Red Light Therapy for Psoriasis: What the Research Shows

Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, may help with several psoriasis symptoms, most consistently redness, itching, and skin barrier repair, but it’s not a replacement for UVB phototherapy. It uses LEDs emitting red and near-infrared wavelengths — no UV, no drugs, and no heat. That's the reason it acts on psoriasis differently than UVB does.

Key takeaways based on research include:

• Redness is where the evidence is strongest. A systematic review of LED randomized controlled trials found that red LED reduced plaque redness and thickness by roughly a quarter over four weeks, and that redness specifically was what red light improved most.

• Red light may slow the skin cell buildup that creates plaques. A 2025 study found that 633 nm red light reduced the speed of skin cell growth and reduced skin thickness in laboratory and animal models of psoriasis, without damaging the cells.

• It may reduce itching. A double-blind, sham-controlled trial found that light therapy meaningfully reduced histamine-driven itch and itch sensitivity, which matters in psoriasis because scratching can trigger new plaques.

• It may help the skin barrier recover. Research on how different light wavelengths affect barrier repair found that red light sped up recovery after the skin barrier was disrupted, while blue light slowed it down.

Red light therapy may improve how psoriasis feels and looks day to day and make plaques less reactive, but it works alongside your existing treatment for psoriasis rather than replacing it. For people managing mild to moderate plaque psoriasis who want something they can do consistently at home, red light therapy devices like those designed by NovaaLab offer a low-risk way to support that plan between appointments.

To understand why red light affects some psoriasis symptoms and not others, it helps to look at what is actually going wrong in psoriatic skin. The sections below walk you through how red light therapy can impact your symptoms and how best to use it so you can easily apply this treatment in the comfort of your home.

Red Light Therapy At-a-Glance

Psoriasis happens because an overactive immune signal drives skin cells to multiply far faster than they can shed, and red light appears to interrupt that process at several different points. But it doesn’t attack psoriasis the way an oral or topical medication does. Red light changes the conditions the skin is operating under, which is why its effects show up on some symptoms clearly and others barely at all.

This table gives you a quick overview of how red light therapy works to ease some psoriasis symptoms.

In healthy skin, cells form in the lower layers, mature as they rise, and shed at the surface over roughly a month. In psoriasis, the immune system becomes overactive and pushes that timeline down to a matter of days. Cells pile up before they've matured, which produces the thick, scaly, inflamed patches most people recognize as psoriasis plaques. Because the driver is immune signaling rather than the skin itself, psoriasis tends to be persistent, cyclical, and prone to flaring.

Red and near-infrared light interact with that process through a mechanism called photobiomodulation. According to a dermatology continuing education review in JAAD, photons in the red (620–700 nm) and near-infrared (700–1440 nm) range are absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase, a component inside mitochondria, your cell’s energy powerhouse. That absorption changes cellular energy production, briefly shifts reactive oxygen species, and alters calcium levels, which in turn activates signaling pathways that influence how cells grow, move, and specialize.

Red Light Therapy Benefits for Psoriasis

If you’re looking for symptom relief from your psoriasis, red light therapy can offer many benefits, especially when used alongside your current treatment.

May Reduce Redness in Plaques

Redness is where red light therapy has the most consistent human evidence, with multiple studies showing measurable reduction in plaque discoloration. If the visible redness of your plaques is what bothers you most, they may look less angry and inflamed, often before the texture or thickness changes noticeably.

• In a systematic review of LED randomized controlled trials, a 27-patient split-body study found that 630 nm red LED applied three times weekly for four weeks reduced plaque redness and thickness by about 27%. That reduction wasn't large enough to statistically beat daily salicylic acid, but the two treatments split along interesting lines: Salicylic acid worked best on flaking, while the light-emitting diode (LED) treatments worked best on redness.

• A separate double-blind randomized study comparing blue and red light in 20 patients found the same directional effect. Red light improved plaque redness early in the treatment course, though that improvement plateaued after roughly six sessions while blue light kept improving.

• The effect also appears outside of psoriasis. A pilot study on acutely irritated skin found that a single exposure to 656 nm red light reduced redness, even though it didn't change the immune markers being measured.

May Slow the Skin Cell Buildup Behind Plaques

Red light appears to slow the runaway skin cell multiplication that creates plaque thickness. The mechanism for reducing plaque buildup is well documented, but the strongest evidence for this comes from laboratory and animal models rather than from patients. That means red light therapy could help plaques gradually feel flatter and less raised, with less scale building up between treatments.

• The most detailed work here is a 2025 study published in Scientific Reports, which tested 633 nm red light across human skin cells, three-dimensional lab-grown skin, and mice with psoriasis-like skin changes. Red light significantly reduced how quickly keratinocytes — the cells that pile up in plaques — multiplied, and it did so without killing them. In the lab-grown skin and in the mice, it also reduced how thick the outer skin layer became. The light doses in this study, however, were far higher than any at-home device can deliver in a normal session. The researchers traced the effect to two things: a shift in the cell cycle that slowed cells from entering their replication phase, and reduced activity of STAT3, a signaling protein that is overactive in psoriatic skin and central to how the disease develops.

• Human evidence for this specific effect is thinner. A small preliminary study using combined 830 nm and 633 nm LED light in nine patients with treatment-resistant psoriasis reported clearance ranging from 60% to 100%, but with nine patients and no control group, it's a promising signal rather than proof.

May Ease Itching

A sham-controlled trial found that light therapy meaningfully reduced histamine-driven itch, which matters in psoriasis because scratching can trigger entirely new plaques. The itch research is small and was done on induced itch in healthy skin rather than psoriatic itch, but it points to how those with psoriasis can experience less urge to scratch during and after sessions and less waking up to scratched, irritated plaques.

• In a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled study, 17 volunteers had itch deliberately triggered on their backs, then received six minutes of low-level light therapy on one side and a sham treatment on the other. Neither the participants nor the researchers assessing them knew which side received the real treatment. Against histamine-triggered itch, the light significantly reduced both itch intensity and heightened itch sensitivity. The same study found no effect against a second, non-histamine itch trigger, which tells you the benefit likely depends on which itch pathway is involved rather than applying to all itching equally.

• Supporting evidence comes from scar research. A 2026 scoping review of clinical trials found that near-infrared light reduced both pain and itching in scars following several types of surgery.

This benefit carries a secondary effect worth naming. Psoriasis can be triggered by skin injury, so persistent scratching doesn't just feel bad — it can seed new plaques in previously clear skin. Anything that reduces the urge to scratch may reduce that cycle.

May Support Skin Barrier Repair

Red light speeds up skin barrier recovery after damage, and it's the one measure where red light clearly outperforms blue (we discuss red and blue light’s effects on psoriasis later in this post). This evidence comes from animal and tissue models, but for psoriasis patients, this means plaque areas could feel less dry and tight, with less cracking at the edges.

• A study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology deliberately disrupted the skin barrier and then compared recovery under different colors of visible light. The results diverged sharply: Red light sped repair up, green light made no difference, and blue light actually slowed recovery compared with keeping the skin in the dark. Recovery was measured by tracking how much water escaped through the skin, a standard indicator of barrier function.

• Later work supported the finding. A study using transepidermal potential to track barrier recovery found that red light accelerated repair in skin samples, and that the effect extended roughly 20 mm beyond the area directly illuminated, meaning coverage doesn't have to be perfect to be useful.

This matters in psoriasis because barrier disruption is part of what makes plaques painful rather than just visible. Compromised barrier function is what produces the tightness, the dryness, and the cracking and fissuring that turns a plaque into something that stings when you move. Similar barrier-related effects have been studied in eczema, where the same dryness-and-cracking problem shows up.

May Help Regulate Inflammation

That red and near-infrared light can reduce inflammation is one of the most reproducible effects across the research, but it hasn't been measured directly in psoriatic skin. This shows up as plaque areas that feel less hot, tight, and reactive over the course of several weeks.

• A detailed review of photobiomodulation's anti-inflammatory mechanisms describes an overall reduction in inflammation as among the most consistently reproduced findings in the field. Animal studies show red and near-infrared light shifting activated immune cells away from their pro-inflammatory state and lowering inflammatory signaling molecules across a range of tissues.

That review also makes a point worth carrying into how you actually use a device: Photobiomodulation shows a biphasic dose response. Moderate light doses stimulate a response, while very high doses can inhibit it. More is not better, and longer sessions are not automatically more effective.

Does Red Light Therapy Actually Work for Psoriasis?

For specific symptoms, the evidence suggests yes, but it's thinner than the evidence for UVB light, a form of ultraviolet light, with no study that has shown red light clearing psoriasis on its own. Red light therapy is best understood as a supportive treatment with a genuinely low-risk profile, a plausible mechanism, and early evidence for improving how plaques look and feel. It is not a substitute for treatment that clears psoriasis.

Nearly all of this research was conducted in plaque psoriasis specifically, which is the most common form. There is essentially no red light research in guttate, inverse, pustular, or erythrodermic psoriasis. Pustular and erythrodermic psoriasis in particular are serious conditions requiring medical treatment, and at-home light therapy is not an appropriate response to either.

Red or Blue Light for Psoriasis: Which Is Better?

Neither wavelength is clearly better. A head-to-head randomized trial found both improved psoriatic plaques, with blue light performing slightly better on redness over four weeks and no meaningful difference between them on scaling or thickness.

However, red light penetrates deeper, supports barrier repair rather than hindering it, and is what most home devices are built around. Many devices combine red with near-infrared for exactly this reason.

But the Novaa Glow Therapy Mask includes both red and blue light so you can enjoy the benefits of both wavelengths. You can read more about the different wavelengths and their benefits for a full breakdown of all the wavelengths used in light therapy.

• Both colors produce clinical improvement. In a double-blind comparative study, 20 patients each had two stable plaques treated — one with blue light, one with red — three times weekly for four weeks. Redness kept improving throughout the study on the blue-treated plaques, while the red-treated plaques stopped improving on that measure after about six sessions. On scaling and plaque thickness, the two were essentially equivalent.

• Red light penetrates deeper into the skin than blue light does. The 2025 Scientific Reports study notes that blue light's shallower penetration limits how well it can reach the hyperproliferating cells inside thick plaques, while red light passes through the full epidermal layer. For a raised, well-established plaque, that reach matters.

• Red light also has the barrier advantage. The barrier recovery research found that blue light actually slowed barrier repair — the opposite of what you want in skin that's already dry and cracking.

Red Light Therapy vs. UVB, PUVA, and Excimer Laser

UVB (ultraviolet B light) and PUVA (a medication, psoralen, plus ultraviolet A light) have substantially stronger evidence for clearing psoriasis, but red light therapy addresses different symptoms. Red light therapy and UVB are often lumped together as "light therapy," but they work through completely different mechanisms and are useful for different things.

• UVB slows psoriasis by suppressing the immune activity in the skin, which is why it clears plaques and why it carries cumulative UV exposure.

• PUVA combines a light-sensitizing drug with UVA, which is why it penetrates deeper than UVB, why it's reserved for severe or resistant cases, and why it carries the greatest long-term risk.

• Red light works through mitochondria and inflammatory signaling instead, which is why its effects are gentler, why it doesn't add UV risk, and why the research shows it moving symptoms rather than erasing lesions.

• The excimer laser delivers concentrated UVB to individual plaques rather than the whole body, which is why it works well on stubborn localized patches and why it spares the surrounding healthy skin from exposure.

The joint AAD–NPF phototherapy guidelines reviewed ten light-based psoriasis treatments and gave four of them a grade A recommendation: narrowband UVB, broadband UVB, targeted UVB treatments like the excimer laser, and oral PUVA. Targeted excimer treatment is specifically recommended for localized plaques because it concentrates on affected areas while sparing healthy skin. Photodynamic therapy, notably, received a grade A recommendation against its use for psoriasis.

This table shows you how each type works and what it’s best for.

The safety contrast is where red light genuinely stands apart. An expert consensus published in JAAD, developed by a 21-member international panel through a structured review and consensus process, concluded that photobiomodulation is safe for adults and that red light does not cause DNA damage. UVB and PUVA both involve cumulative ultraviolet exposure, which is why phototherapy courses are dosed, tracked, and limited over time.

That doesn't make UVB a bad choice. It's an effective, well-established treatment, and the risk is managed carefully in clinical settings. But red light therapy is something you can use consistently without worrying about cumulative exposure.

How to Use Red Light Therapy for Psoriasis

The research protocols point to a consistent pattern: Use red and near-infrared wavelengths for short sessions several times per week, sustained over at least a month before judging results.

There is no officially standardized protocol for red light therapy in psoriasis, because the trials that would establish one haven't been run. What follows is drawn from the parameters actually used in the published studies.

• Wavelengths: The psoriasis research clusters around two ranges, and most devices combine them:

  • Red light (630–660 nm) is what nearly every relevant study used. The 2025 Scientific Reports work used 633 nm, the split-body LED trial used 630 nm, and the blue-versus-red comparison used red light in the same range. This reaches through the epidermis, where plaque activity is concentrated.

  • Near-infrared light (around 830 nm) penetrates deeper and was paired with red light in the combined LED study that reported the highest clearance rates. It's most relevant for thick, well-established plaques.

• Session length and dose: Published psoriasis sessions ran about 20 minutes. The combined red and near-infrared study used two 20-minute sessions per week with 48 hours between them. In practice, higher-output devices deliver a meaningful dose in less time, which is why most at-home protocols land in the 10- to 20-minute range per area. The anti-inflammatory mechanism review describes a biphasic dose response, where moderate doses stimulate and very high doses inhibit. More light doesn’t translate to more benefits, so resist the urge to extend sessions.

• Frequency: The trials that showed changes used two to three sessions per week, and consistency mattered more than intensity. Three to five sessions weekly is a reasonable at-home target. Occasional use is unlikely to do much.

• Distance and placement: Position the device roughly 6 inches from the skin for panels; pads and wraps are designed for closer contact. Clean the area of thick scale first if you can — the blue-versus-red trial had participants apply a salicylic acid preparation daily specifically because heavy scale blocks light from reaching the skin beneath. Coverage doesn't have to be perfect: The barrier recovery research found effects extending about 20 mm beyond the illuminated area.

Red light therapy is studied as an addition, not a replacement. Keep using your prescribed topicals, biologics, or phototherapy.

Finding the Best Red Light Therapy Device for Your Psoriasis

The best red light therapy device for your psoriasis is the one that has effective specifications, can cover where your plaques are located, and be used consistently. The research protocols require several sessions a week for over a month, so a device that's inconvenient won't get used that way.

Specs to Look For in a Red Light Therapy Device

The specifications that matter for psoriasis are wavelength, output, and whether the device can physically cover the areas your plaques are on. So look for devices that match the following criteria:

• Wavelength: Look for red light in the 630 nm to 660 nm range, ideally combined with near-infrared around 830 nm. Devices that don't publish their wavelengths are worth skipping.

• Output (irradiance): Higher irradiance delivers a useful dose in a shorter session. Low-output devices may require impractically long sessions to deliver anything meaningful.

• Form factor: This is the one most people underestimate. Flat panels suit flat surfaces, but flexible wraps and pads conform to hands, feet, and joints. If your plaques are on curved or awkward areas, a panel will deliver uneven light.

• Treatment area size. Widespread plaques treated with a small device means either very long sessions or inadequate coverage.

Pairing the Right Red Light Therapy Device for Where Plaques Are Located

Where your plaques are located changes how you use red light and what device is best, mostly because of what's physically in the way and how much surface area you need to cover. These sections help you understand which red light therapy device pairs best with your psoriasis and how you might adjust your treatment for areas where plaques tend to be thicker.

Elbows, Knees, and Shins

These are the areas red light therapy is best suited to, because the plaques are exposed, the skin is flat enough for even coverage, and the areas are easy to reach.

They're also where plaques tend to be thickest and most stubborn, which is where near-infrared wavelengths earn their place alongside red. Surfaces like elbows and knees move constantly, so cracking and fissuring are common — the barrier support discussed earlier is particularly relevant here. So use the Novaa Knee Ultra to wrap your knee in treatment and the Novaa Light Pad or Novaa Light Switch to target your shins and elbows.

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Face, Neck, and Skin Folds

These areas respond well to red light and generally need shorter, gentler sessions than thick-skinned areas do.

Facial and neck skin is thinner, so light penetrates more readily and less exposure is needed. Skin folds — under the breasts, in the groin, in the armpits — are where inverse psoriasis appears, and these areas are already prone to irritation from friction and moisture. For your face, you can use the Novaa Glow Therapy Mask and for skin folds the Novaa Light Pad or Novaa Light Switch may offer the best treatment.

Always use eye protection when treating the face, and keep the device off closed eyelids unless the manufacturer specifically indicates it's safe.

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Hands and Feet

Hands and feet are treatable, but the shape of the area matters more than the condition does.

Curved, uneven surfaces mean a flat panel won't deliver consistent light across the whole area. You can see the difference between panels and pads in our Hooga vs Novaalab comparison.

Flexible wraps or pads that conform to the hand or foot cover these regions far more evenly. Palms and soles also have notably thicker skin, so expect slower and less pronounced results than on thinner skin. You can use the Novaa Light Boot to completely wrap your foot in red light treatment, but the Novaa Light Pad or Novaa Light Switch are the best way to treat your hands effectively.

Nail psoriasis is a different matter. There's no red light research in nails, and the nail plate itself is a barrier to light reaching the nail bed. It's not a target red light therapy is well suited to.

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Scalp Psoriasis

Scalp psoriasis is the hardest area to treat with red light, because hair blocks light before it reaches the skin.

No study has tested red light therapy on scalp psoriasis specifically, which is worth stating plainly given how commonly the question comes up. What we know is mechanical: light has to reach the plaque to do anything, and hair absorbs and scatters it. Thick scale compounds the problem.

If you're treating the scalp, part the hair in sections and hold the Novaa Light Switch close to the skin rather than treating over your hair from a distance. Softening and removing scale beforehand matters more here than anywhere else. Realistically, expectations should be lower for a densely haired scalp than for exposed skin, and thinning or bald areas will receive substantially more light than the rest.

How Long Does Red Light Therapy Take to Work for Psoriasis?

In the studies that showed measurable changes, improvement appeared over four to five weeks of consistent treatment, not days. This consistency across three separate protocols is the closest thing to a timeline the research offers:

• The split-body LED trial ran four weeks at three sessions weekly.

• The blue-versus-red comparison ran four weeks at three sessions weekly.

• The combined red and near-infrared study ran four to five weeks at two sessions weekly.

So a realistic expectation would be:

• Weeks 1–2: Likely nothing visible. Some people notice less itching or less tightness before anything changes in appearance.

• Weeks 3–4: Redness is typically the first visible change. Plaques may look calmer while still feeling thick.

• Weeks 4–8: Texture changes, if they come, tend to lag behind color. Plaques may feel flatter and shed less.

Remember these caveats:

• The blue-versus-red study found that red light's improvement in redness leveled off after about six sessions, so early progress may not continue indefinitely at the same rate.

• Psoriasis is cyclical — plaques fluctuate on their own, which makes it genuinely difficult to attribute short-term changes to any single treatment.

• If you've been consistent for eight weeks and nothing has changed, it's reasonable to conclude it isn't working for you.

Is Red Light Therapy Safe for Psoriasis?

Red light therapy has a favorable safety profile. The JAAD expert consensus concluded that photobiomodulation is safe for adults and that red light does not cause DNA damage, which is the central safety distinction between it and UV-based phototherapy. The most common reported effects are mild and transient: temporary redness and a sensation of warmth in the treated area.

Things to be aware of:

• Photosensitizing medications: Certain antibiotics, retinoids, diuretics, and other drugs increase light sensitivity. Check with your pharmacist or prescriber before starting.

• Eye protection: Use it, particularly for facial treatment and with higher-output panels.

• Device quality varies widely: At-home devices are not consistently regulated for effectiveness, and output claims aren't always accurate. Wavelength and irradiance specifications should be published by the manufacturer.

• Broken or bleeding skin: Fissured plaques that are open should be treated cautiously, and infected skin should be evaluated before you treat it.

Although red light therapy is a reasonable thing to try independently, several situations call for a clinician first. See a dermatologist if:

• Your psoriasis covers a large portion of your body, or is worsening.

• Plaques are painful, cracking and bleeding, or showing signs of infection.

• You have pustular or erythrodermic psoriasis, both of which require medical treatment.

• You're experiencing joint pain, stiffness, or swelling. Psoriatic arthritis affects many people with psoriasis, early treatment produces better outcomes, and red light applied to skin does not address joint disease.

• You take medications that increase light sensitivity.

• You have a history of skin cancer or a light-sensitive condition.

• You've used red light consistently for eight weeks with no change.

Psoriasis is also associated with cardiovascular and metabolic conditions, which is one more reason it's worth managing with a clinician rather than solely on your own.

Supporting Psoriasis Care with Red Light Therapy

Red light therapy is not a psoriasis cure, and it isn't a replacement for treatments with stronger evidence behind them. Red light may reduce the redness of plaques, may ease itching, may support the skin barrier that keeps plaques from cracking, and may slow the cell buildup that makes them thick.

Those aren't small things. Psoriasis is a condition people manage for decades, and the daily experience of it — the itch, the visible redness, the painful cracking — is often what matters most between appointments.

Used consistently, with realistic expectations, alongside the treatment plan you and your dermatologist have built, red light therapy is a low-risk addition with a plausible mechanism and early evidence in its favor. Red light therapy devices like those designed by Novaalab make that consistency practical at home, which is ultimately what the research protocols require.