So you reviewed the plentiful benefits of red light therapy and you are convinced you want to try it. My advice is to use caution in the device you find online shopping.
There are 2 main things to look for:
- The light is emitting the therapeutic wavelengths we discussed in the first two blogs: 800-880nm and 630-680nm
- The strength of the light: the wattage and/or how many milliwatts per square centimeter OR: mW/cm2
If you decide to use something at home, dosage is very important to consider. I will give some recommended times and dosages for the lights I recommend.
RED LIGHT LED: The main rays that are therapeutic are in the 630-680nm (the nm stands for the wavelength in nanometers). Make sure the manufacturer lists the wavelengths. This is better for skin applications and the dosage should be between 3-15 Joules.
NIR (Near Infrared): The therapeutic range is 800-880 nm. These do not emit light by themselves but the lamps often have other light rays in combination so you will see light with them. This one is better for deep tissue and the dosage should be between 10-80 Joules
Your device should list the wattage and also that the rays are emitted in these ranges. Often times the devices for sale do not say this or they just say it is a “wide range” of radiation.
PURCHASE A COMBINATION LIGHT BOX.
These have 50/50 LED and NIR lights so that you get a good dose of both. These products come with recommendations as to dosages. They have good product support and run in the $400-$700 range.
- The Red Rush 3601/ https://redtherapy.co/products/redrush-360-light
- Joov https://joovv.com/
Overall these devices work well if you want to cover a large part of your body in a fairly short time, with both types of wavelengths.
If you are interested in help with weight loss this approach could be helpful. Apparently the red light helps with fat cell metabolism.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23749426
A less expensive approach is to buy the two kinds of lights separately.
WHAT I RECOMMEND FOR NEAR INFRA RED TREATMENT (DEEP TISSUE):
This bulb is very strong (250W) and will shine on an area about 12×12 inches. This light also emits far infrared rays so that it is a heat lamp as well.
Rubylux NIR flood bulb. You can get it here https://www.amazon.com/RubyLux-NIR-Near-Infrared-Grade/dp/B00N4JE9U6 It costs around $30.
You will have to buy a lamp to plug it into. Make sure it can handle a 250W bulb. Here is something that will work from Amazon.
The website for this RubyLux bulb lists the amount of power emitted as 1431 mW/cm2 at 4” away.
Dosage will increase considerably when you stand closer to the light.
DOSAGE:
Dose=Power Density x Time
mW/cm2 x time (in seconds) x .001=J/cm2
You want to shoot for between 10 J/cm2 and 60 J/cm2 2
This is a very high dosage claimed but usually lights produce less than what is claimed. We could safely say it would be between 1100-1300 mW/cm2
Plus 4″ is too close for this powerful light because you will get hot quickly. The dosage reduces by 35% for every additional 6″ in distance away. So at 10″ away that would be 700-845/ mW/cm2
So at 10″ 50 seconds would be 35-45 Joules
60 seconds would be 42-50 Joules
90 seconds would be 63-75 Joules
So you want to keep your treatments short (under 90 seconds) if the lamp is only 10 inches away. You will find that you get pretty warm at 10 inches after 1 minute- so there is some self regulation!
For Thyroid and more sensitive tissue it is recommended to keep your dosage down to 5 Joules. So at 10” that would be no more than 10 seconds!
WHAT I RECOMMEND FOR LED RED LIGHT (SKIN SURFACE TREATMENT):
ABI25W Deep Red LED Bloom Booster
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071Z12H67/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2TWRNEH2276JE&psc=1
The wavelengths emitted from this bulb are in the 660-670nm spectrum. You will have to buy a lamp to plug it into or the wire and socket that the seller offers. This is a solid light and pretty powerful. It is only $35 but you have to figure out a lamp to put it in that won’t fall over. It is a heavy bulb. I got this one and it works.
This light is a lot brighter than the NIR bulb and so you will probably want to use tanning eye protection goggles. That is, unless you are trying to treat age related eye sight degeneration. Then just keep your eyes closed and let the rays penetrate.
LED LIGHT DOSAGE:
Dose=Power Density x Time
mW/cm2 x time (in seconds) x .001=J/cm2
You want to shoot for between 3J/cm2 and 15 J/cm2 2
One reviewer states the bulb emits 25 mW/cm2 at 12” distance. At 12” the light should spread out to cover the whole face. 40 seconds at that distance would equal 1 Joule. That would suggest a treatment time between 2 and 10 minutes at 12”.
DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, contained on or available through this website is for general information purposes only.