How Often Should You Use Red Light Therapy Explained

How much red light therapy is too much?

Let's get straight to the point. Ask "How much red light therapy is too much" it's like asking "How much exercise is too much" . The answer depends on the context. For a young, healthy person, the amount and type of exercise may differ drastically from an older person with many impacting health conditions. So there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation here.

The amount of red light therapy that is considered excessive depends on:

• The device you are using
• How far away are you using the device from your skin
• How long have you been using this device?
• How many times a day do you use this device?
• How many days a week do you use this device?
• Whether you are using just that device or other devices as well
• Whether you are exposed to sunlight in your daily life - which emits the same type of light as red light therapy as well

So in general it is not easy give a recommendation here. However, many manufacturers of red light therapy devices have thought decently about this issue and have included guidelines on dosage in their instruction manual.

Now, there is a way to calculate the ideal dose. But, the average user probably won’t use such calculations, as they just want to use a device. However, for those who are interested, check out the red light therapy dose calculation method below:

Can you overdo red light therapy? If so, what happens?

Absolutely, you can overdo it with red light therapy. There is a so-called "biphasic dose response" in "Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)" or "photobiomodulation" as red light therapy is technically called .

In plain English, this statement means that some Red light therapy has a stimulating or healing effect. Once you add more, you will reach an optimal dose. And when you go beyond that optimal dose, the benefits will plateau. Eventually, if you keep adding a higher dose, there will be a effect inhibitor .

So more is not always better - more can lessen its effects and even cause minor side effects.

Examples of side effects if you overdo red light therapy are feeling tired because of overstimulation. Sometimes you want to exaggerate in dosage, however, as in the case of pain relief. For pain relief, you will want to look for a intentionally inhibitory effect.

For other goals, such as improving muscle recovery, or improving well-being or cognition in the brain, or increasing blood circulation, you’ll want the optimal dose for deeper tissues. And if you want to improve collagen or elastin synthesis in the skin, you’ll want a dose that promotes

Let's now answer some specific questions about dosage:

How often should you use red light therapy on your face?

So how often should you use red light therapy on your face? Often, once a day is enough here. I’m assuming you want the skin health benefits in this case, so a dose that’s great for superficial tissues is perfect here.

In most cases, products such as red light therapy panels or masks come with an instruction manual explaining how much to use. time you should treat your face. Often, an alternate day treatment is very popular with red light therapy masks for the face.

How often should you use a red light therapy bed?

Generally, especially if you have access to a red light therapy bed, treating yourself five to six days a week is best. If you go to a clinic for treatment, however, this ideal standard of care may be too time-consuming or expensive. So in that case, I recommend going as often as you can.

With a red light therapy bed, you can deliver a very high dose of deep tissue treatment in a short period of time. So you will never need to treat twice a day with a red light therapy bed, as you will be overdosing in that case.

Is red light therapy safe?

Yes, red light therapy is very safe . However, there are some contraindications, such as cancer . The presence of brain conditions, such as epilepsy or after recovery from a stroke, also warrants a green light from a medical specialist before treatment.

So is it possible to overdo red light therapy?

You can absolutely overdo it with red light therapy. More is not better, as explained above. As a general rule, follow the instructions that come with any product you buy. The company that sells red light therapy devices has often thought carefully about calculating the ideal dosage for you for different goals.

How often should you do red light therapy?

Most people have the best results with five or six days of red light therapy per week. Some experts, such as Scott Chaverri, know why experience - because they have tens of thousands of customers, if not more - that this usage pattern works best for most people.

Therefore, the ideal is to set aside one day a week for red light therapy.

Can you do red light therapy every day?

So can you use red light therapy every day? Sure, although it might be best to keep one day a week off. Anecdotally, people report seeing better results with this usage pattern.

We need of more science on the topic of optimal usage patterns of red light therapy, especially for full body treatments and LEDs.

How long should you do a red light therapy session?

Many people ask: "How long should you do a red light therapy session?" Well, I'll return to my exercise analogy here once again. If you're asking "how long should you do an exercise session?"

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here. If you’re exercising extremely intensely, a 5-minute session might be enough. If you’re doing slow cardio at a low heart rate, a session might last three hours.

So there is no answer universally valid about how long a red light therapy session should last. The length of the session should depend on:

• Your goal - whether you want a superficial or deep tissue treatment
• The device you are using determines the power output
• How you are using the device, for example how far away from your skin it is located

And so on.

Again, the simplest answer here is to simply follow the instructions that come with your red light therapy device. And, if you buy from a reputable seller, there should be decent instructions coming with the device. Check out some great red light therapy devices in our database.

How long does red light therapy last on the face?

Again, how long to do red light therapy on your face has a very similar answer. It all depends on the context, so the device you're using, how close to the skin you're using that device, your goals, and so on.

So, for best results, follow the instructions that come with your device. And, if you don't want to follow the instructions, use the calculations I provided at the beginning of this blog post.

Red light therapy twice a day. Is this a crazy idea?

So, can you do red light therapy twice a day? Yes, you can, but it’s usually not better.

Overall, there is a time limit for red light therapy with almost all devices. Once you exceed the exposure, you are overdosing your body. Then potential side effects start to emerge — like fatigue.

So, twice-daily red light therapy isn’t necessarily better and may even be harmful. If the dose is low enough, you can do treatments twice a day.

Furthermore, more studies are needed on this topic, especially regarding higher doses. But overall, the consensus in medical science is that twice-daily treatments are not necessarily better.

Alright, help me out! So what is the ideal RLT protocol (if there is one)?

There is no protocol "ideal " for red light therapy. The protocol will be different depending on your goals and the device you have, as well as other devices you are using and so on.

Just as it does not exist an "ideal exercise routine" While it is universally valid for everyone on this planet, there is also no ideal red light therapy protocol. As a general rule, I still recommend following the instructions of the company that provides the device, as most companies have thought through the dosing protocols very well.

Finally, let's conclude:

Conclusion: Most people shouldn't overthink this topic.

Red light therapy dosage is the central concept in understanding how often you should use red light therapy. Whether you’re using red light therapy for hair growth, fine lines, wound healing, skin conditions, or another reason, the ideal dosage determines the frequency and duration of your session.

More isn't better, but less isn't better either—there's a "middle ground." Superficial tissues need a lower dose than deeper tissues, however. Follow the instructions for the device you purchased, as these are often reasonable guidelines for red light therapy dosage.