Questions Raised About Efficacy of LED Photomodulation Treatments

TORONTO—Available data suggest that light-emitting diode devices are of questionable utility for skin rejuvenation, Dr. Ranella Hirsch said at the annual fall meeting of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Light-emitting diode (LED) photomodulation devices use nonablative technology—low-intensity light therapy—to nonthermally modulate the activity of living cells, said Dr. Hirsch, who is in private practice in Cambridge, Mass. The devices are used primarily to treat wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, redness, roughness, and pore size, she said.

The most prevalent unit, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, is the GentleWaves LED photomodulation device from Light BioScience.

There is histologic evidence that LED devices stimulate collagen growth and do so without harming the skin's surface, but most of that data have been generated by Light BioScience or investigators with close ties to that manufacturer or other LED makers, Dr. Hirsch said.

The company also submitted data to the FDA that showed some potential clinical benefit after eight patient visits, she said.

LEDs offer an advantage over higher-powered lasers in that they can treat larger areas with lower energy.

It's not certain, however, that there is no benefit at all. Some studies have indicated that LED technology may be useful for wound healing. A literature review published in 2005 found some studies showing improvements in surgical wound healing with low-level laser therapy, but those studies involved a rodent model and would need to be duplicated in pigs and then humans, the authors said (Dermatol. Surg. 2005;31:334–40).

The technology appears to be safe, said Dr. Hirsch, but is "by no definition a home run. I would put it in the same basket as microdermabrasion—by and large, there is no huge benefit, but there is no harm."

Dr. Hirsch expressed other doubts about the technology, including the fact that a physician is not required to administer the therapy. Patients generally sit in front of the units for 10–15 minutes, once a week, for 8–10 weeks.

Dr. Hirsch is a clinical investigator for Candela Corp., Palomar, Cynosure, and Hoya ConBio.