A red light therapy body wrap, marketed for its potential to reduce waist size and tighten sagging skin, has been reviewed by a beauty editor who found it did not deliver on circumference reduction but did offer benefits for skin texture. The "This Works" brand's £100 red light body wrap claims to shave up to 3cm off a user's waist and improve the appearance of stretch marks and post-pregnancy skin.
LED masks, which use specific wavelengths of light to stimulate skin cells, have gained popularity for their reported anti-aging and anti-inflammatory effects. Now, similar technology is being applied to the body in the form of wraps, belts, and even sleeping bags.
Advocates suggest that the light emitted by these devices encourages collagen production, which plumps the skin, and can help repair damaged skin cells. For body wraps, the proposed mechanism involves activating pores in fat cells, causing fat to leak into surrounding tissue where it is then processed and cleared by the body's natural fat metabolism. Aesthetics doctor Dr. Brendan Khong notes that this process shrinks fat cells rather than destroying them, and emphasizes that claims about waist size reduction relate to fat cell size, not necessarily a change in overall body shape. He also pointed out that the brand's trial involved only 20 people and called for more robust clinical studies to confirm efficacy.
The reviewer, a mother of two with a background in beauty editing, followed the product's instructions, using the wrap for 20 minutes three times a week for four weeks. Her initial waist measurement was 71cm. After the trial period, her waist circumference remained 71cm, showing no reduction.
Despite the lack of waistline change, the reviewer reported significant improvements in the skin on her abdomen. Over the month, the skin became gradually smoother with less crepiness. Based on these results, she intends to continue using the wrap to further improve skin tone and texture.
Experts anticipate a growing market for body-specific red light gadgets, seeing body contouring as a predictable expansion of existing red light technologies used for skincare, biohacking, and hair growth. A recent study has linked a large waist circumference to an increased risk of life-threatening diseases, suggesting that waist reduction could be a protective health measure.