LLLT

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) — also referred to as photobiomodulation (PBM) — is gaining momentum. LLLT is the application of light (usually a low‑power laser or LED) to promote tissue repair, reduce inflammation or induce analgesia. The effects of LLLT can be explained by light absorption in the mitochondria, where it interacts with the mitochondrial protein cytochrome oxidase. Every cell in the body has lots of mitochondria, the job of which is to make cellular energy (ATP).

Treatments with LLLT technologies — especially the visible light and near infrared spectrums — are growing in both the aesthetic and medical worlds. The majority of clinical evidence for LLLT is for treating musculoskeletal pain: neck pain, tendinopathies, osteoarthritis, and oral mucositis (post‑radio/chemotherapy). However, LLLT is also becoming a treatment for serious medical conditions. Harvard medical school is working on traumatic brain injury, spinal-cord injuries, and the side-effects of chemotherapy, and MIT is working on US army amputees. The therapy is also beginning to be used to treat strokes, depression, and pressure ulcers.

Blue light has been used by dermatologists for many years to treat acne. A major attraction is that it is a drug‑free treatment without the side‑effects of conventional treatments (i.e. antibiotics, topical creams and contraceptive pills). Consensus has held that visible blue light at a wavelength of 420 nm does not cause damage to the skin, but is effective in killing the bacteria that causes acne.

Acording to the some recent research, however, blue light is only really effective at killing bacteria in the lab, and its efficacy on the skin tissue in vivo is more questionable. The problem with blue light is said to be that it does not penetrate the skin deeply enough. Alternatives are therefore being sought. According to James Caroll of THOR Photomedicine Ltd, red and near-infrared light is showing good results in acne treatment.

Indeed, there is a new generation of at‑home phototherapy devices for acne, such as LMS (Love My Skin) Spotlight 24, launched at Boots Pharmacies last autumn, that use only red light and infrared light. The primary effect of the red light therapy in LMS Spotlights is to penetrate the skin cells to force out nitric oxide and stimulate antioxidants. This has been shown to reduce cellular stress and increase cellular energy (ATP), leading to improved healing and repair of the skin in a wide range of medical conditions, including spots and acne. The device is easy to use and has short treatment times — only 1 minute, three times per day, for optimal performance (LMS Spotlights have a built-in timer).

The red and infrared wavelengths are continuing to be popular to rejuvenate both the skin and the whole body. The Omnilux new-U is one of the few approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Clinical trials show that after eight 20-minute treatments over 4 weeks, three quarters of patients showed a significant improvement to fine lines and wrinkles.

However, LLLT therapies are highly controversial, with many experts challenging their claimed results. According to Dr Janis T. Eells, a specialist in LLLT and graduate program director for biomedical sciences at the College of Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, for LLLT to be effective, the various irradiation parameters (wavelength, power, power density, pulse parameters) must be within certain ranges, but many of the devices on the market today simply do not get those parameters right. And as a result, they don’t work. In the next 5 years, however, it is expected that more research will be carried out in this area and we will know more about the right parameters for a device to be effective.