Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Feb;16(2):e202200257.
doi: 10.1002/jbio.202200257. Epub 2022 Oct 25.

Highlighting nuances of blue light phototherapy: Mechanisms and safety considerations

Natallia E Uzunbajakava  1 , Desmond J Tobin  2 , Natalia V Botchkareva  3 , Christine Dierickx  4 , Peter Bjerring  5 , Godfrey Town  5
Affiliations
Review

Highlighting nuances of blue light phototherapy: Mechanisms and safety considerations

Natallia E Uzunbajakava et al. J Biophotonics. 2023 Feb.

Abstract

The efficacy of blue light therapy in dermatology relies on numerous clinical studies. The safety remains a topic of controversy, where potentially deleterious effects were derived from in vitro rather than in vivo experiments. The objectives of this work were (1) to highlight the nuances behind "colors" of blue light, light propagation in tissue and the plurality of modes of action; and (2) to rigorously analyze studies on humans reporting both clinical and histological data from skin biopsies with focus on DNA damage, proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, impact on collagen, elastin, immune cells, and pigmentation. We conclude that blue light therapy is safe for human skin. It induces intriguing skin pigmentation, in part mediated by photoreceptor Opsin-3, which might have a photoprotective effect against ultraviolet irradiation. Future research needs to unravel photochemical reactions and the most effective and safe parameters of blue light in dermatology.

Keywords: dermatology; melanins; photobiology; photochemical processes; phototherapy; pigmentation; safety.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. A. T. Slominski, M. A. Zmijewski, P. M. Plonka, J. P. Szaflarski, R. Paus, Endocrinology 2018, 159, 1992.
    1. N. E. Uzunbajakava, R. Verhagen, A. Vogel, N. Botchkareva, B. Varghese, Highlighting the nuances behind interaction of picosecond pulses with human skin: relating distinct laser-tissue interactions to their potential in cutaneous interventions. in Optical Interactions with Tissue and Cells XXIX (Eds: E. D. Jansen, H. T. Beier), SPIE, San Francisco, CA 2018, p. 44. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2307804
    1. S. L. Jacques, Surg Clin North Am 1992, 72, 531.
    1. M. H. Niemz, Laser-tissue interactions, Springer, Berlin Heidelberg 2007. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-72192-5
    1. C. A. Gueymard, D. Myers, K. Emery, Solar Energy 2002, 73, 443.

LinkOut - more resources