From Sun Cures to Red Light: Early Phototherapy Pioneers and Modern Science
Healing with Light Then and Now
Long before Red Light Therapy devices appeared in modern wellness centers or gained FDA clearance, sunlight was the original prescription. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Doctors and Researchers like Niels Ryberg Finsen, Oskar Bernhard, and Auguste Rollier used light—natural or filtered—as a clinical tool. These pioneers of Phototherapy weren’t just experimenting; they were saving lives. Today, their work echoes through the core science of Photobiomodulation (PBM), a form of therapy using Red and Near-Infrared (NIR) Light to stimulate healing.
In this blog, we explore the history of Phototherapy, highlight the scientific basis of Red Light Therapy, and compare the full-spectrum sunlight methods of the past with the targeted, controllable Red Light technologies of today. Whether you're investigating the best Red Light Therapy devices 2025 or just curious about how Heliotherapy vs Photobiomodulation plays out in medical history, this guide is designed to inform, inspire, and optimize your understanding.
Niels Ryberg Finsen: Precision in Early Phototherapy
Niels Ryberg Finsen (1860–1904), born in the Faroe Islands and later working in Copenhagen, was a sickly man. He suffered from what is now thought to be Pick's disease, leading to anemia and chronic fatigue. Convinced sunlight might alleviate his condition, Finsen began developing therapies centered on light exposure.
In 1893, he proposed using Red Light to treat smallpox, based on the idea that avoiding certain rays (particularly UV) could reduce skin damage and scarring. By 1895, he had shifted focus to lupus vulgaris (a skin manifestation of tuberculosis) and invented the now-famous Finsen Lamp, which used concentrated, filtered light to kill bacteria and promote tissue repair. His success earned him the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
While Finsen believed Ultraviolet Light was the healing agent, later studies suggest his lamp likely emitted mostly violet-blue light. The real mechanism might have been early Photodynamic Therapy, where natural porphyrins in bacteria absorb light and produce singlet oxygen, a reactive species that kills pathogens. This illustrates how even in its infancy, Phototherapy had therapeutic precision—even if the mechanism wasn't yet understood.
Oskar Bernhard: The Surgeon Who Opened a Window
Swiss physician Oskar Bernhard discovered Heliotherapy almost by accident. In 1902, he treated a patient post-splenectomy whose abdominal wound had become infected and refused to heal. In desperation, Bernhard exposed the wound to direct high-altitude sunlight. Within 90 minutes, the wound began to dry, granulate, and close. His hypothesis? Sunlight had an antiseptic and drying effect.
Bernhard went on to treat infected wounds, tuberculosis abscesses, and more using sun exposure. He emphasized the healing power of sunlight in the alpine climate, founding one of the first sunlight treatment protocols at a clinic in St. Moritz.
Today, we know that UV radiation has bactericidal properties, and exposure to sunlight can increase vitamin D and nitric oxide production—both of which contribute to immune regulation and tissue repair.
Auguste Rollier: Systematizing Sun Therapy
Dr. Auguste Rollier (1874–1954) took Heliotherapy to new heights—literally and figuratively. In 1903, he opened a sun clinic in Leysin, Switzerland, treating patients with tuberculosis of the bones and joints using a combination of sun exposure, cold alpine air, and nutritious food. He advocated for gradual tanning, starting with small body areas and slowly increasing exposure to reduce sunburn risk and build immunity.
Rollier eventually oversaw 36 heliotherapy clinics and claimed recovery rates as high as 80% for some tuberculosis cases. While antibiotics eventually replaced sun therapy for TB, Rollier's holistic approach—which emphasized climate, nutrition, and sunlight—feels surprisingly modern.
Today’s Photobiomodulation Centers use Red and NIR LEDs instead of sunshine, but the principles remain: light, dose control, and physiological response.
Photobiomodulation: Science, Specificity, and Modern Applications
Photobiomodulation (PBM) is the modern, LED-powered evolution of Heliotherapy. Using specific wavelengths (typically 630–670 nm red light and 800–880 nm Near-Infrared Light), PBM devices target mitochondrial chromophores like cytochrome c oxidase to stimulate ATP production, improve blood flow, and reduce inflammation.
Clinical research shows Red Light Therapy helps with:
Wound healing
Joint pain and arthritis relief
Muscle recovery
Inflammation and pain reduction
Skin rejuvenation
Neuropathy
Cognitive support
To mention a few. Unlike UV-based therapies, PBM avoids the risks of DNA damage and skin cancer, making it ideal for frequent use. Clients can now book Photobiomodulation sessions that offer clinical benefits.
Heliotherapy (Early 1900s) vs. Photobiomodulation (Today)
A Shared Legacy: From the Sun to the Diode
The modern Red Light Therapy Centers use devices that are a high-tech descendent of the open-air solariums of Leysin and the arc lamps of Copenhagen. While today's devices offer wavelength precision and scientific validation, their roots are deep in history.
The legacy of Finsen, Bernhard, and Rollier reminds us that light has always been more than illumination. It has been medicine, hope, and life.
So whether you’re booking a professional session at Enlighten Red Light Therapy Center, researching the benefits of Red Light Therapy, or want to know the cost of Red Light Therapy sessions, know that you’re part of a story that stretches back centuries—and still shines bright today.
Click the link below to book your appointment if you want to Look Younger, Heal Faster, Feel Better!
Further Reading & References:
Handbook of Photomedicine by: Michael R. Hamblin, PhD and Ying-Ying Huang, MD
Photobiomodulation in Dermatology – European Society of Medicine
Objective: The objective of this narrative review was to investigate the history of Light Therapy in hospital settings, with reference to Physiotherapy and accelerated healing. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov