Red Light Therapy FAQ: 15 Expert Answers to Common Questions

Here's the top 15 most common questions I've been asked. This is your shortcut to understanding red light therapy better than 99% of people.

*This post is for information purposes only, not medical advice.

Is Red Light Therapy Legit? Show Me The Science!

Another word for red light therapy is photobiomodulation.

Search "photobiomodulation" on PubMed and you'll get over 10,000 results. The healing effects of red light therapy were accidentally discovered in the 1960s in a lab in Hungary. In the 2000s, NASA was using LED based red light therapy devices to grow plants in space.

They also accidentally discovered that it was helping wounds on the hands of the astronauts that were looking after the plants.

Since then, labs and universities around the world have been researching red light therapy's effect on scores of different diseases and conditions. The results are overwhelmingly positive.

What Is It Exactly?

Red light therapy is "taken" by using high powered, LED based devices that give off 2 very specific types of light:

• 🔴 Red light (measured from 600 to 700 nm)
• 🟣 Near infrared light (invisible, measured from 800 to 1400 nm)

All you do is expose all or parts of your body directly to the light so that your body can absorb it, and you can get the benefits.

What Does It Do?

Almost all the cells in our bodies have the ability to absorb red and near infrared light.

Even the cells deep inside your body have chromophores that have evolved to absorb this light. All other types of light are reflected in the very surface of the skin. The original plan was that you were supposed to spend most of your day outside in the sun, absorbing this healthy red and infrared light.

But modern humans spend more time indoors than outdoors.

Red and near infrared light gets absorbed by the mitochondria in your cells, and causes:

• ✅ An increase in cellular energy
• ✅ A decrease in inflammation
• ✅ An increase in blood flow

When your body has more energy, less inflammation, and improved circulation, things tend to get better.

What Can It Help With?

This is going to sound ridiculous, but it may support almost everything:

• 👉🏻 Pain support
• 👉🏻 Eye health
• 👉🏻 Better sleep
• 👉🏻 Younger looking skin
• 👉🏻 Better sports performance
• 👉🏻 Faster recovery from exercise or injury
• 👉🏻 Helps hair grow longer and thicker
• 👉🏻 Can optimise hormone production

Plus so much more.

The reason why it may help with so many different conditions is because of the way it affects the body. Everything the human body does, including health, performance and recovery, depends on having enough energy, not being chronically inflamed, and having good blood flow.

How Do You Use It?

I like to say "Just Aim At The Pain".

For the best results you need to expose the area that you're trying to treat directly to the light. So if you have a painful knee, you shine the light on your knee. If you want better skin on your face, you shine the light on your face.

For things like mood, general energy and sleep, the most important areas to expose are your face and eyes, and as much of your body as possible.

Best timing: 🌅 Around sunrise and sunset are the best times to use it, because this is when your body has naturally evolved to receive red and near infrared light (supposed to be from the sun). But you can use it any time.

Treatment duration: ⏰ Treatment times are about 5 to 30 minutes per session, depending on what device you have and what goals you're after.

Frequency: 📅 5 - 7 days a week is best.

My company, Red Light Rising, provides bespoke protocols to all of our clients based on their needs.

What Are The Negative Side Effects?

The scientific literature has found almost ZERO side-effects from all the thousands of studies that have been performed to date.

Remember, exposing yourself to red and near infrared light is a totally natural behaviour that humans have been exposed to for millions of years. There is a chance of overdosing on the light, but this is extremely rare and usually takes very long exposures.

The results of over exposure can be:

• 🙅🏻 Feeling fatigued
• 🙅🏻 Feeling headachy
• 🙅🏻 Feeling nauseous
• 🙅🏻 Having difficulty sleeping

All you need to do is take a few days off red light therapy, then reduce the time you were exposing yourself to it, and the negative symptoms will clear up quickly.

Which Light Should I Get?

Choose a light that matches the size of the area that you want to treat.

This is the first step in deciding which light is best for you. If you decide that you want to treat multiple areas or you want maximum benefits from your red light therapy investment, you should go for a large panel.

For the absolute best, connect multiple large panels together to make something the size of a door!

Do I Need A Different Light For Each Condition?

No.

You can use the same device for knee pain, eye health, and skin benefits (and the other benefits). As long as you get a device that has both red and near infrared light, you will have all the benefits available to you.

Small devices are not great at treating large areas, but large devices can be used to treat small areas.

Once people have felt the benefits for themselves, they usually decide to get more than one device. Something small they can use while sitting on the couch, and then a couple of larger panels so they can cover larger parts of their bodies for maximum, general health.

Are The Cheap Ones Just As Good?

Whenever you buy something that is way cheaper than what the industry leaders are selling, somewhere, shortcuts have been taken.

Someone is going to pay the price sooner or later. It might be you.

Cheaper products are usually:

• ❌ Weaker
• ❌ Of much lower quality
• ❌ They likely won't last as long
• ❌ Won't give you the full spectrum of benefits possible
• ❌ If you ever have any questions about your product or how to use it, any support they will offer will be copy and paste (if they reply at all once they've got your money)

Most of the cheap sellers are not red light therapy experts. They are just sales people trying to make a buck.

Always go with a brand that:

• ✅ Has been around for years
• ✅ Is tried and tested by thousands of people
• ✅ Is owned and operated by people who actually know what they're talking about when it comes to health and red light therapy

Like my company, Red Light Rising.

Is It Safe For My Eyes?

Yes, red light therapy is actually good for your eyes, as long as you use it sensibly.

It should not hurt when it shines in your eyes. If it does, it means your light is too powerful, or it's too close to your face. All you need to do is move the light further away from you, until you can gaze in the direction of the light, without feeling pain in your eyes.

Best protocol for eye health: Short treatments, about 5 minutes long, before 9 am.

Is It Safe For Children?

Yes, it's great for children.

It'll help them be healthier in general, and of course it'll help them when they have little accidents and get injured. You can use red light therapy for children the same way you use it for adults, but just experiment with doing shorter treatments with them and see how they respond.

Is It Safe For Everyone?

Generally, yes. It's fine for pregnant women.

If you're suffering with cancer, taking photosensitive medicine, or have any other serious health concern, please speak to your doctor first. It's generally considered safe for most types of implants.

Can I Do It If I Have Make Up Or Clothing On?

It's always better to do red light therapy with clean, naked skin.

Do your red light therapy before putting make-up or moisturisers on, and with as little clothing as possible. The light needs to be able to be absorbed by your skin with as little resistance as possible.

Can I Combine Red Light Therapy With Other Biohacks?

It's tempting to try and do everything all at once.

Do your red light therapy, jump in the ice bath, jump in the sauna, fast until lunch, lift heavy weights. But I don't recommend it.

The reason is everything I mentioned above, and any other biohack that I didn't mention, usually have a long lasting hormonal effect on you. So if you do an ice bath, you're setting off a certain cascade of hormonal benefits. But then if you go and jump in the sauna or do red light therapy, you are setting up a different series of hormonal cascades.

The problem is, you force your body to choose which processes to prioritise. In the process, you'll lose a lot of the benefits from the biohacks that don't get prioritised.

It's my opinion that it's better to leave a few hours between all your different habits to maximise the benefits you get from each.

Is Red Light Therapy The Same As Infrared Sauna?

No.

Many people get confused between red light therapy and infrared sauna. The problem is made even worse because many sauna manufacturers choose to put red light bulbs in their sauna and then start calling it a red light sauna.

All this does is confuse people that are looking for red light therapy.

Remember: Red light therapy uses red and near infrared light. Infrared saunas use far infrared light.

Red and near infrared light is absorbed by your mitochondria and used for various purposes. Far infrared light, from infrared sauna, heats up the water around your cells. This raises your body temperature and makes you sweat.

Both are very good for you, but they are very different. One does not replace the other.

You also shouldn't do these two together, as the heat from the sauna makes it more difficult for the red and near infrared light to penetrate your body. Keep them separate.

Got More Questions?

With 9 years in the red light therapy industry, I've helped thousands of people understand and benefit from photobiomodulation. Red Light Rising has been established since 2017, providing professional-grade devices and expert guidance to customers across the UK and Europe.

Whether you're looking for targeted support or comprehensive wellness benefits, our range includes everything from focused devices to full-body panels. Every purchase comes with personalised protocols and ongoing support from people who actually understand the science.

Ready to experience the difference that quality and expertise make? Explore our complete range and discover why thousands trust Red Light Rising for their red light therapy journey.