Grace lotion, though... Thanks!
  • AmerTunsi
    AmerTunsi Posts: 655 Member
    I believe it is the Red Light Therapy the sister to Blue Light Therapy ... for RLT to "work" you have to have several treatments and you can't do it for more than 5 mins at a time and then stop.. repeat. and so on. Every person is different and I have tried both the RLT and BLT and saw some results ...
    I think this is something different. The package that the gym offers is for 3 sessions of 30min each, per week for 3 months.... I think they also called it Far Infrared Therapy

    Red Light Therapy IS infared light .. it is the red wave length.
  • photo_kyla
    photo_kyla Posts: 322 Member
    I believe it is the Red Light Therapy the sister to Blue Light Therapy ... for RLT to "work" you have to have several treatments and you can't do it for more than 5 mins at a time and then stop.. repeat. and so on. Every person is different and I have tried both the RLT and BLT and saw some results ...
    I think this is something different. The package that the gym offers is for 3 sessions of 30min each, per week for 3 months.... I think they also called it Far Infrared Therapy
    Red Light Therapy IS infared light .. it is the red wave length.
    But this is definitely more than 5 minutes at a time and not an at home system
  • AmerTunsi
    AmerTunsi Posts: 655 Member
    Possibly- my guess is that they are using a UVA bed, eliminating the the UVB rays, making it a "healthier" version .. and they have a lower dosage of infrared light in it because it is not recommended you get it for long stretches. You should ask them the next time you go.. I would be curious to know what is actually in it..I'm a derm-junkie in training so I'm always fascinated with what new things are out there.
  • DreamLittleDarling
    DreamLittleDarling Posts: 800 Member
    The one at our salon also says 30 minutes at a time, but I don't remember how many times a week, probably 3. I stop and read the info on the door quite often, cuz I'm very intrigued and REALLY wanna try it, but just not certain yet that it's worth the money.
  • Ithina1
    Ithina1 Posts: 93 Member
    Bumpity. I've been trying to figure out if I want to buy a package at my gym that is similar to the one this post is about.

    From googling I have found one study about infrared light and stretch marks. They found no real change in stretch mark appearance, but they did find a boost in collagen production. The study was only of 10 people and wasn't a very long study in my opinion. I found it here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18214584

    Other than that, I'm having trouble finding much.

    I am thinking of getting the package at my gym. It's 10$ extra at Planet Fitness to have unlimited access to the infrared thing, as well as a hydro massage bed and a few other perks. I like the idea of added collagen production. I am in the process of losing a lot of weight and I would like to avoid having too much saggy skin when I reach my goal. Collagen is what makes skin elastic, so I'm thinking if I have more of it my skin will shrink with me better.

    Has anyone else tried the infrared sauna for stretch marks, and what were your results? I'm curious to know if this works.
  • Fit_Happens_2021
    Fit_Happens_2021 Posts: 303 Member
    Bumping this as I would like to see if anyone has any more personal experience of whether Red Light has worked for them
  • I'm originally from South Africa, and I had infra-red therapy for several months along with those electro-pulse pads. Sessions were 30 minutes if I remember right.

    I lost a LOT of weight going there... My skin became more elastic and soft. I definitely recommend it... I've actually been looking for something similar in the US.

    I don't think it did anything for my stretch marks though.. Unfortunately, I've always had extremely bad stretch marks since I hit puberty. They are much lighter now than they used to be, but I'm not sure whether it was just a time thing, or whether the infra-red helped.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Am I the only one who read this and thought "shark week"?
  • Cella30
    Cella30 Posts: 539 Member
    Yeah, we have one at our gym. I've used it maybe 5-6 times, 10 minute intervals. It feels good, albeit weird at first. And sweet baby Jesus, don't look down during the vibration part because you will never be able to unsee the violent jiggling of fat. The only effect I had was that the next day I would occasionally see stars like when you bump your head real hard. That kind of freaked me out...I looked it up on webmd and I'm pretty sure I had shaken-baby syndrome.

    To fight cellulite and build collagen? No, no effect. It does make your muscles feel good after a hard workout, it made my hips and back feel less tense/achy and I'm pretty confident it drained all my lymph nodes. I dunno...I need to see more long term statistics to buy into all the claims.
  • Fit_Happens_2021
    Fit_Happens_2021 Posts: 303 Member
    I'm interested to find out if the claims are true that it helps reduce brown sun spots on the skin, wrinkles and builds collagen. I had my first session today and you are supposed to see results after about 12 weeks of 12 min sessions 3-5 times a week. It's free as part of my gym membership so heck why not.

    I'll post here in 12 weeks on this thread to let you know if I get any results.

    p.s. I don't have stretch marks so I won't be able to comment on whether it works for them, I am mostly doing it to see if the effects can be seen on the face complexion.
  • k8eekins
    k8eekins Posts: 2,264 Member
    photo_kyla Joined Oct 2010 Posts: 242 July 28, 2011 8:02 pm Does anyone have experience using a "red bed"? I think it's an infrared, heat bed type thing. It doesn't tan. They have one at our gym and recommend it for joint and muscle aches and "to increase collagen production in your skin" (make it firmer and reduce flabby skin and stretch marks). Has anyone noticed a difference in their skin after using a red bed for a while?

    Was first introduced to it as a child athlete and I'm still an active user today, only it wasn't a bed but a portable size back then, gifted to me by my parents, following some Business Expo they'd attended in the Orient in the '80s. I'd basically maintain it at the recommended distance, directing it to any troubling site and would then shift it to a new location, as a norm before bed. Directly it is a good alternative to the daily hands-on full body sports massages; The side-effects benefitting the skin quality are the bonus.

    If the intensity and the frequency of one's training routine is above moderate, where regular massages are a necessity, inculcating one's maintenance protocols, opting for the infrared is a worthy investment.
  • I've tried it for the last month at the gym and I can say I've definitely noticed a difference in my skin. I usually get really bad eczema during the winter, I moisturize every time I shower and saw some improvement, but with red light therapy I have no nasty red patches on the back of my legs. I've also noticed an improvement and reduction in appearance of stretchmarks that I got when I went through a fast (and painful) growth spurt in my teens. I am also rather clumsy and have a lot of scars, either from burns or falling, and those are drastically improved as well. Honestly, I think it's worth a shot. Infrared radiation is not harmful to biological processes, so if no improvement is seen the most you're losing is 12 minutes two to three times a week. I found it extremely helpful personally, maybe other people will too.
  • SarahLMines
    SarahLMines Posts: 5 Member
    I am currently using a fluorescent red light therapy bed at Planet Beach. I have quite a few stretch marks from losing/gaining weight - I had a few in my inner thighs which have faded well from a few sessions - the other stretch marks I have are quite old so may take a few more sessions yet. I also use the lumiere facial machine at Planet Beach which includes red light, blue light and white light - you have to use products with these machines though to speed up results. I have only been using the machines for a few weeks but will keep using and see how it goes :-)
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