what is Low Level Laser Therapy?
"Low Level Laser Therapy or Laser Phototherapy is a method where light from a laser is applied to tissue (or cells in culture) in order to influence cell or tissue functions with such low light intensity that heating is negligible. The effects achieved are hence not due to heating but to photochemical or photobiologic reactions like the effect of light in plants. The lasers used are normally referred to as therapeutic lasers." Swedish Laser Medical Society
Clinical trials
Many clinical studies, research and experimentation have been conducted into low level laser therapy. There have been more than 100 double-blind positive studies confirming the clinical effects of low level laser therapy. More than 2500 research reports have been published.
Every study differs from the others in its conclusions but it is important to note that more than 90 percent of these studies return a positive result for the use of laser therapy.
Low level laser therapy for hair loss
Low Level Laser treatment can be traced back to 1964 when Professor Andre Mester of Budapest conducted an experiment using low level laser rays to heal the wounds of laboratory mice. He then discovered that the laser rays stimulated blood circulation and also caused hair located in the area of the wound to grow thicker and longer. His observation is similar to the National Hair Journal’s post about hair growing faster and thicker during the summer season when people have more exposure to the sun. Now Low Level Laser Therapy is widely used as a safe and effective treatment for hair loss.
What does low level laser therapy do?
Low Level Laser Therapy is widely used around the world to treat and cure a number of conditions including problematic skin conditions, hair loss and to promote healing in wounds or injuries.
It is beneficial in repairing damaged cells and speeds up and enhances the response of the body’s immune system as well as aiding pain relief.
How does it work?
It is a non-invasive treatment using photons of light for biostimulation. These photons come from the visible and infrared spectrum and are important for healing the body tissues as well as reducing or easing pain. Usually, low level laser therapy operates between wavelengths of 600nm - 1000nm.
The light used for low level laser therapy is able to penetrate the skin without any heating effect. It does not damage the skin and will not cause any side effects.
The lasers that are used in low level laser therapy promote the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which helps in increasing the protein synthesis within the cells. This adenosine triphosphate energises the cells and optimises their important role in the healing process of the body.
What are the advantages of low level laser therapy?
- It is non-invasive with few or no side effects
- The user will not experience pain or discomfort
Developments in technology have increased the usage of low level laser therapy. Even acupuncture now uses therapeutic lasers for those with a fear of needles.
What are the risks and side effects of using a skin laser or a hair laser?
Generally there are no side effects for low level laser therapy with a skin laser or a hair laser and the risks for this therapy are minimal. The only known physical risk can be damage to the eye. However, the Smart "Face-Away" Sensor for eye safety ensures the laser beam is automatically switched off when the distance between your skin and the laser is more than 10 centimetres.
How long before I notice the results?
Initial results may be seen within 7-10 days but in most cases 6-8 weeks is required.
Clinical Trials and Research into Low Level Laser Therapy
(AKA LLLT, phototherapy, biostimulation, soft laser, cold laser, light therapy, photon therapy)
There are more than 100 double-blind positive studies confirming the clinical effect of low level laser therapy and more than 2500 research reports published on the use and efficacy of low level lasers according to the Swedish Laser Medical Society. The examples below will help you to understand the subject better.
A Structural Approach to Non-ablative Body Rejuvenation
Neil Sadick, MD, FACP, FAACS, FAAD, FACPh
Clinical Professor of Dermatology, Weill Medical College, Cornell University
Originally printed in: US Dermatology Review 2006 - December 2005
"The trend in cosmetic surgery and dermatology has been away from ablative, or destructive, processes and toward technologies and techniques that spare tissue and promote growth. Unlike their ablative counterparts, non-ablative treatments require multiple sessions, but are well tolerated and require no downtime. With the increasing amounts of clinical data and scientific studies, the techniques of non- ablative revitalisation, producing safe and effective treatments for an ever-growing population of aging patients, are being refined.
Red light phototherapy alone is effective for acne vulgaris: randomized, single-blinded clinical trial
Na JI, Suh DH
Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul,
Korea.
BACKGROUND: Recently, a demand for safe and effective treatment of acne has been increasing. Although visible light has attracted attention as a new option, the effect of red light alone has not yet been evaluated.
OBJECTIVES: The objective was to assess the efficacy of red light phototherapy with a portable device in acne vulgaris.
METHODS: Twenty-eight volunteers with mild to moderate acne were treated with portable red light-emitting devices in this split-face randomized trial. The right or left side of the face was randomized to treatment side and phototherapy was performed for 15 minutes twice a day for 8 weeks. Clinical photographs, lesion counts, and a visual analog scale (VAS) were used to assess each side of the face at baseline and Weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8, and a split-face comparison was performed.
RESULTS: The percent improvement in noninflammatory and inflammatory lesion counts of the treated side was significant compared to the control side (p<.005). VAS decreased from 3.9 to 1.9 on the treatment side and the difference between the treatment and control sides was significant at Week 8 (p<.005).
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that red light phototherapy alone can be a new therapeutic option for acne vulgaris.
Nonablative [Non-wounding] laser and light therapies for skin revitalisation
Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2004 Nov-Dec;6(6):398-409
Kim KH, Geronemus RG.
Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York, 317 E. 34th Street, New York, NY
10016, USA.
BACKGROUND: Multiple modalities have been described for skin revitalisation, including ablative and nonablative therapies. Because of the prolonged recovery period associated with ablative procedures that injure the epidermis, nonablative skin treatments have grown increasingly popular. Various laser- and light-based systems have been designed or applied for promoting skin remodeling without damage to the epidermis.
METHODS: Studies investigating the use of nonablative procedures for facial rhytids [wrinkles] or acne scarring with clinical, histological, and objective quantitative measurements are systematically reviewed.
RESULTS: Nonablative treatments are associated with clinical and objective improvements for the treatment of facial rhytids and acne scarring. Dermal remodeling seems to occur as a result of thermal injury, leading to dermal fibrosis without epidermal disruption.
CONCLUSIONS: Although results are not as impressive as those of ablative treatments, nonablative procedures are effective in the treatment of photoaging and acne scarring. As technology in nonablative therapies continues to evolve, future laser and light sources may yield even more favorable results.
Alteration of extracellular matrix modulators after nonablative laser therapy in skin revitalisation.
Oh, J Kim, N Seo, S Kim, IH
Laboratory of Cellular Oncology, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Gojan 1-dong,
Danwon gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi do 425-707 Korea
BACKGROUND: Nonablative laser therapy is widely practised for skin revitalisation, which stimulates collagen production and dermal matrix remodelling. Matrix remodelling is primarily modulated by a coordinated action of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors, but the effects of nonablative lasers on these matrix modulators are not fully investigated.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the changes in matrix modulators, such as MMP-1, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9 and MT1-MMP, and their inhibitors (TIMP-1, TIMP-2 and RECK in particular), after nonablative laser treatments of human facial skin.
METHODS: Twenty-four adult volunteers received a series of four nonablative laser treatments separated by 3-week intervals on facial skin. Two-millimetre skin punch biopsies were obtained at baseline and 3 weeks after the last treatment.
RESULTS: Nonablative laser treatments led to a robust increase in two major dermal matrix components, type I collagen and tropoelastin. Among MMPs tested, levels of MMP-2 mRNA were statistically significantly increased, but the amount of active MMP-2 was rather reduced. More importantly, the expression level of RECK was significantly enhanced by laser treatments.
CONCLUSIONS: Clinical outcomes following nonablative laser treatments may result not only from increased biosynthesis but also from decreased degradation, via an induction of RECK expression, of matrix proteins.
Researchers Get Better Understanding of How Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) Rejuvenate Skin and Reduce Wrinkles
Sommer, A. CrystalGrowth & Design, Nov. 5, 2008.
By Stephanie Watson, WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Oct. 17, 2008 -- The same tiny lights found in electronic billboards and traffic lights might zap away wrinkles and lead to younger-looking skin without the need for cosmetic surgery or Botox, say researchers in Germany.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used for more than 40 years to speed wound healing, and they are already being used in skin revitalisation procedures, but until now, researchers have not understood exactly how they work. Now they do.
The research centered on elastin -- the protein involved in skin elasticity. With age, elastin fibers break down and the skin loses its ability to bounce back.
Researchers Andrei P. Sommer and Dan Zhu of the University of Ulm in Germany have discovered that during aging, water layers surrounding elastin fibers change and affect the elastin fibers. This may contribute to the formation of wrinkles.
The researchers theorized that they could use high-intensity visible light from LEDs to change the molecular structure of the water layer to free up elastin. They used an array of LEDs that gave off 600-720 nanometers of light. To prevent any adverse effects to the cells from the light penetrating the skin, the doses were adjusted to temporarily increase circulation.
After nine weeks of daily treatment, participants had a noticeable reduction in wrinkles. The LED therapy led to rejuvenated, younger-looking, and more resilient skin, according to the researchers.
Because elastin also provides elasticity to the blood vessels, heart, and other structures in the body, the researchers say LEDs might be useful for other therapies, as well. “We are justified in believing that our approach can be easily converted to deep-body revitalisation programs,” they write in the Nov. 5 issue of the American Chemical Society journal Crystal Growth & Design.
NASA Light-Emitting Diode Technology Brings Relief In Clinical Trials
Jerry Berg
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
(Phone: 256/544-0034)
November 13, 2003
RELEASE : 03-366
A nurse holds a strange-looking device, moving it slowly toward a young patient's face. The note-card-sized device is covered with glowing red lights, but as it comes closer, the youngster shows no fear. He's hopeful this painless procedure using an array of lights will help ease or prevent some of the pain and discomfort associated with cancer treatment.
The youngster is participating in the second phase of human clinical trials for this healing device. The first round of tests, by Medical College of Wisconsin researchers at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, was so encouraging doctors have expanded the trials to several U.S. and foreign hospitals.
"We've already seen how using LEDs can improve a bone-marrow transplant patient's quality of life," said Dr. Harry Whelan, professor of neurology, pediatrics and hyperbaric medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "These trials will hopefully help us take the next steps to provide this as a standard of care for this ailment."
The light is produced by light emitting diodes, or LEDs. They are used in hundreds of applications, from electronic clock displays to jumbo TV screens.
LEDs provide light for plants grown on the Space Station as part of commercial experiments sponsored by industry. Researchers discovered the diodes also had many promising medical applications, prompting NASA to fund this research as well, through its Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Biologists have found that cells exposed to near-infrared light from LEDs, which is energy just outside the visible range, grow 150 to 200 percent faster than cells not stimulated by such light. The light arrays increase energy inside cells that speed up the healing process.
Anti-inflammatory effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with two different red wavelengths (660nm and 684nm) in carrageenan-induced rat paw edema
Albertini R, Villaverde AB, Aimbire F, Salgado MA, Bjordal JM, Alves LP, Munin
E, Costa MS
Instituto de Pesquisa & Desenvolvimento - IPD, Universidade do Vale do
Paraiba - UNIVAP, Av. Shishima Hifumi, 2911, CEP: 12244-000 Sao Jose dos Campos,
SP. Brazil
It has been suggested that low-level laser therapy (LLLT) can modulate inflammatory processes. The aim of this experiment was to investigate what effects red laser irradiation with two different wavelengths (660nm and 684nm) on carrageenan-induced rat paw edema and histology. Thirty two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups. One group received a sterile saline injection, while inflammation was induced by a sub-plantar injection of carrageenan (1mg/paw) in the three other groups. After 1h, LLLT was administered to the paw in two of the carrageenan-injected groups. Continuous wave 660nm and 684nm red lasers respectively with mean optical outputs of 30mW and doses of 7.5J/cm(2) were used. The 660nm and 684nm laser groups developed significantly (p<0.01) less edema (0.58ml [SE+/-0.17] ml and 0.76ml [SE+/-0.10] respectively) than the control group (1.67ml [SE+/-0.19]) at 4h after injections. Similarly, both laser groups showed a significantly lower number of inflammatory cells in the muscular and conjunctive sub-plantar tissues than the control group. We conclude that both 660nm and 684nm red wavelengths of LLLT are effective in reducing edema formation and inflammatory cell migration when a dose of 7.5J/cm(2) is used.
Effectiveness of laser photobiomodulation at 660 or 780 nanometers on the repair of third-degree burns in diabetic rats
Meireles GC, Santos JN, Chagas PO, Moura AP, Pinheiro AL
Laser Center, School of Dentistry, Department of Propedeutics and Integrated
Clinics, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this investigation was to compare by light microscopy the effects of laser photobiomodulation (LPBM) at lambda = 660 nm and lambda = 780 nm on third-degree burns in diabetic Wistar rats. BACKGROUND DATA: Burns are severe injuries that result in fluid loss, tissue destruction, infection, and shock, that may result in death. Diabetes is a disease that reduces the body's ability to heal properly. LPBM has been suggested as an effective method of improving wound healing.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A third-degree burn measuring 1.5 x 1.5 cm was created in the dorsum of each of 55 animals, and they were divided into three groups that were or were not treated with LPBM (lambda = 660 nm or lambda = 780 nm, 35 mW, varphi = 2 mm, 20 J/cm(2)). The treatments were started immediately post-burn at four points within the burned area (5 J/cm(2)) and were repeated at 24-hour intervals over 21 d. The animals were humanely killed after 3, 5, 7, 14, and 21 d by an overdose of intraperitoneal general anesthetic. The specimens were routinely cut and stained and analyzed by light microscopy.
RESULTS: We found that healing in the animals receiving 660-nm laser energy was more apparent at early stages, with positive effects on inflammation, the amount and quality of granulation tissue, fibroblast proliferation, and on collagen deposition and organization. Epithelialization and local microcirculation were also positively affected by the treatment.
CONCLUSION: The use of 780-nm laser energy was not as effective as 660-nm energy, but it had positive effects at early stages on the onset and development of inflammation. At the end of the experimental period the primary effect seen was on the amount and quality of the granulation tissue. The 660-nm laser at 20 J/cm(2), when used on a daily basis, was more effective than the 780-nm laser for improving the healing of third-degree burns in the diabetic rats beginning at the early stages post-burn.
Lasers to magic bullets: an updated history of lasers in dermatology
Houk LD, Humphreys T
Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, Jefferson Medical College
of Thomas Jefferson University, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia,
PA 19107, USA.
Laser therapy is one of the fastest expanding and most exciting fields in dermatology. From its theoretical beginnings in Einstein's imagination, lasers have come to be used in treatments for conditions ranging from skin malignancy and acne to hirsutism and photoaging. We will briefly review the evolution of laser treatment, with a focus on the recent developments surrounding the new millennium.
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