In recent times, red light therapy has gained popularity as a remedy for various health concerns. Red light therapy is said to offer a multitude of benefits, ranging from tissue repair, immune system enhancement, pain reliever, and collagen production to addressing issues like insomnia, mental depression, arthritis, skin disorders, hair loss, muscle revival, and even cancer.
Discovering the benefits of red light therapy is like stepping into a world of well-being. Today, we're looking at red light therapy beds and panels – two ways to soak in those healing rays. Deciding between red light therapy beds and panels is a crucial choice. Each one offers a special way to boost your well-being.
To integrate red light therapy into health practice, medicine, or industry, several factors should be taken into account, including evaluating costs, usability, ensuring product quality, and safety measures.
Let's break down the differences so you choose what suits you best on your path to feeling great and healthy!
Red Light Therapy
Also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and photobiomodulation (PBM), red light therapy is the combination of near-infrared and red light that is exposed to a person’s skin.
Red light therapy helps your cells work better and make more energy by reducing oxidative stress. This, in turn, enhances the healing process and reduces inflammation. Red and near-infrared light at healthy wavelengths supports the promotion of antioxidants.
Top-notch red light therapy devices, such as Hooga’s, utilize LED to emit near-infrared and red light onto your body throughout treatment.
Red Light Therapy Bed
As the name suggests, red light therapy beds are designed with LED (light-emitting diodes) devices for full-body exposure, where individuals lie on the bed during their treatment. You’re most likely to find these therapy beds at exclusive spas, high-end gyms, skincare specialists, salons, and wellness centers.
A red light therapy bed is an excellent way to undergo a comprehensive full-body treatment. It can be utilized across larger areas of your body, making it effective for widespread treatment. Optimal results are achieved by selecting a red light therapy bed that offers a variety of red and near-infrared wavelengths. Red light therapy beds provide full-body immersion and comfort, providing a spa-like atmosphere.
Red light therapy beds are deemed safe and have minimal to no side effects. For optimal results, it is advisable to choose an FDA-approved red light therapy bed tailored to the specific condition you want to treat. The cost and quality of red light therapy beds available can vary significantly.
Red Light Therapy Panel
Red light therapy panels offer equivalent healing benefits to a red light therapy bed. However, as a replacement for lying down on a bed, treatment sessions are performed while standing or sitting. They are used at healthcare facilities, as well as for personal use at home. Red light therapy panels offer a convenient and non-invasive system to harness the benefits of red light therapy.
For convenient and affordable options to use at home, consider exploring the advanced PRO Series light therapy panels.
Full-Body vs. Targeted Therapy
Red light therapy panels are available in various shapes and sizes, allowing you to focus on specific areas one at a time when needed. However, panels have the limitation of treating only one side of the body at a time, and the user needs to stand or sit during a treatment session.
A red light therapy bed surrounds the user's body with 360-degree full-body exposure to red and near-infrared wavelengths, creating a continuous red light blanket.
The comfort of using a bed, as opposed to a large panel where clients or patients need to stand or sit throughout the treatment, is a crucial consideration. Lying down and relaxing as the red light bathes the body is often preferred, as standing for extended periods, for 20 minutes or more, can become tiresome for many individuals.
Keeping this in mind, Hooga series panels are designed to securely fit on a horizontal stand that conveniently slides beside your bed, allowing for more comfort during treatments. Flexible red light therapy panels can be bent or curved to meet specific body features, allowing for greater freedom in targeting different locations.
Some red light panels, like those that measure 24x24 inches, are built in a square shape or rectangular to provide a compact choice for specific target therapies. Plus, they are built for travel and convenience.
Portability
When we talk about flexibility and portability, red light therapy panels are at the forefront of convenience.
Investing in a red light therapy bed confines its use to a specific area, offering limited portability as it is heavy. The bulky size requires a specific amount of space, while the stationary setup lacks the versatility for various applications. Storing them conveniently when not in use can be a challenge.
On the other hand, Advanced Therapy PRO Series Panels are versatile with stand compatibility, making them easier to move while taking less space. You can enhance treatment coverage and irradiance by mounting 2-4 panels on a stand. Mid-sized panels also offer versatile options for full-body or targeted treatments.
Cost
With sufficient budget and space, you can acquire a medical-grade red light therapy bed for personal use at home. A big downside of red light beds is that they are costly. You can create a full professional red light therapy setup for under $10,000 using therapy panels.
Therapeutic Red Light Wavelength
Red light therapy beds usually use red wavelengths ranging from 630 to 850 nm, indicating a limited wavelength range.
Red light therapy panels are considered better than red light therapy beds in terms of wavelength flexibility because they often offer a broader range of wavelengths (660nm Red and 850nm Near Infrared).
The specific range of wavelengths offered by red light therapy panels can vary depending on the manufacturer and model. So, there are lots of options out there to suit everyone’s needs. Common wavelengths used in red light therapy panels include:
- Red Light: Around 630-700 nm
- Near-Infrared Light: Around 700-1100 nm
- A combination of both red lights
These longer wavelengths of near-infrared light can penetrate cells and tissues deeper. This 3x deeper penetration of near-infrared light is one of the reasons it is often used in red light therapy for applications like promoting tissue repair, reducing inflammation, and supporting cellular functions within your body.
For more targeted treatments, panels allow users to personalize and alter the specific wavelengths of red and near-infrared light.
Light Intensity
Light therapy beds or panels with more LED light make the treatment work better and faster. More LED bulbs mean more red and near-infrared light in a device compared to one with fewer bulbs.
Depending on the model, therapy beds comprise around 3,600-45,000 LEDs, while panels have somewhere between 60-1,200 LEDs. This means that red light therapy beds offer much greater light density.
Power and Irradiance
One might assume that the device's size and wattage determine power, but this is not true. When talking about irradiance, red light panels have higher strength as they’re not designed to touch the skin. Conversely, beds would become very intense and hot if they have the same irradiance strength.
Therapy panels use less power but offer high irradiance power per square centimeter as compared to RLT beds. Higher irradiance levels in advanced panels offer greater amounts of light for possibly improved treatments.
Using less power helps save on monthly electric bills, and the higher irradiance results in shorter treatment sessions. Red light therapy panels can be joined together to form bigger panels or tailored combinations, boosting coverage and irradiance. Thanks to their modular design, multiple panels are connected for better coverage or installation in different configurations.
Pulsating Feature
Pulsating features are more commonly associated with panels than red light therapy beds. During a session, red light therapy beds generally offer continuous exposure to red and near-infrared light, providing a steady therapy. The pulsating feature allows light to emit in a pulsating or intermittent manner instead of a continuous stream.
This capability enables the light to be administered in regulated cycles or bursts, switching across defined on-and-off periods. Pulsing in red light therapy is based on the assumption that specific biological systems respond differently to different light patterns. According to certain research, pulsating red light may improve cellular responses.
Depending on preferences and the intended therapeutic goals, users can often modify the pulse frequency or switch between steady and pulsing modes.
Cleaning and Maintenance
As red light therapy beds involve skin-to-device direct contact, their large size and surface area require proper deep cleaning and sanitizing after every use. In contrast, red light therapy panels having compact designs require cleaning on a routine basis to avoid dust/debris buildup on ventilation openings.
Finally, the decision between Red Light Therapy Beds and Panels is based on personal preferences, therapeutic objectives, and practical concerns. Panels give flexibility, portability, and targeted treatment options, while beds provide immersive full-body exposure and relaxation.
Whether you choose the embracing comfort of a bed or the adjustable ease of a panel, your journey into the incredible world of Red Light Therapy promises a road to improved energy, mental health, and well-being.