A growing number of people are undergoing red light therapy to relieve chronic skin conditions, ease muscle aches and joint pain, or even to reduce the visible signs of aging. But how often should you use a red light therapy bed?
Unlike many one-size-fits-all approaches to therapy, red light therapy is a highly customizable and personalized treatment. Red light therapy, also known as photobiomodulation (PBMT), uses the power of light to stimulate energy production and healing within cells. Red light therapy is a dose-dependent treatment, which means that your body’s response improves with every session. A consistent treatment schedule provides the best results.
Many patients wonder how often they should use a red light therapy bed. The answer is – it depends. Some people require frequent sessions, while others can get by with a treatment now and then. Most get good results with a 15-minute session, 3-5 times each week for several months. The frequency at which you use a red light therapy bed also depends on the severity of the condition you want to treat, your age and overall health, as well as your sensitivity to light.
Because everyone is different, it is wiser to start slow and work your way up to frequent sessions. You may want to start with a 10-minute session every other day for the first week. If you experience temporary redness or tightness, decrease your therapy time. If you do not experience redness or tightness, you can extend your daily therapy time to a total of 15 to 20 minutes.
Healing occurs at the cellular level, and cells require time to heal and regenerate. Red light therapy starts to work immediately, and the results only get better with each session. Improvement for long-term problems is usually noticeable after 8 to 12 weeks of consistent use.
As with other treatments, the results of red light therapy are long-lasting, but they are not permanent. This is especially true for skin conditions, as new skin cells replace old treated skin cells rather quickly. Using red light therapy and other treatments for a long time provides better results, but patients are sometimes reluctant to comply with long-term treatment plans.
Healthcare providers can often help clients stick to a treatment plan by combining red light therapy with other treatments. Getting two or more treatments in each visit helps clients save valuable time and enjoy better results. Clients are also encouraged by the fact that red light therapy is safe – because it does not harm the skin or the underlying tissue, there is virtually no risk of overdoing it. What’s more, the drug-free treatment rarely has any side effects.