LED Light Therapy for Wound Healing

Wound Healing Studies

There are hundreds of studies detailing the benefits of LED light therapy and its positive impact on wound healing including burns, surgical incisions, and diabetic ulcers. Below is an excerpt and abstract from Photobiomodulation Therapy for Wound Care: A Potent, Noninvasive, Photoceutical Approach³. Adv Skin Wound Care. (2019) on the subject of light therapy for wound healing.

General purpose: To provide background and examine evidence for the therapeutic application of light energy treatments for wound healing.

Target audience: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses with an interest in skin and wound care

Abstract: To provide background and examine evidence for the therapeutic applications of light energy treatments for wound healing. A search was performed in PubMed for peer-reviewed scientific articles published in the last 5 years using the search terms "photobiomodulation therapy" and "low-level laser therapy," and these terms combined with "wound," using a "human species" filter. This search yielded 218 articles on photobiomodulation therapy or low-level laser therapy and wounds. Of these, only articles on in vivo wound care using light treatments were specifically included in this review (n = 11).The wound healing effects of low-dose laser treatments were first described over 50 years ago. Various doses ranging from 0.1 to 10 J/cm and wavelengths ranging from 405 to 1,000 nm appear to provide therapeutic benefits for a broad range of chronic wounds. A range of light energy sources from LEDs to lasers have been used and have specific advantages and limitations. There is a lack of consensus on standardized treatment parameters such as wavelengths, dose, and therapeutic outcomes in the reviewed studies, preventing direct comparison and clinical protocol recommendation. An expert opinion based on ongoing research studies and reported literature is offered. Noninvasive, economical, and multipurpose light devices are an attractive tool for wound management. However, there is an urgent need in the wound care community to develop optimal clinical protocols for use based on well-designed, rigorous clinical research studies.

In a 2014 study conducted at the University of California’s Beckman LASER Institute, Comparison of laser and diode sources for acceleration of in vitro wound healing by low-level light therapy⁴, Celluma compared favorably a low level LASER when used to accelerate for wound closure. Here is the Abstract:

Abstract. Low-level light therapy has been shown to improve in vitro wound healing. However, well-defined parameters of different light sources for this therapy are lacking. The goal of this study was (1) to determine if the wavelengths tested are effective for in vitro wound healing and (2) to compare a laser and a light-emitting diode (LED) source at similar wavelengths. We show four wavelengths, delivered by either a laser or LED array, improved in vitro wound healing in A549, U2OS, and PtK2 cells. Improved wound healing occurred through increased cell migration demonstrated through scratch wound and transwell assays. Cell proliferation was tested by the (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-car-boxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium) (MTS) assay and was found generally not to be involved in the wound healing process. The laser and LED sources were found to be comparable when equal doses of light were applied. The biological response measured was similar in most cases. We conclude that the laser at 652 (5.57 mW∕cm2, 10.02 J∕cm2) and 806 nm (1.30 mW∕cm2, 2.334 J∕cm2) (full bandwidth 5 nm), and LED at 637 (5.57 mW∕cm2, 10.02 J∕cm2) and 901 nm (1.30 mW∕cm2, 2.334 J∕cm2) (full bandwidth 17 and 69 nm respectively) induce comparable levels of cell migration and wound closure.

References:

1. The effects of LED emissions on sternotomy incision repair after myocardial revascularization: a randomized double-blind study with follow-up Rauirys Alencar de Oliveira & Gilderlene Alves Fernandes & Andréa Conceição Gomes Lima & Antônio Dib Tajra Filho & Raimundo de Barros Araújo Jr. & Renata Amadei Nicolau Received: 2 August 2013 /Accepted: 25 November 2013 Springer-Verlag London 2013

2. Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in Dermatology. D. Barolet, M.D. 2008.

3. Mosca RC, Ong AA, Albasha O, Bass K, Arany P. Photobiomodulation Therapy for Wound Care: A Potent, Noninvasive, Photoceutical Approach. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2019;32(4):157‐167. doi:10.1097/01.ASW.0000553600.97572.d2

4. Ryan Spitler a,* and Michael W. Berns a,b Comparison of laser and diode sources for acceleration of in vitro wound healing by low-level light therapy aUniversity of California Irvine, Beckman Laser Institute, Department of Developmental & Cell Biology, 1002 Health Sciences Road, Irvine, California 92612 bUniversity of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093. Journal of Biomedical Optics 19(3), 038001 (March 2014)