Can Red Light Therapy Help With C-Section Recovery?

Medically reviewed by Karen Wolters, RN.

“Cesarean section is one of the most common surgical procedures performed worldwide, which can be elective or emergency.”1 Surprisingly, surgical births by cesarean section (“C-section”) have increased significantly in the last decades. Births by C-section are expected to reach “the projected global rate of 29% by 2030.”2 The nations with the highest annual rates of cesarean births include the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Cyprus, and Turkey — countries where C-sections account for more than 55% of all births in the last years.

 

Although lower in comparison, the United States currently sees approximately one of every three babies delivered via C-section. So, if you are currently expecting, or expect to be expecting sometime in your life, giving birth via C-section may be in your future. And Red Light Therapy can definitely help alleviate your pain, cut your risk of infection, speed your recovery, and improve the appearance of your C-section scar!

 

What Happens During a C-Section?

 

Having a C-section allows your baby to be born surgically, rather than entering the world through the birth canal and the vagina. According to the website of Johns Hopkins Medicine, “Cesarean section, C-section, or cesarean birth is the surgical delivery of a baby through a cut (incision) made in the birth parent’s abdomen and uterus.” [hopkinsmedicine] 3 According to the article entitled, C-Section Scars: What to Expect During and After Healing on healthline.com, “The surgeon will make an abdominal incision, and then a uterine incision to remove the baby. Both incisions are about 4 to 6 inches – just big enough for your baby’s head and body to fit through.” [healthline] 4

Incisions in both the abdomen and the uterus may be either vertical or horizontal, depending upon the health of both the mother and the fetus. A vertical incision made in the skin, “…extends from the belly button to the pubic hairline,” [hopkinsmedicine] 5 and is called a “classic cut.” A horizontal side-to-side incision in your lower abdomen is called a “bikini cut”and “…extends across the pubic hairline. It’s used most often, because it heals well and there is less bleeding.”6 Also, horizontal or bikini cuts are less painful and their scars are less noticeable after the healing process has occurred.

 

After the baby is removed from the womb, both incisions will have to be closed. Dissolvable stitches will be used on

your uterus, while the incision on your abdomen will be closed with surgical staples, stitches, or surgical glue.

 

Red Light Therapy Can Help Post C-Section Recovery

 

Because a C-section is a major surgery, complete recovery will take about six weeks. During this period, Red Light Therapy can help alleviate the discomforts, ailments, and concerns commonly experienced after a C-section. And rather than using OTC pain medications that may contain toxicities that are passed on to your newborn during lactation, Red Light Therapy can reduce pain naturally, with no danger of addiction to you or any potential harm to your newborn. (Just be sure that your baby’s eyes are always shielded from the light emitted from the therapy pad.)

 

Red Light Therapy can:

• Reduce pain and ease soreness around the wound area
• Help close the wound and accelerate the healing of the incision
• Help avoid infection of the abdominal incision
• Help the appearance of abdominal scar tissue through stimulating collagen production
• Alleviate cramping
• Reduce any nerve pain in the pelvis, legs, and other areas
• Promote relaxation and relieve stress (for example, the stress of new motherhood)

 

Consistent use of Red Light Therapy should help with all of the above potential symptoms of C-section surgery. In fact, a study from In

 

dia published in 2017 (referring to Red Light Therapy as “photobiomodulation,” one of its other well known names) states: “Red and near-infrared light-induced photobiomodulation therapy appears to emerge as a promising drug-free approach for promoting wound healing, reduction in inflammation, pain and restoration of function…”7 And another 2017 study also referring to photobiomodulation therapy further states that, “This process results in beneficial therapeutic outcomes including but not limited to the alleviation of pain or inflammation, immunomodulation, and promotion of wound healing and tissue regeneration.”8 In addition, any nerve pain and problems can also be helped, for according to a 2019 study, “Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) effects an important role in neural regeneration and function enhancement, such as expression of nerve growth factor and nerve regeneration…”9 So all in all, Red Light Therapy stands ready to support C-section patients in all ways needed for a full recovery.

Post C-Section Red Light Therapy Protocol

 

• When to Start Therapy: Sessions can be started on the incision scar as soon as bleeding has stopped. It is not recommended to start therapy while the incision is still bleeding, as Red Light Therapy helps to dilate blood cells, which will increase blood flow and therefore bleeding.
• Session Length: Typical Red Light Therapy sessions usually last for twenty minutes, although shorter sessions of at least ten minutes are also helpful.
• Frequency: Red Light Therapy sessions can be administered daily. However, in the case of surgery, HealthLight recommends up to 3 treatment sessions per day. Remember to be consistent, and use your Red Light Therapy device regularly.
• Placement of Pads: To receive the most benefit, the Red Light Therapy pad should be placed directly over the incision.
• Sanitation: Place your therapy pad in a clear lightweight plastic bag that can be easily disposed and replaced, or cover the wound area with plastic wrap.

 

Red Light Therapy Pads for C-Section Healing

 

Since as a rule it is advised to place Red Light Therapy pads directly over the areas of the body that need healing, select a pad that will cover the entire length of your C-section

abdominal incision. HealthLight makes several rectangular pads that are perfect for this purpose. And if you wish to treat your entire abdominal area in one session, HealthLight’s Large Pad at 8” x 15” offers more extensive coverage. The Large Pad has 264 high-power diodes (160 infrared and 104 red) that emit Red Light at 630nm and Infrared Light at 850nm, sending photons of light to penetrate deep into tissues to ease pain, accelerate wound and nerve healing, and promote faster recovery.

 

If you are concerned about keeping your C-section incision free of infection, HealthLight also offers the Tricolor Long Pad that has high-power diodes that emit Blue Light in addition to Red and Infrared Light. The Tricolor Long Pad measures 8” by 15”, and offers 100 Infrared diodes (850nm), 40 Red Light diodes(630nm), and 40 Blue Light diodes (465nm). Blue Light has the valuable benefit of being able to combat germs, and Blue Light wavelengths between 400-470nm have been found to be “intrinsically antimicrobial.”10 The combination of Blue Light, Red Light, and Infrared Light on one therapy pad should help keep your incision free of any germs that might cause infection.

 

In addition to supporting the healing of your C-section incision and your abdomen, your Red Light Therapy device can also be useful in eliminating any remaining back pain, shoulder pain, leg pain, or other musculoskeletal ailments still remaining from your nine months of pregnancy. Red Light Therapy also can help with hair loss from hormone changes, and help with acne or other skin eruptions. Red Light Therapy can also improve the appearance of your C-section scar.

Summary

 

Using Red Light Therapy after a C-section should not present any problems or contraindications. Red Light Therapy for C-Section recovery is safe, effective, and beneficial — supporting and accelerating pain relief, reducing inflammation, and speeding up wound closure and wound healing. The key to experiencing the best outcome is to be consistent with your Red Light Therapy sessions.

 

Choose HealthLight

 

• After you are fully healed from your C-Section, Red Light Therapy can help you maintain wellness. It can also stimulate, support, and accelerate healing for almost any future issueyou may experience throughout your body. And a Red Light Therapy device is a great wellness tool to have available for your whole family! However, the efficacy and safety of your Red Light Therapy treatment sessions are completely dependent upon the quality of your Red Light Therapy device. Purchasing a professional medical-grade, FDA-listed Red Light Therapy device from HealthLight will safely and effectively bring you all of the substantial benefits that Red Light Therapy has to offer. HealthLight makes the most powerful clinical-strength Red Light Therapy devices available in today’s marketplace, ensuring that you receive the most effective therapy for the best possible outcomes. When it comes to choosing a Red Light Therapy device, you can’t go wrong with HealthLight.

 

1 Kahkhaie LR, Keikhaie KR, Nasab AA, Zhaleh MRK. Low-Level Laser Therapy Effects on Reducing Surgical Complications and Wound Infection after Cesarean Section. Maedica (Bucur). 2023 Sep;18(3):426-431. doi: 10.26574/maedica.2023.18.3.426. PMID: 38023759; PMCID: PMC10674115, p.426.

2 Angolile CM, Max BL, Mushemba J, Mashauri HL. Global increased cesarean section rates and public health implications: A call to action. Health Sci Rep. 2023 May 18;6(5):e1274. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1274. PMID: 37216058; PMCID: PMC10196217, Abstract.

3 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/cesarean-section.

4 https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/c-section-scar.

5 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/cesarean-section.

6 Ibid.

7 Yadav A, Gupta A. Noninvasive red and near-infrared wavelength-induced photobiomodulation: promoting impaired cutaneous wound healing. Photodermatol Photoimmunol Photomed. 2017 Jan;33(1):4-13. doi: 10.1111/phpp.12282. PMID: 27943458, p.1.

8 Tsai SR, Hamblin MR. Biological effects and medical applications of infrared radiation. J Photochem Photobiol B. 2017 May;170:197-207. doi: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2017.04.014. Epub 2017 Apr 13. PMID: 28441605; PMCID: PMC5505738, p.2.

9 Heo JC, Park JA, Kim DK, Lee JH. Photobiomodulation (660 nm) therapy reduces oxidative stress and induces BDNF expression in the hippocampus. Sci Rep. 2019 Jul 12;9(1):10114. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-46490-4. PMID: 31300736; PMCID: PMC6625994, Abstract.

10 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.