Originally Posted by Solvay1927
I think it’s necessary to clear up a little the issue of IR effects and "how much is too much", also because you might think I’m trying wildly different things and I gave little reason to explain why.From a scientific point of view, I made an error. Since I’m trying to keep separate this PE experiment from my job on IR, I realized I was having two different mindsets at home and at work.
Knowing the positive effect of heat on PE - from all the previous experience gathered here and on other forums - and following what we said in this thread, I ended up trying to combine the positive effect of NIR with heat by increasing the dosage and focusing over 850nm to avoid excessive heat on the external skin.
The result FOR ME has been far less length gains, but as I said many times, I have to report that in the last couple of months I’ve been practising PE a lot less than I used to do in the previous months. I also changed the routine by adding pumping.
My error has been to combine two very different effects in a way that now makes it impossible for me to understand the consequences of each.
NIR radiation has many effects on human tissues, as discussed in previous posts. Among them, there are two effects in particular which are of pivotal importance to understand why for PE there could really be ‘too much’. They seem to contradict each other.
[I previously said there’s hardly ‘too much’ with IR, as long as you keep that within reason (avoiding using extra powerful lamps for hours and hours). I stand by that, meaning that ‘within reason’ the worst can happen is you lose the positive effects of IR. It’s not going to make you develop penis cancer, nor it’s going to bake and make your penis fall. IR still is inherently much safer than other methods, and IMHO even safer than exercises like jelqing, hanging and clamping, for example]
Effect 1:
- downregulation of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) and the upregulation of type I procollagen.
MMP-1 is a collagenase (enzyme) used by cells to regulate the degradation and remodeling of collagen and the extracellular matrix, so a downregulation of MMP-1 and upregulation of procollagen will result in increased production of collagen in the tissues and faster growth, with positive improvements in texture and roughness. That’s what NIR is best for - as I previously said, it triggers a process that increases the production of collagen and renews the extracellular matrix.
Effect 2:
- Increased heat, which causes upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1). Yes, it’s the opposite.
Increased levels of MMP-1 are associated with enhanced collagen degradation: while some collagen degradation is necessary for the normal turnover and remodeling of tissues, excessive MMP-1 can lead to tissue damage, particularly in the skin. It may seem absurd, but too much IR could cause wrinkles and impaired wound healing, rather than the straight opposite.
When this excessive collagen degradation by heat happens the visible consequence (in the worst cases) is an erythema ab igne, which usually happens to people exposing skin to excessive heat (e.g. glass blowers).
The key point is, heat is what triggers this MMP-1 upregulation, not IR radiation per se. That’s why we know heating solutions have an effect on PE - temperatures above 43° C destabilize the collagen matrix even without any IR radiation.
There are studies proving that a 200mW/cm2 NIR irradiation applied for 30 minutes on skin maintained at 37 °C (by active cooling) had no significant effect on free radical content or the antioxidant defense systems of the skin. Conversely, the same radiation with skin at 45° C showed free radical formation almost doubled and antioxidant power reduced to about 50%.
@Kyrpa i would like to see your thoughts on this. Do you think this could be used to speed up deconditioning break, which would otherwise last anywhere between 3-12 months ?
