Could this £350 belt stop men needing the loo so often?

Light — red, infrared, blue and green — is incorporated into a range of devices, said to ease everything from itchy skin to stiff muscles, and even reducing the number of times men need the loo. ADRIAN MONTI asked experts to assess a selection; we then rated them. 

SKIN CONDITIONS 

DermaHealer Handheld UVB Light Therapy Lamp, £325, dermahealer.co.uk 

CLAIM: A hand-held device — about the size of a shower head — this is claimed to treat psoriasis, vitiligo and eczema with ultraviolet light. 

The light is passed over the affected area for around four minutes at a time. 

The maker claims this ‘improves the appearance of the skin in three to eight weeks’. 

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘I use UVB light treatment for patients with skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema and vitiligo,’ says Dr ­Natalia Spierings, a consultant dermatologist based in London. ‘

It’s thought UV light helps by reducing inflammation. ‘But, in clinical settings, we use much bigger devices — I’m not sure how effective a small, handheld device like this would be. 

But it’s worth trying for small patches of psoriasis, for instance.’ 

RATING: 6/10 

FUNGAL NAILS 

Tens Care Nailit Nail Cleaning Laser Device, £84.60, healthandcare.co.uk 

CLAIM: This device uses infrared and blue light to treat fungal nail infections. You clip it over the nail for seven minutes. The maker says, with daily use, there will be ‘visible improvement within weeks’. 

EXPERT VERDICT: Hampshire-based podiatrist Dr Ivan Bristow says: ‘Fungal infections are notoriously difficult to treat, and there’s a high risk of reinfection because fungi can remain under the nail.’

The usual treatment is antifungal tablets or agents that you paint on the nail, hoping it penetrates the nail deep enough to reach the infection. 

‘There’s little evidence that light therapy can eradicate an infection, especially a device like this, which is very low powered.’ 

RATING: 0/10 

HAIR LOSS 

Ultima 9 Lasercomb, £199.95, hairmax.co.uk  

CLAIM: This looks like a hairbrush, but has nine ‘medical-grade lasers’, which are ‘clinically proven’ to reverse hair thinning and restore growth, the maker says. 

You brush your hair for 11 minutes a day, three days a week. 

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Low-level lasers, which this device uses, have yielded encouraging results in tackling hair loss in clinical studies,’ says Fabian Martinez, a trichologist at The London Hair Clinic. 

‘Laser energy enhances blood circulation to the hair follicles, creating an environment conducive for hair growth. 

‘Most studies with this laser therapy show it works for some, but usually with a laser cap which covers the whole head — so I’d recommend that instead.’ 

RATING: 5/10

 MUSCLE PAIN 

Sanitas SIL06 Infrared Heat Lamp, £22.99, amazon.co.uk 

CLAIM: This looks like a small desk lamp, and the infrared light works by penetrating ‘deep into the skin, reaching muscles and joints’, the maker claims, ‘enhancing blood flow, delivering oxygen and nutrients which promote healing’. 

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘Infrared lamps are not used much in physiotherapy as there’s no strong evidence they’re effective for muscle strains and soreness,’ says Lucy Macdonald, a physiotherapist at Octopus Clinic in London. 

‘The heat warms the skin, which will only increase circulation below the surface, so it will not make any lasting change on muscles or underlying causes of pain.’ 0/10 

FREQUENT URINATING 

KTS Prostate Therapy Device, £349.99, amazon.co.uk 

CLAIM: Worn like a belt with plastic sections which emit red or blue light directed at the wearer’s abdomen, lower back and perineum, this device is designed to help men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), where the prostate presses against the bladder. 

The maker claims the light targets specific points, which ‘has a positive effect on treating urinary frequency and urgency’. 

The wearer chooses which light to use; it recommends blue light for five minutes and red for 30 minutes. 

EXPERT VERDICT: ‘The idea you can choose which colour light to use is bizarre and not based on medical evidence,’ says Gordon Muir, a consultant urologist at King’s College Hospital in London. 

‘Neither the red nor blue lights would penetrate the tissue deep enough to reach the prostate, so the theory behind it is flawed. 

‘BPH is treated with lifestyle changes, drugs to make peeing easier or sometimes surgery. This device is a waste of money.’ 

RATING: 0/10 

MIGRAINES 

iKeener Green Light Therapy Lamp, £79.99, amazon.co.uk 

CLAIM: The maker claims the green light will ‘ease photophobia [sensitivity to light] and provide migraine relief’. 

Use for 30 minutes with other lights switched off. 

EXPERT VERDICT: Peter Goadsby, a professor of neurology at King’s College London, says: ‘The thinking behind this device is based on two recent studies. 

The first, in the journal Brain in 2016, showed about 20 per cent of those with migraines reported reduced pain when exposed to green light. 

‘A follow-up study in 2021 involving 29 migraine sufferers showed green light reduced their number of headache days. 

‘It’s an area which could do with some more systematic studies to prove whether green light is effective or not.’ 

RATING 4/10