Targeted & Handheld Red Light Devices

Close, usually resting lightly against the skin or within a couple of centimetres, unless the instructions say otherwise. Light intensity drops sharply with distance, so holding a handheld at arm's length wastes most of what it produces. Keep it still on one spot for the stated time rather than sweeping it around, because moving it constantly means no single area gets a full dose.

Typically three to five minutes on one area, with most devices running a timer or an interval beep. Treating four spots therefore means fifteen to twenty minutes of holding the device, which is the practical limit of what most people tolerate. If your list of spots is longer than four, a wrap or a panel is the better tool.

Different rather than better for home use. Laser concentrates output into a very small, high intensity spot. LED spreads it over a wider area at lower intensity per point. For most people an LED device is the more practical choice, because it covers a usable area and is far less sensitive to how you hold it. Laser devices need more care, especially around the eyes.

They are a narrow category that some people seek out specifically and most buyers will never need. If you have not come here looking for one, you almost certainly do not want one. Buy the torch or pen instead, which have obvious general use. We would rather say that plainly than sell you a device you will use twice.

For LED handhelds, do not look into the diodes and you will be fine. For laser devices, yes, use whatever protection is supplied and never direct the beam towards a face, your own or anyone else's. Laser output at close range is concentrated enough that carelessness matters. This applies to pets too, who will look straight at a light source without knowing better.