Why Your Skin Ages Faster in Norwegian Winter (How Red Light Helps)

We are all getting older, that is just life! I noticed something last February. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror after a shower, under those harsh LED lights we all have (or at least I used to have in my old house), my skin looked... different. Not just dry. Not just tired. But genuinely older than it had looked in October.

You know when you ask kids about something that doesn't concern them, they are more often than not, brutally honest! Well my daughter confirmed it wasn't just my imagination. "Your skin looks grey," she said, with that Norwegian directness I've come to appreciate. "Like you've aged five years."

She was right. And if you're reading this before beginning this next Norwegian winter, there's a good chance you're going to see a similar occurance.

The Problem: Norwegian Winter is a Skin Aging Accelerator

Here's what most dermatologists won't tell you: Norwegian winter doesn't just dry out your skin. It fundamentally disrupts the cellular processes that keep your skin healthy, regenerating, and young-looking. One of the first things I noticed over when I moved here was how many people looked older. Not in a bad way, just weathered.

We're not talking about surface-level dryness you can fix with more moisturizer. We're talking about mitochondrial dysfunction in your skin cells, disrupted cellular water structure, and a complete breakdown in your skin's ability to repair itself.

And it's getting worse every year because our modern indoor environment compounds the problem. I have mentioned it before, and I will continue to harp on about the problems of indoor lighting!

Why Norwegian Skin Ages Faster in Winter (The Real Reasons)

1. Zero UV Exposure = Collapsed Vitamin D and Cellular Signaling

From November to February, Oslo gets effectively zero UVB radiation. Tromsø? Forget about it. There is a method by which some experts think there is some UVB available but for ease of explaination, we can just say that there is none.

Here's what most people miss: UV light isn't just about vitamin D synthesis. UV exposure triggers a cascade of cellular signals in your skin that regulate melanin production, cellular repair mechanisms, mitochondrial function in keratinocytes, and antimicrobial peptide production.

When these signals disappear for months, your skin doesn't just pale—it loses its ability to maintain itself properly. Your skin cells literally don't know what time it is because they've lost the light signals that synchronize their internal clocks.

2. Indoor Heating Destroys Your Skin's Water Structure

Norwegian homes in winter are essentially dehydration chambers. We're talking 18-22°C with 15-25% relative humidity. That's drier than the Sahara Desert (which averages 25% humidity).

But the damage isn't just from "dry air" in the simple sense. Dr. Gerald Pollack's research on the fourth phase of water (EZ water) reveals something crucial: healthy skin cells maintain structured water zones at their membranes. This structured water is essential for nutrient transport, waste removal, cellular voltage, and protein folding.

Indoor heating doesn't just evaporate water from your skin's surface. It disrupts the structured water zones in your cells, collapsing the cellular voltage that powers repair and regeneration.

Your expensive moisturizer? It's putting unstructured bulk water on your skin. It's not rebuilding the EZ water zones your cells need to function.

3. LED Lighting Provides Zero Regenerative Spectrum

If 1 and 2 weren't enough to make you think, perhaps we can talk about the other end of the spectrum to UV. We replaced sunlight—which contains red and near-infrared wavelengths—with LED bulbs that contain almost none of these regenerative frequencies.

Your skin cells have chromophores (light-absorbing molecules) specifically tuned to red and near-infrared light. Research shows cytochrome c oxidase in your mitochondria peaks at absorption around 670nm and 830nm, exactly where red and near-infrared light operate.

When your skin receives red and near-infrared light, several things happen at the cellular level:

1. Mitochondrial ATP production increases - Studies demonstrate that 660nm and 830nm light enhance cytochrome c oxidase activity, giving your skin cells more energy for repair
2. EZ water formation accelerates - Cellular voltage improves
3. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling improves - Controlled oxidative stress triggers repair pathways
4. Nitric oxide production increases - Blood flow to skin improves

Norwegian winter eliminates all of this. You go from ~8+ hours of full-spectrum sunlight in summer to zero regenerative wavelengths for months. Your skin cells are literally energy-starved. Are you starting to see the picture... it took me a while, but I started to see it eventually and now I put things in place to mitigate which we can go into later.

4. The Indoor Environment Triple-Threat

So here's what happens to your skin from November to March:

• No UV signal → Disrupted circadian rhythm in skin cells → Poor repair timing
• Destroyed cellular water structure → Collapsed voltage → Energy deficit
• Zero regenerative wavelengths → Mitochondrial dysfunction → Accelerated aging

Add chronic low-grade inflammation from this environment, and you've got the perfect storm for accelerated skin aging.

No wonder you look grey by February.

How Red Light Therapy Addresses the Real Problem

Red light therapy isn't about "boosting collagen" in some vague marketing sense. It's about restoring the cellular environment your skin needs to maintain itself.

Here's what happens when you expose your skin to red (660nm) and near-infrared (850nm) light:

At the Mitochondrial Level

Research demonstrates that photons at 660nm and 850nm are absorbed by cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) in your mitochondrial electron transport chain. This is where cellular respiration happens—where your cells make ATP (energy).

When CCO absorbs these wavelengths, electron transport improves. Your skin cells produce more ATP. With more energy available, your skin cells can synthesize collagen and elastin properly, repair damaged DNA, clear out damaged proteins (autophagy), and maintain proper cellular voltage.

At the Water Structure Level

Near-infrared light (especially 850nm and longer wavelengths, some of my PulseWave Pro models even have 1060nm which is has good amounts of interaction with water) interacts with water in your cells. Pollack's research shows that infrared light can help build and maintain EZ water zones.

This means better cellular voltage (charge separation), improved nutrient delivery, more efficient waste removal, and proper protein folding. Your cells can actually function the way they're supposed to.

At the Signaling Level

Red light triggers controlled ROS production in your mitochondria. This sounds bad—we've been told ROS = oxidative stress = aging.

But controlled ROS production is actually a signaling mechanism. It triggers heat shock proteins (cellular repair), antioxidant enzyme production, anti-inflammatory pathways, and cellular regeneration programs.

This is hormetic stress—the same principle as exercise or cold exposure. Small, controlled stress that triggers adaptation and improvement.

Nitric Oxide and Blood Flow

Red and near-infrared light also liberate nitric oxide (NO) from cytochrome c oxidase and hemoglobin. NO is a vasodilator, it increases blood flow.

More blood flow to your skin means more oxygen delivery, more nutrient delivery, better waste removal, and improved healing.

This is why your skin looks "glowy" after red light therapy. It's not makeup or lighting tricks, it's actual increased blood perfusion. From pale and "lifeless" to a glowing is a nice transformation to experience.

My Personal Protocol (What Actually Works)

I started using red light therapy in January last year. Here's what made a difference:

Morning Session (10 minutes)

• Full-face exposure to 660nm + 850nm panel
• 15-20cm distance
• Right after waking, before coffee
• Goal: Signal "daytime" to skin cells, boost mitochondrial function
• Add coconut oil or tallow as a fat source and hydration.

Evening Session (15 minutes)

• Face and any problem areas (hands, neck)
• 20-25cm distance
• 2-3 hours before bed
• Goal: Support repair and regeneration during sleep

Key insight: Consistency matters more than duration. 10 minutes daily beats 30 minutes twice a week.

What Changed in 6 Weeks

• Skin texture improved—less "crepe paper" appearance on forehead
• Color improved—less grey, more vital
• Fine lines around eyes less pronounced
• Skin "bounce" (elasticity) noticeably better
• Winter dryness improved (used less moisturizer)

What Red Light Can't Fix (Be Realistic)

Red light therapy helps your skin cells function better. It doesn't:

• Replace sunlight's full-spectrum benefits
• Fix poor diet (your skin needs raw materials)
• Compensate for chronic sleep deprivation
• Reverse decades of sun damage overnight
• Work if you're using a cheap Amazon panel with no actual power output
• Work if you are using a cheap mask with RGB LEDs that aren't specific wavelengths but just "red". Most masks with over 4 wavelengths are RGB LEDs similar to those found in the tv. The blend together to make the colours and aren't specific narrow band LEDs.

You still need to get outside during the day (even cloudy winter light has benefits), eat enough protein and healthy fats, sleep in darkness, manage stress, and stay hydrated.

Red light supports your skin's cellular function. It's not magic.

The Device Question (What Actually Matters)

After testing multiple devices, here's what matters:

1. Irradiance (Power Density)

You need at least 50-100 mW/cm² at the distance you'll use it if you are using a panel. Most cheap panels deliver 10-20 mW/cm², which means you'd need to sit there for 45 minutes to get any effect. If you are using a mask, 20-30mW/cm² is sufficient because the light source is on the surface of the skin.

2. Wavelengths

630/650/660nm (red) + 830/850nm (near-infrared) are well research and proven combinations. Some devices add 590nm or 810nm—fine, but not necessary for most people. Check out our red light therapy panel collection for properly spec'ced panels if you want a panel. You can also check the masks that lie directly on the face and are portable.

3. Flicker

LEDs flicker if they're not driven properly. Flicker can give you headaches and eye strain. Look for flicker-free drivers (proper constant current drivers, not PWM dimming).

4. Beam Angle

Narrow beam (30°) = more focused, higher intensity, smaller treatment area. Wide beam (60°+) = lower intensity, larger coverage, better for face. For facial use, I prefer 60° beam angle. Mask beam angle is not such an issue as the LED chip is directly on the face the other side of the "medical grade" silicon.

The Norwegian Context: Why This Matters More Here

If you lived in Spain or Portugal, red light therapy would be a nice-to-have. In Norway, it's addressing a real environmental deficit.

We evolved in environments with daily sun exposure year-round, natural light cycles, and outdoor living. Norwegian winter removes all of this for 4-5 months. Your skin cells are operating in an environment they weren't designed for.

Red light therapy isn't "anti-aging" in the cosmetic sense. It's providing your skin cells with the light signals they need to maintain themselves in an environment that's starving them of those signals.

The Bottom Line

Your skin ages faster in Norwegian winter because of zero regenerative wavelengths from the environment, destroyed cellular water structure from indoor heating, disrupted cellular signaling from lack of UV, and mitochondrial dysfunction from all of the above.

Red light therapy addresses the root cause: giving your skin cells the wavelengths they need to produce energy, maintain structure, and repair themselves.

It's not a miracle cure. It's physics and biology working the way they're supposed to.

I use it daily or multiple times per week from November to March. My skin looks better, feels better, and ages slower. The difference is visible and measurable.

If you're tired of looking grey by February, this is worth trying.

---

Want to Learn More?

Check out our red light therapy devices or read about what the science says about red light therapy.

Questions? Share your experience in the comments below.