What is Blue LED Light? 

Medically reviewed by Karen Wolters, RN and Joanna Fearnley, LPN

As LED Light Therapy is being utilized by more and more chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists, podiatrists, and acupuncturists worldwide, LED Light Therapy’s many benefits for the human body are becoming increasingly known and appreciated.  Many people are now aware of the positive effects of Red and Infrared LED Light.  But what about Blue LED Light?  How does Blue LED Light benefit the body?

Blue LED Light Benefits

Blue LED Light can be defined as light given off from light-emitting diodes (“LEDs”) in the visible light spectrum between the wavelengths of 400 to 500 nanometers (nm).  Blue Light sits on the spectrum between violet and green.  While Blue Light is readily absorbed by the skin and is very beneficial, it does not penetrate as deeply into tissue as does Red Light and Infrared Light. “Blue light (400–470 nm) has a lower potential for penetration and reveals useful for skin conditions in the epidermis layer of the skin.”[1]

There multiple Blue LED Light benefits. Wavelengths of Blue LED Light between that same range of 400-470 nm have been found to be “intrinsically antimicrobial.”[2]  Blue LED Light “…can photodynamically inactivate the cells of a wide spectrum of bacteria (Gram positive and negative) and fungi.”[3]  Science has discovered that Blue LED Light can fight even bacteria resistant to antibiotics such as staph and MRSA[4], making it very effective for decontaminating the skin — disinfecting cuts, scrapes, bites, burns, stings, and surgical incisions. Blue LED Light can keep open wounds, sores, and skin eruptions free of germs.  This anti-microbial nature of Blue LED Light benefits both health and beauty.

Safe and Risk-Free

Blue LED Light in the beneficial range of 460-470 nm is safe and risk-free, and has no reported adverse side effects.  The concerns regarding potential problems from Blue Light exposure from computer screens, tablets, laptops, televisions, and smartphones is associated with Blue Light wavelengths in the potentially problematic lower range of 415-455 nm.

Mixing Blue, Red, and Infrared LED Light

Blue LED diodes are often paired with red diodes and/or infrared diodes in LED Therapy Pads.  This is because different colors or wavelengths of LEDs have different levels of penetration within the body.  This difference in depth of penetration results in different effects at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels.

“Red Light Therapy is known to penetrate deeper in tissues when compared to blue light.”[5]  But the deepest level of tissue penetration is achieved by Infrared Light.  So combining LEDs of two or three colors/wavelengths may be the best option for creating a therapy pad with more powerful light penetration.  And mixing different colored LEDs together on a single pad allows the different wavelengths to complement each other and work together synergistically to bring greater benefits to the body.  One scientific study suggested that, “…synergistic effects of mixed light is due to synergy between the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect of blue and red light respectively.”[6]

Try Blue LED Light Therapy

If you would like to experience the benefits of Blue LED Light, HealthLight, a leading American manufacturer of professional, medical-grade FDA-cleared LED Light Therapy devices, makes four Blue LED Therapy pads that contain blue diodes:

• 104 Face Mask Blue LED Therapy Pad:

This mask offers 52 blue diodes (465 nm) and 52 red diodes (630 nm). (No infrared diodes.) The pad fits over the eye area like a standard mask, but can also be used over or under the chin and lower face; around the forehead area; the front or back of the neck; and either side of the face for maximum skin benefits.  (This pad can also be purchased as part of the “Whole Body Deluxe Package” available in HealthLight’s Clinical Line.)

• 264 Large Blue LED Therapy Pad:

The 264 Large Blue Pad offers 120 blue (465 nm) diodes and 144 infrared (850 nm) diodes.  It measures 8” x 15”, making it easy to treat large areas like the upper or lower back, joints, and limbs.

• 132 Medium Blue LED Therapy Pad:

The 132 Medium Blue Pad offers 60 blue (465 nm) diodes and 72 infrared (850 nm) diodes.  It measures 8” x 9”, making it convenient for treating almost every area of the body.

• 180 Long Tri-Color Blue LED Therapy Pad:

This pad is 5” x 16″ for long or narrow locations, such as down the back or legs, across the chest, or wrapped around an arm, leg, or foot.  As its name suggests, it contains 180 LEDs in 3 wavelengths: 40 blue (465 nm) diodes, 40 red (630 nm) diodes, and 100 infrared (850 nm) diodes.

All four pads are available in both of HealthLight’s two product lines: their Clinical Line of systems for healthcare professionals that utilizes separate three-port or six-port controllers that can run 3 to 6 pads simultaneously, and their Express At-Home Line of systems for consumers that features attached controllers with convenient one-button operation.

HealthLight makes the most durable and most powerful clinical strength LED Light

Therapy devices available today.  Purchasing a HealthLight LED Light Therapy system will provide you and your family, or you and your patients, years of effective pain relief plus accelerate and support the body’s own innate healing processes — the best way to regain and maintain health and wellness without the need for pharmaceutical drugs and surgery.

[1] Sorbellini E, Rucco M, Rinaldi F. Photodynamic and photobiological effects of light-emitting diode (LED) therapy in dermatological disease: an update. Lasers Med Sci. 2018 Sep;33(7):1431-1439. doi: 10.1007/s10103-018-2584-8. Epub 2018 Jul 14. PMID: 30006754; PMCID: PMC6133043, p.1432. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30006754/

[2] Halstead FD, Thwaite JE, Burt R, Laws TR, Raguse M, Moeller R, Webber MA, Oppenheim BA. Antibacterial Activity of Blue Light against Nosocomial Wound Pathogens Growing Planktonically and as Mature Biofilms. Appl Environ Microbiol. 2016 Jun 13;82(13):4006-4016. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00756-16. PMID: 27129967; PMCID: PMC4907187, 9.4006. https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/AEM.00756-16

[3] Ibid.

[4] Bowman C, Bumah VV, Niesman IR, Cortez P, Enwemeka CS. Structural membrane changes induced by pulsed blue light on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). J Photochem Photobiol B. 2021 Mar;216:112150. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2021.112150. Epub 2021 Feb 3. PMID: 33578335. Abstract. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1011134421000282?via%3Dihub

[5] Avci P, Gupta A, Sadasivam M, Vecchio D, Pam Z, Pam N, Hamblin MR. Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2013 Mar;32(1):41-52. PMID: 24049929; PMCID: PMC4126803, p.6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4126803/

[6] Ibid.