Breakthrough Study Reveals Light Therapy Accelerates Burn Healing

We burn ourselves all the time—staying in the sun too long, touching a hot pot, or encountering a chemical splash. Whatever the cause, burns can be extremely painful. Light therapy may help them heal faster.

So what is a burn? Burns are tissue damage caused by heat, sun overexposure, or contact with chemicals or electricity. Treatment depends on location and depth. While sunburns can usually be managed at home, deep or widespread burns need medical care. There are four classifications:

• First-degree: affect only the outer skin layer (epidermis). The area is red, itchy, and painful, without blisters.
• Second-degree: involve the epidermis and upper dermis. The site is blistered, red, swollen, and painful.
• Third-degree: destroy both epidermis and dermis and may reach subcutaneous fat. The wound can look charred or white.
• Fourth-degree: extend through all skin layers into deeper tissue, sometimes muscle or bone. Nerve destruction often leaves the area numb.

Mild burns respond to cool compresses, aloe vera, or over-the-counter anti-burn gels and usually settle within days. Severe burns may require skin grafting.

Laboratory work suggests light therapy can accelerate burn healing. A University at Buffalo-led study found that photobiomodulation—low-dose red or near-infrared light—sped recovery and lowered inflammation in burned mice.

The authors note that burns affect more than 1.1 million Americans each year and roughly 6 million people worldwide. Lead investigator Praveen Arany, DDS, PhD, explains that photobiomodulation is already used for conditions marked by inflammation, such as supportive cancer care, age-related macular degeneration, and Alzheimer’s disease. “This work,” he says, “provides evidence that photobiomodulation-activated TGF-beta 1 can mitigate inflammation while promoting tissue regeneration.”

Further reading:

• Mayo Clinic – Burn basics
• NHS – Burn and scald treatment
• PubMed – Search photobiomodulation research

The study was performed on third-degree burns over a period of nine days. The treatment appeared to stimulate various cells, bringing them into the healing process. These cells include fibroblasts (connective tissue cells that play a role in tissue repair) and macrophages (immune cells that reduce inflammation and fight infection). So, if you’ve been wondering, ‘is light therapy good for skin?’—the evidence suggests it can help.

The effectiveness of treating pain and stimulating healing with light therapy has been reported in many clinical trials and academic papers. In other words, red light therapy may provide supportive results for those looking to heal from injuries and illnesses in a shorter time span. The future of medicine is exploring the power of light.

We have developed a series of red light therapy devices intended for various needs. Whether you’re interested in private-label options or home-use devices, contact our team to discuss your light therapy journey.

PubMed search: photobiomodulation