830 nm light-emitting diode low level light therapy (LED-LLLT) enhances wound healing: a preliminary study

Abstract

Background and aims: The application of light-emitting diodes in a number of clinical fields is expanding rapidly since the development in the late 1990s of the NASA LED. Wound healing is one field where low level light therapy with LEDs (LED-LLLT) has attracted attention for both accelerating wound healing and controlling sequelae. The present study evaluated LED-LLLT in 5 wounds of various etiologies.

Subjects and methods: There were 5 patients with ages ranging from 7 to 54 years, comprising 2 males and 3 females. The study followed 5 wounds, namely 2 acute excoriation wounds; 1 acute/subacute dog bite with infection; 1 subacute post-filler ulcerated wound with necrotic ischemic tissue and secondary infection; and 1 subacute case of edema and infection of the lips with herpes simplex involvement after an illegal cosmetic tattoo operation. All patients were in varying degrees of pain. All wounds were treated with multiple sessions (daily, every other day or twice weekly) using an LED-LLLT system (830 nm, CW, irradiance of 100 mW/cm(2) and fluence of 60 J/cm(2)) till improvement was achieved.

Results: Full wound healing and control of infection and discomfort were achieved in all patients, with wound condition-mediated treatment periods ranging from 1 to 8 weeks. No recurrence of the herpes simplex case was seen in a 4-month follow-up.

Conclusions: 830 nm LED-LLLT successfully brought about accelerated healing in wounds of different etiologies and at different stages, and successfully controlled secondary infection. LED-LLLT was easy and pain-free to apply, and was well-tolerated by all patients. The good results warrant the design of controlled studies with a larger patient population.

Keywords: Excoriation wounds; Herpes simplex; Ischemic necrosis; LED-LLLT; Scar prophylaxis; Secondary infection.

Fig. 1

The HEALITE II® LED phototherapy system (Lutronic Corp., Goyang, South Korea). The articulated planar arrays can be adjusted to fit the contour of any part of the body, and the ‘place and stay’ hinged arm allows adjustment for height and reach.

Fig. 2

A 7-year-old boy with 2 excoriation injuries to the left face (a) at baseline and (b) after 1 week of daily 830 nm LED treatments

Fig. 3

A 7-year-old girl who injured her face at kindergarten with (a) a scratch and bruising at baseline, and (b) 10 weeks from baseline and 2 weeks after the final treatment session (16 sessions over 8 weeks)

Fig. 4

A 25-year-old female with an infected dog bite injury on her nose. (a) The findings at baseline. Infection-related erythema is clearly visible around the puncture wounds, some quite deep with a little laceration. (b) 6 days later after 5 LED-LLLT sessions, the infection has resolved and the dog bite marks are repairing well, even the deeper ones. (c): The final result at 18 days (13 sessions) from baseline.

Fig. 5

Post-filler ulceration. (a) A 52-year-old male underwent a filler procedure elsewhere, but developed ischemic tissue necrosis with severe secondary infection at baseline. (b) After 2 weeks the wound is clearly closing with good granulation tissue formation and much less infection. (c): The further improvement at 3 weeks post-baseline with almost complete closure of the ulcerous wound. (d): Full closure with very acceptable cosmesis has been obtained 6 weeks from baseline and 1 week after the final treatment (29 sessions).

Fig. 6

An adverse reaction was seen in a 54-year-old female following an illegal cosmetic lip tattoo. (a) at baseline, swelling of the lips with secondary bacterial infection and herpes zoster can be seen. (b) Findings 1 week after start of treatment (4 sessions). (c) 2 weeks post-baseline, improvement is noted. (d) The final excellent results 3 weeks from baseline after 12 LED-LLLT treatment sessions. Improvement in the overall skin condition should also be noted.