Red light therapy has been something I have been trying for about 2 years. When I remember to do it regularly, I think it helps. Just a refresher of one of my health 
concerns related to this post; several years ago we had a very snowy winter. Around here we called it “Snowmageddon.” That winter we received 39+ inches of snow when our normal is less than half that. Everyone was out almost every day shoveling the new accumulation. OK, that’s my whininess about the event.
The point is that once when I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, I hyper-extended my knee. Then while coddled that knee, I over-taxed the other one. Bottom line, neither knee works as well as it should or used to. Because of this I have been searching for several years for a non-surgical solution to my knee pain. That is what has led me to try red light therapy.
(Like any other change in your diet or exercise or personal care routine, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting any program.)
What is red light therapy?
According to WebMD, red light therapy “. . . uses low levels of red light to target your skin and cells.”* Depending on the device you use; it can also include near-infrared light as part of the treatment. These are usually done by a device that has one or both types of LEDs to produce the desired result.
The principle of using red light therapy is two-fold:
First is to help you refresh and renew your skin by stimulating the cells and improving blood flow.
Second, the infrared light can penetrate a little deeper to help health sub-dermal tissues.
There is some evidence that red light therapy can help ease pain from arthritis, joints, and muscles – generally any affliction that includes inflammation. Some athletes will also use it after a workout to ease any muscle strain.
Can red light therapy cause problems?
The short answer is yes! Like anything you do with/to your body there is always potential for bad along with the good. Similar to sunlight, there is the good of having increased vitamin D production but also the danger of skin cancer from over-exposure. Red light therapy has similar potentially opposite outcomes. The plusses of red light therapy were discussed above. The other side of therapy is that people who have photosensitive medical conditions, such as lupus, or are taking a photo-sensitizing drug should not use red light therapy. If used incorrectly, there have been cases of skin blistering, redness, and damage to eyes if they are not protected. The latter generally happens to people using the therapy to help with acne scars or to reduce wrinkles.
As you have been told multiple time – USE AS DIRECTED!!! Also, as always: talk to your doctor before starting any treatment whether it’s red light or something else.
There are limits to how much you should use red light therapy. That time will vary some from device to device. Devices in doctor’s or dermatologist’s offices are usually more powerful than those available to home users. You will have more supervision in those offices and if you are unsure about using red light therapy you might want to start at a doctor’s office to see if this will work for you.
That limit is that about of time you have in a session, during a day, and even a week. Again this varies depending on the device, but commonly quoted times usually run between 30-60 minutes total for a day. That is the total time for all the parts of your body added together. So for me, when I do 15 minutes on each knee, my total daily exposure is 30 minutes.
Another concern about using a red light device is direct exposure to skin. Again, different devices have different requirements so read the instruction first. Generally the device either needs to be a minimum distance from bare skin or a cloth barrier between the device and your skin. Home devices sometimes come with goggles or eye covers to prevent damage to the eyes.
What do I use to get red light therapy?
Here are some of the devices I have used. The featured picture at the top includes all of the devices I use. The left device is a soft wrap that goes around my knee or core. This is the one I travel with. The center is the first device I bought, and it required 6” or more from my bare skin. I used this one also on my knees and face. The right one is specifically for knees and not only has red lights, it also has heat and massage included. To the right is what the inside looks like when it is on.
(Like any other change in your diet or exercise or personal care routine, be sure to talk to your doctor before starting any program.)
References:
* https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/red-light-therapy