There’s a version of aging we can’t see coming, the kind that starts inside the cell, long before it shows up in the mirror. It’s why more people are turning to red light therapy as part of an anti-aging routine that works with the body’s own repair systems, rather than around them. At AKARI, this is delivered through NovoTHOR, a full-body light therapy system, as part of a broader approach to cellular wellness.
What Is Red Light Therapy?
Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation, uses specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light to reach the skin and underlying tissue. Rather than heating or resurfacing the skin, it works at the mitochondrial level, the energy center of the cell, to support the way cells produce and use energy. Whole-body systems like NovoTHOR typically combine a red wavelength around 660 nanometers, which acts closer to the skin’s surface, with a near-infrared wavelength around 850 nanometers, which reaches deeper into tissue.
The Cellular Science Behind Skin Renewal
A 2023 clinical study published in Skin Research and Technology followed participants using red LED photobiomodulation twice weekly over three months and found measurable improvements in the visible signs of skin aging, including wrinkles, firmness, elasticity, density, and pore appearance, with effects that continued to hold up to a month after sessions stopped. The researchers pointed to red light’s effect on mitochondrial activity: absorption of red light energy is understood to enhance ATP production, support cell signaling, and help reduce oxidative stress, three processes that sit at the center of how skin ages and repairs itself.
Stanford Medicine’s dermatology team has echoed this cautious optimism. Their February 2025 review of the current research notes that photobiomodulation has strong evidence for hair growth and reasonably solid evidence for skin rejuvenation, largely through a mechanism called vasodilation, the widening of blood vessels, which allows more blood and nutrients to reach the skin and support collagen production. Their researchers are careful to note that consistency matters: benefits tend to build with regular use and fade once treatment stops, which is exactly why red light therapy works best as an ongoing practice rather than a one-off treatment.
Why Whole-Body Matters
Most red light devices on the market are designed for a single area, a face mask, a handheld panel, a targeted joint wrap. NovoTHOR takes a different approach, delivering an even, calibrated dose of red and near-infrared light to the entire body at once, from head to toe, in around 15 to 20 minutes. That whole-body reach means the benefits aren’t limited to skin appearance alone; sessions are also associated with easier circulation, more comfortable joints, and a steadier sense of energy and recovery, all of which support the way the body carries itself through the aging process, not just the way it looks.
The AKARI Experience
At AKARI in One Central, Dubai, a NovoTHOR session sits within a wider space built around the idea of cellular wellness, anchored by a rose quartz pyramid at the center of the space, layered with KODO’s signature Sweet Dreams fragrance, and curated crystal detailing throughout. It’s designed to feel less like a clinical appointment and more like a quiet reset, whether it’s paired with an IHHT session on the CELLIT machine or a Brain Bar adaptogenic blend on the way out.
Setting Realistic Expectations
It’s worth being honest about what the research does and doesn’t say. Evidence is strongest for hair growth and skin appearance, and reasonably encouraging for circulation and recovery, but claims around athletic performance, pain conditions, and other uses remain far less established. Red light therapy isn’t a substitute for sun protection, a balanced lifestyle, or medical care. It’s one more tool that works alongside them, supporting the skin and body’s own processes rather than overriding them. As Stanford’s researchers put it, the science behind red light is real, but it isn’t a cure-all, and that framing is exactly how AKARI approaches it: as steady, cumulative support for the body’s natural rhythms, not a shortcut.
Book Your Session
Ready to experience whole-body red light therapy for yourself? Visit AKARI at One Central, Dubai, or call +971 54 221 9088 to book your Red Light Therapy session.