How Often Should You Do Red Light Therapy?

Every day? Once a month? There's no proven schedule. Here's a sensible way to think about how often to do red light sessions.

How often should you do red light therapy? No one has proven an ideal schedule for red light panels. At DWT Wellness, new clients start low, at about 2 minutes per area, and build up gradually over about two weeks. Many people begin with a couple of sessions a week, then check in on how they feel after a few weeks.

Why Isn't There a Standard Schedule?

The studies behind red light mostly used lasers or clinical LED arrays at specific doses, for specific goals. Reviews found low-certainty evidence of less knee osteoarthritis pain at the laser doses studied, and low-certainty evidence that light applied before exercise reduces later soreness. Those doses don't map neatly onto every panel. So any schedule, including ours, is a starting point, not a rule.

How Long Should Each Session Be?

For the first few sessions, we use about 2 minutes per area, with you roughly 12 inches from the panel, at a low intensity. Then we build up gradually over about two weeks. Depending on how many areas you work on, a session runs roughly 3 to 30 minutes.

Can You Overdo It?

Researchers describe something called a biphasic dose response. The idea is that there's a useful dose window. Too little light may do nothing, and more isn't automatically better. That's why longer sessions aren't the goal, and why we build up slowly instead of starting at the top.

Can You Do Red Light Every Day?

We can't point to research showing that daily sessions work better than a few a week. Given the dose window idea, we'd rather you start with a steady, moderate routine and see how you feel than pile on sessions early. If you're thinking about a daily routine, talk it through with us first.

A Sensible Way to Start

1. Tell us about any medications, eye sensitivity or pregnancy before your first session.
2. Uncover the area you want to focus on, since the light has to reach your skin.
3. Start at about 2 minutes per area, roughly 12 inches from the panel, at a low intensity.
4. Come in a couple of times a week and build up gradually over about two weeks.
5. After a few weeks, check in on how you feel and decide whether to keep going.

Does Timing Around Workouts Matter?

If you use red light around training, the research on soreness is about light used before exercise. So a session before a workout follows the studies more closely than one after. See red light for muscle recovery for more.

How Do You Know If It's Worth Continuing?

Steady sessions give you a fairer test than scattered ones. Keep a short note after each visit about how comfortable you felt. If you like how it feels, keep going at a pace that suits you. If you don't notice anything after a fair try, that's useful to know too. And if a session ever feels uncomfortable, stop and tell us. The same idea applies to how often to do PEMF.

What Should You Ask Your Doctor First?

• Does any medication I take make my skin more sensitive to light?
• Is bright light a problem for my eyes or any eye condition I have?
• If I'm pregnant or being seen for an ongoing condition, is it okay to add a red light session?

Bring the answers to your first visit. If your doctor says to hold off, hold off.

Who Should Skip Red Light?

• Anyone taking a photosensitizing medication. Some antibiotics, acne medications and other drugs make skin more sensitive to light, so ask your pharmacist if you're not sure.
• Anyone whose eyes are sensitive to bright light, or who has an eye condition.
• Anyone who is pregnant.
• If you've had surgery recently, get clearance from your surgeon first and bring it to your first session.

Wondering what kind of light the panel uses? Read near-infrared vs. red light.

Your first session is free. Ask us for current session and package pricing: (973) 908-1524. Book online or learn more on our red light therapy page.

Frequently Asked Questions