• Red light therapy can promote rapid healing for oral dermatologic conditions such as cold sores and oral mucositis.
• It can also be used as an adjunct treatment for photoaging and acne.

Established evidence has long supported the use of red light therapy for radiation oncology, but emerging data suggest benefits for photoaging and acne as well.

In this Beneath the Surface video interview, Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD, the James J. Leyden Professor of Clinical Investigation and professor of dermatology and epidemiology at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and Healio Dermatology’s Chief Medical Editor, spoke with David M. Ozog, MD, FAAD, FACMS, chair of the department of dermatology at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, about the benefits of red light therapy for dermatologic indications.

According to Ozog, there is a strong body of evidence for the use of red light therapy in radiation oncology for adverse events related to cancer treatments.

“For anyone who has had a loved one treated with radiation for face, neck, throat, tongue or any type of cancer, one of the most horrific side effects from that radiation is painful ulcers in the mouth,” Ozog said. “The evidence for red light, and sometimes near-infrared light, in the mouth is very strong and you can improve healing.”

The benefits observed from red light therapy in radiation oncology can be applied to several dermatologic indications, including herpes simplex virus, cold sores and oral mucositis, Ozog said.

“I have been using red and near-infrared light for over 5 years now,” Ozog said. “I have personally cut down the number of outbreaks I have had and have stopped my oral medication after being on it for 21 years. Now that is very anecdotal, but when you look at the studies, the results are the same. There is directionality.”

In addition to oral dermatologic conditions, Ozog said red light therapy can be used as an adjunct treatment for photoaging and acne.

According to Ozog, studies have shown that red light therapy can affect fibroblasts in the skin, which are responsible for producing collagen, healing wounds and modulating scars. While proven interventions such as sunscreen, retinoids and chemical peels should be first-line therapies for photoaging, Ozog said red light therapy may help with fine lines and other sequelae.

“There is some effect,” Ozog said. “It is measurable and the studies are mainly pointing in the right direction. But you are not going to take a 77-year-old smoker with complete loss of facial collagen, shine a red light on them and have them look like a rejuvenated 28-year-old.”

When it comes to acne, red light therapy works as an anti-inflammatory and should be used in conjunction with blue light therapy as well as other reliable treatments, according to Ozog.

“Blue light hits one of the main bacteria in acne that sends off a free radical and we use that quite frequently,” Ozog said. “But there is probably synergy with red light therapy where it does offer some value to acne if you balance it with blue light.”

Editor’s note: Beneath the Surface is a video series in which Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD, Healio Dermatology’s Chief Medical Editor, discusses hot topics in the field with leading experts. This four-part edition is focused on red light therapy. Part one can be found here.

Joel M. Gelfand, MD, MSCE, FAAD, is the James J. Leyden Professor of Clinical Investigation and professor of dermatology and epidemiology at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and Healio Dermatology’s Chief Medical Editor. Gelfand can be reached at dermatology@healio.com.

David M. Ozog, MD, FAAD, FACMS, is chair of the department of dermatology at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and the C.S. Livingood Endowed Chair of Dermatology and chair of the department of dermatology at Henry Ford Health. Ozog can be reached at dozog1@hfhs.org.