Most advice about red light panels stops at the point of purchase. This is about the fortnight afterwards, which is when people either build a habit or quietly stop.
The pattern is consistent: the device works fine, the person is not disappointed, but it lives in a spare room and needs moving and propping each time. Within a month it is used once a week. Within three it is in a cupboard. Almost all of that is a setup problem, and it is solvable before you unbox anything.
Where to put it
The rule is simple and it beats every other consideration: put it somewhere you already go.
A panel in a bedroom, next to where you get dressed, gets used. A panel in a home gym you visit twice a week gets used twice a week at most. A panel in the spare room gets used until the novelty fades.
Practical requirements:
- A dry room. Standard RLF panels are IP20 rated, so keep them away from bathrooms, steam and water.
- A power socket within reach of where the panel will actually stand — not across the room with a cable underfoot.
- Enough floor space to stand 15–30cm in front of it. Sounds obvious; frequently isn't. A full-body panel against a wall in a narrow room leaves you no room to stand back.
- Somewhere it can stay put. A device that gets moved before and after each session gets used less. This is the single most important one.
Floor stand or wall mount?
A stand gives you height adjustment and lets you move the panel occasionally. It takes floor space. Options run from a simple base stand for smaller panels through to a motorised floor stand for the larger ones. If you are treating different areas — face one day, knees the next — adjustable height matters more than you would guess.
Wall mounting saves floor space and fixes the panel permanently, which is either a feature or a limitation depending on your use. Check the fixings against your wall type; the larger RLF panels are substantial.
Either way, the point is the same: the panel should be ready to switch on without preparation. See the full range of stands and mounts.
How far to stand
Between 15 and 30cm for most routines.
Distance is the variable that controls dose. Closer means higher intensity over a smaller area and a shorter session. Further back means lower intensity spread wider. Dermfix publishes measured output at 15cm, so that distance is the reference point for the figures on each product page.
The useful trick is to make the distance repeatable. Mark the floor, or set the stand once and leave it. If you stand at a different distance each session you have no idea whether you are being consistent, and consistency is the thing that matters most in a routine you cannot directly measure.
How long, and how often
Typical home routines run 5–20 minutes per area, daily or every other day. Follow the instructions supplied with your device rather than a number from the internet.
Two principles worth holding onto:
Longer is not automatically better. More output mainly shortens the session; more time does not proportionally increase the effect. Twenty minutes daily is not obviously better than ten.
Consistency beats intensity. Ten minutes most days will do more than forty minutes once a week. Build the routine around what you will actually sustain in a bad week, not a good one.
Every RLF panel has a built-in 1–30 minute timer and 0–100% dimming, plus preset modes you can save. Set the timer and walk away mentally — checking a clock makes ten minutes feel like thirty.
What to do before a session
- Clean, dry, bare skin. Light is blocked by anything sitting on it, including make-up, sunscreen and moisturiser — and by clothing.
- Skincare afterwards, not before. Apply creams and serums once the session is finished.
- Eye protection. The LEDs are bright. Use the eyewear supplied, or keep your eyes closed and avoid looking directly into them. This is comfort rather than the strict requirement it is with UVB, but it is still sensible.
- Remove jewellery from the area if it will shadow the skin.
Fitting it into a day
The routines that survive tend to be attached to something that already happens.
Morning — while the kettle boils, or as part of getting dressed. Reliable because the trigger is fixed.
Post-exercise — a natural pairing if you already train at home, and the shower afterwards deals with the bare-skin requirement.
Evening — red sits at the gentle end of the spectrum, which is why some people prefer it as a wind-down rather than blue-heavy screens. See our piece on red light therapy and sleep.
Pick one. Trying to fit sessions in "whenever" is how the panel ends up unused.
Treating more than one area
If you want front and back, or several body areas, split them across sessions rather than doing everything at once. A full-body panel treats one side at a time — turn around halfway or alternate days.
For targeted work on a joint, move closer and shorten the session. This is where a smaller panel or the Halo LED is easier than manoeuvring a full-height panel.
Sharing a panel
Nothing touches the skin, so there is no hygiene consideration the way there is with a contact device. The practical issue is height — an adjustable stand saves resetting the panel each time two people of different heights use it.
What not to expect
Nothing happens in the first session, and probably not in the first fortnight. Photobiomodulation is a cumulative, gradual process. If you are looking for a same-day change you will conclude it does not work and stop — which is a shame, because you will have stopped before the point at which anything could be assessed.
Judge it over months, not days. And be sceptical of anyone — including us — promising a specific outcome on a specific timeline.
Common questions
How far should I stand from a red light panel?
Typically 15 to 30cm. Closer gives higher intensity over a smaller area; further back covers more at lower intensity. Check which distance any quoted output figure refers to — Dermfix publishes measured output at 15cm.
How long should a red light therapy session be?
Usually 5 to 20 minutes per area, daily or every other day. Follow the instructions supplied with your device. Longer sessions are not automatically better.
Should I use red light therapy on bare skin?
Yes. Light is blocked by clothing and by anything sitting on the skin, so clean dry bare skin gives the most direct exposure. Apply skincare afterwards rather than before.
Where is the best place to put a red light panel at home?
Somewhere dry, with a socket in reach, enough room to stand 15 to 30cm in front of it, and — most importantly — somewhere you already go every day. A panel that has to be set up each time gets used less.
Can I use a red light panel in a bathroom?
Standard RLF panels are IP20 rated, so no — keep them in dry rooms away from water and steam.
How soon will I notice anything from red light therapy?
Not immediately. It is a gradual, cumulative process, so judge it over months rather than days. Be wary of anyone promising a specific result on a specific timeline.
This article is general information about using equipment and is not medical advice. Always follow the instructions supplied with your device.