Does Red Light Therapy Work for Herpes Outbreaks?

A handful of smaller studies have explored red and near-infrared light therapy for herpes, with some suggesting a modest reduction in healing time or a longer interval between outbreaks for some participants. This is a genuinely smaller and less robust body of evidence than what supports antiviral medication, and it shouldn't be mistaken for an equivalent, proven treatment — it's best understood as an area of ongoing, preliminary research rather than an established therapy.

If used, it makes more sense as a low-risk addition alongside actual antiviral treatment, not a replacement for it — antivirals have a much stronger evidence base for actually reducing outbreak frequency and transmission risk. As with any device or treatment claim, it's worth being skeptical of products making bold, cure-adjacent claims specifically, since the underlying research doesn't support that level of claim.