Infrared saunas are everywhere! Yes, you already know that sweating not only burns calories but is also good for your skin. Infrared saunas though, are more amped up versions of your usual sweat shack. Infrared light penetrates the skin more deeply, functioning to restore elasticity and relax the muscles to a higher degree. Dr Raina Nahar, MD, Dermatologist and Cosmetologist at Nanavati Super Speciality Hospital, Mumbai spills the beans on all the details.
What is infrared light?
Infrared light is invisible to the human eye. It is part of the sun’s invisible spectrum and the heat that emanates from it is called infrared radiation. The visible spectrum for humans goes from red up to violet, which are the colours of the rainbow, in this order: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
Infrared means ‘below-red’, just like ultraviolet (UV) means above-violet. Dr Nahar explains, “Infrared saunas use light from the infrared spectrum that emits waves between 8-11 microns. The human body best absorbs infrared at approximately 9.4 microns. It heats up the body so that it can release toxins and sweat out the calories”.
Sweat it out
Sweat is one of the major channels which eliminates toxins from the body. “The results are impeccable as infrared light heats you up inside out and stimulates sweats glands to outpour all the toxins, much before the core temperature hits the maximum. It has many additional advantages over a normal sauna,” clarifies Dr Nahar.
The pros of infrared sauna
1. Infrared heats up to 110 Celsius unlike heater saunas, which increase up to190 Celsius and tend to burn the first layer of the skin.
2. Regular saunas dry up the skin and mucous membranes like nasal passages but this is not the case with infrared saunas, as the heat is low and the sauna lasts for a lesser time (approximately 15 minutes).
3. Infrared light penetrates five to seven centimeters below the skin and stimulates the sweat and sebaceous glands, releasing toxins out of the body.
4. Infrared also results in new collagen formation, which leads to skin tightening and has anti-ageing effects too.
5. It has also shown promising results with treatments for psoriasis and weight management.
6. Infrared saunas have shorter sessions and are much easier to take than the normal saunas.
The only not-so-great news is that sometimes people may not feel as relaxed in an infrared sauna as they would in a normal one, but the pros surely outweigh the cons! So, go sweat it out!
Places for an infrared sauna
In India, Dr. Kamaljit Singh offers Infrared sauna treatment at his holistic centre in Delhi. Wellness Spa India in Delhi and Renovar Spa, Mumbai also offer this facility in India.
