Can You Do Too Much Red Light?

It is human nature; we believe something is good for us and promises big changes so we want to do the maximum amount as fast as we can! Sometimes we actually do just that and end up discovering why there were guidelines. No one dies, or loses a limb, but you definitely feel the side effects of pushing something too far, too fast. It is no different with red light therapy. At first even professionals would laugh and say, “It’s just light, it can’t hurt you”, but they were not entirely correct.

There is so much to take into account when doing red light therapy. We are going to focus on full body red light beds for this writing. Yes, there are basic red light beds at gyms and tanning salons that have preset times utilized by everyone. Manufacturers use the term “skin beds” when referring to these types of beds. They usually have two different wavelengths of red light, precisely designed to deliver light within a specific range of mw/cm2, and then carefully calculated by the seconds (SECONDS!) on the timer to receive just enough joules to make a difference, without overdoing it. Some people will get more benefits than others will from “skin beds” just because everyone’s body responds differently. Some places and people like to use these beds before tanning because it increases blood flow, widens the capillaries, and preps the skin to receive the UV rays better. Personally, I do not feel like this is a great idea just by using logical reasoning, but this is an example of how much information is missing.

In our wellness studio, we have many medical grade devices and over a dozen different wavelengths of light (not including the infrared full spectrum sauna). We have LEDs and lasers, devices that will deliver over 400 mw/cm2 and can pulse up to 10,000 times per second. So many options and purposes and most people do not know why they even matter. I learned very quickly not to take the manufacturers’ word. Just because you are great at building the equipment does not mean you know the best way to use it on people. So I study all the time. There is new research coming out almost every day from clinical trials, hospitals, universities, doctors, and the few truly professional light therapist that have been doing this for decades in our country and abroad. At Roxanne’s, we document everything to maintain a record of what worked (or did not), with what device, and wavelength, the demographic of the client, and any variables such as, medications and other existing conditions. It has been so educational, but the lessons that have been the biggest influencers have evolved around the initial introduction to light, the consistency of treatments, and the exposure time.

When we first opened, we were functioning like most other wellness studios/spas and using the equipment like the instruction manuals told us to. The hard part was no one wanted to build up slowly. They knew the maximum was twenty minutes and they wanted it right now. The thinking was the faster they got to twenty minutes the faster the results. Being a brand new business, we tried really hard not to disappoint anyone and some people felt like we were ripping them off by not letting them have twenty minutes immediately. At this time, we were all still being told, “it can’t hurt you” so we would end up letting people have what they wanted.  Biggest lesson to date! You have to build up slowly and now other clinics and wellness studios are saying the same thing. I purposely did two sessions in one day to see exactly what would happen. I was so tired and my muscles were fatigued. It was an effort just walking to the mailbox that day. I then realized that a couple of clients had mentioned how tired they had been and I knew exactly why. I had let them jump right on in and do the maximum time the manual stated they could do and it was too much for their bodies’ to process at one time. Now after skipping red light for a few days I did return to my normal self, but it made me realize what my clients were missing and they did not even know. When you receive red light in the correct amount and time for you, changes that you were not even expecting will take place. We all hear about reduced inflammation, pain relief and better skin, but the first things I experienced were more energy and less brain fog, followed by pain reduction.

The second biggest thing we learned was making sure to start on lower dosing of light and build the timing, then up the dose if necessary. By this time, I had finished my Light Therapist Certification, I knew how to check the mw/cm2 with my own spectrometer, calculate the time and distance, and then adjust for the age of the client. We adjusted some of our equipment and built our own plan for increasing time based on feedback from the client. Asking questions about energy level, brain function, and quality of sleep, helps us make decisions on timing and dose. Senior clients respond faster to lower levels of light. Chronic pain clients seem to do better with higher doses pulsing 40 times a second. There is not a one-size-fits-all. The best thing you can do is listen to your body and relay any changes to the technician so adjustments can be made if necessary.

Consistency. This is so important I do not even offer single sessions anymore. It is a waste of time if you have a goal or issue you need to address. If you have chronic inflammation, one visit a week on the red light bed is not going to correct it. In the beginning, a minimum of three sessions is required, and five is even better to get results. It is kind of like taking a new medication, the doctor will have you start out on a low dose every day and increase it over time.  Light should be introduced to the body in small doses consistently so the body can adapt. Light is cumulative. Eventually the client can cut down to two sessions a week, or less. In clinical trials, some people make full recoveries, while others have to return once a year for red light sessions for a couple of months. Everyone is different. Listen to your body.

In the final notes, it should be mentioned that different wavelengths require different timing and doses. Different wavelengths have different abilities too. Blue light is a short, powerful wavelength. It is great for skin issues, but it does not penetrate past that point. Because it is short, it can become hot and should not be used all the time, especially wavelengths under 450. If you are lying on a full body bed with a combination of red, infrared, and blue lights, the blue lights will get hot first and can cause hot spots. Wavelengths of 940 and 980 go deep, but are absorbed by fluids in the body. This why they are used in devices to liquidate fat cells. These wavelengths are used only 2 to 3 times a week. However, for all of these wavelengths the rules stay the same. Listen to your body and you should start feeling better!