Skin science and the emerging field of low-level laser therapy

Natural light significantly affects our biological processes, from our sleep patterns and function in our brains to how we sleep and our immune system. The early Egyptians employed sunlight to heal and disinfect chronic ulcers and wounds as long as 5500 BC, making light therapy one of the most ancient therapies used by humans.
There is increasing evidence that delivering certain wavelengths of near-infrared and red laser light to specific areas within the human body makes it possible to tailor the biochemical processes that regulate mitochondrial function and cell signaling, which can aid in cell renewal and healing.
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This method is referred to as photobiomodulation. It was previously only used in clinics and hospitals to decrease inflammation and pain, help heal wounded tissues, wounds, and nerves, and stop tissue damage. But, today, photobiomodulation has become extensively commercialized, and the use of low-level lasers is designed for consumers to benefit from its capabilities at home to enhance their skin’s appearance.
Laser therapy instruments that are low-level don’t operate like the traditional ablative lasers utilized in the industry of skin therapy. Lasers that are ablative cause thermal micro-injury to the epidermis. They also stimulate the dermis beneath to encourage collagen production. The latest lasers use light of less intense levels to enable light-sensitive molecules that are involved in the chain of skin rejuvenation procedures.
Laser light can penetrate more in the skin than light that is not coherent due to speckles. When light is absorbed by any random object, such as the skin, it gets dispersed and then absorbed by the specific wavelength determining how much it travels (see the diagram below).
Laser light, however, has a second property known as coherence. It can cause it to interfere in a way, either by combining to form an attractive patch or fading out. In the skin (and any other random medium), the interference pattern is arbitrary and can be described as speckle. Importantly, when the scattered light sources combine to form speckle, it is able to be absorbed deeper into the tissues at levels of intensity sufficient to trigger biochemical cascades. In contrast, sources that are not lasers are not able to generate speckles.
“If you want to rebuild the skin, the light has to arrive at the base layer, where regeneration takes place with sufficient power,” claims Lucy Goff, founder of LYMA, a company for wellness that has created the Low-Level Laser Therapy device designed for the home.
In a research study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, cosmetic surgeon Graeme Glass, who operates at Sidra Medicine, Qatar, and is LYMA Aesthetic Director, states that there is evidence that suggests laser light may be more effective in the targeted tissue but further research is needed to support the clinical practice.
Different kinds of evidence have been built for some time. The year 1967 was the first time Endre Mester of the Semmelweis Medical University in Hungary found that red lasers focused with light could enhance the healing of mouse skin. In investigating the efficacy of the light source, the researcher first noticed an unanticipated increase in hair growth as well as an improvement in wound healing. But, it took several decades to shed some information on its effects on recovery.
One of the challenges is figuring out the mechanism of photobiomodulation. One hypothesis is that red light may trigger convection currents in microscopic size within cells that aid in mixing and dispersing biochemical reactions and nutrients. A different possibility could be that infrared light triggers an intricate sequence of events within mitochondria which are the chemical factories within cells that produce most of their energy chemically through an adenosine triphosphate-like molecule or ATP. The light appears to activate an enzyme in this process, a cytochrome c oxidase that enhances the production of ATP. Glass describes: “Effectively, you’re supercharging the mitochondria to make more ATP, which helps cell regeneration.”
Photobiomodulation can also be involved in healing wounds. One possible reason is that light from lasers could modify protein affinities known as transcription factors which aid in turning specific genes on or off. “As a result, genes responsible for senescence [cell death] and decline are switched off, and genes involved in cell proliferation, survival, tissue repair, and regeneration are switched on,” Glass says.
There is evidence that photobiomodulation could reduce inflammation by an additional route. Certain studies have demonstrated low-level laser therapy to reduce inflammation in joints, perhaps by blocking COX-2, a protein involved in pain and inflammation.
A lot of people choose low-level laser treatment in hopes of preventing wrinkles or smoothing them. “As we age, we gradually lose the natural process of cell turnover,” Glass says. Glass.
It is believed that light-induced photobiomodulation can affect skin cells, also known as fibroblasts, that produce collagen. Within these cells, the chain of events triggered by laser light enhances the collagen gene expression, and it also increases the amount of polysaccharides. These sugars cause the cells to draw in water through Osmosis, making the skin appear more firm as well as more flexible. In theory, this could minimize wrinkles and lines, and some studies suggest this is the case. Up.
Yet, more proof is required. With hundreds of research studies and years of use, the main question isn’t whether or not low-level laser therapy can have biochemical effects but rather how. Notably, researchers must know the ideal parameters of these sources for various applications.
This is difficult since many trials have small cohorts of patients, are typically sponsored by industry, and need independent oversight. “There is ample scope to improve the quality of evidence,” Glass says. Glass. He believes that well-designed, adequately powered, and independent clinical trials can help to solve some of the unanswered questions and allow the maximum potential for this therapeutic approach to be realized.
Low-level treatment using laser therapy is expanding, with laser devices for home use like the LYMA Laser making their debut on the market. Paul Clayton, LYMA director of science, recognized the chance to design an affordable low-level laser therapy device that has no chance of damaging skin. “You can use it around your eyes to focus on crow’s feet, and it’s perfectly safe,” he states.
In short, low-level laser therapy will be going to be around for a while. “Photobiomodulation is a real phenomenon,” Glass says. Glass. “The challenge is to prove its therapeutic utility in retrospect.