RDPRO 500

Most manufacturers recommend positioning yourself about 6 to 12 inches (15–30 cm) away from the panel for optimal results​. At this distance, you receive good light intensity without being uncomfortably close. Always check your specific panel’s guidelines, though – very high-powered panels might suggest a slightly greater distance (e.g. 18+ inches) to prevent overexposure or excess heat.

A typical session with a panel lasts around 10 to 20 minutes per targeted area​. Extending beyond 20 minutes on one area usually isn’t beneficial – studies indicate that after this point, cells have absorbed as much light as they can, so extra exposure yields diminishing returns​. It’s more effective to stick to the recommended time and if needed, do another session later rather than one very long session.

You’ll get the best results by using your panel consistently multiple times per week. Many people start with about 3–5 sessions per week, and some even use it daily (especially if the device’s intensity is moderate)​. Red light therapy is generally safe to do every day as long as you don’t overdo each session, so the key is regular, repeated use – think of it like exercise for your cells, working best with a steady routine.

t’s a good idea to protect your eyes because panels can be very bright. Manufacturers often recommend wearing protective goggles or eyewear, or at least keeping your eyes closed during treatment​. While red and near-infrared light aren’t UV and won’t damage the eyes like sunlight, the intense LED brightness could cause eye strain or irritation over time, so using eye protection is a prudent safety measure​.

For maximum effect, use the panel on bare skin – don’t cover the area with clothing. Clothing (especially dark or thick fabric) can block a significant amount of the red and infrared light. In fact, tests show a thin dark shirt might allow only a few percent of the light through to your skin​. Using the panel on clean, bare skin ensures the therapeutic light isn’t absorbed or scattered by fabric and can penetrate into your body as intended​.

Larger panels are more time-efficient for treating big areas because they cover more of your body at once​. For example, a full-size panel might bathe your entire torso or half your body in light in one session, whereas a small panel or handheld device only treats a small spot and you’d have to move it around to cover different areas. The effectiveness per area is similar if the power output is comparable, but a bigger panel means you won’t need multiple back-to-back sessions to address extensive areas​.

Red light (around 630–660 nm wavelength) primarily affects surface tissues like the skin it’s great for improving skin health, collagen production, and superficial healing​. Near-infrared (NIR) light (around 810–850 nm) penetrates deeper into the body, reaching into muscles, joints, and even bones​. That’s why many panels include NIR LEDs: red light targets skin-level issues, while NIR can help with deeper tissue repair, reducing joint pain, and muscle recovery.

If some bulbs appear off, they’re likely the near-infrared LEDs, which emit light that’s invisible to the human eye. Red LEDs glow visibly red, but NIR light is beyond our visual range, so those LEDs won’t light up to our eyes even though they are actually on. (A simple test: view the panel through a phone camera – often you’ll see the “invisible” lights glowing on the camera display​. In short, LEDs that look off are usually not broken; they’re just emitting infrared light that we can’t see​.

No – a quality red light panel shouldn’t expose you to harmful radiation. These panels do not produce ultraviolet light, so there’s no risk of UV damage, tanning, or sunburn​. As for electromagnetic fields (EMFs), the device will emit a small EMF similar to any electric appliance, but reputable panels are designed to keep EMF levels very low (often negligible at the recommended use distance)​. In other words, there’s no evidence of any dangerous radiation exposure from using a red light panel as directed.

You can use your panel whenever it fits your schedule, but timing can slightly influence the experience. Many people use red light in the morning to energize themselves or around workouts – for instance, right before exercise to help warm up muscles, or after exercise to aid recovery​. It’s also fine to do sessions in the evening; however, because bright light can be stimulating, some experts suggest avoiding intense visible red light in the last 2–3 hours before bedtime. If you want to do late-night therapy, you could use only the near-infrared setting (since NIR light is invisible and less likely to disrupt sleep patterns) so you get the benefits without potentially interfering with your sleep hormones​