[Story for Companion Animals' Health] What Vet Says about the Effects of LED Care for Skin Diseases
[Story for Companion Animals' Health] What Vet Says about the Effects of LED Care for Skin Diseases
  • 이재원 건국대학교 수의학 박사 l 정리·이원국 기자l번역·김성혜 인턴기자 (21guk@k-health.com)
  • 승인 2021.02.04 18:14
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Lee Jae-won, Ph.D. of Konkuk Univ., College of Veterinary Medicine
(Senior researcher at Korea Conformity Laboratories)

Itching is a fatal and painful dermatological symptom in animals. In fact, according to 2006 data from the Veterinary Record, the most common dermatological symptoms of small animals were itching. There are various causes: allergies, inappropriate temperature and humidity, dry skin, seasonal changes, hormone imbalance, fungus, and parasitic infection.

The problem is that the irritating sensation leads to scratching, causing inflammation due to wounds and secondary infections, which results in a vicious cycle of skin diseases. To stop the cycle, it is recommended to start the “LED care,” the treatment actively used in the human body.

LEDs are semiconductor devices that emit light by discharging electricity to certain compounds and are also called “light-emitting diodes.” Since they are highly efficient in converting electric energy into light energy, they have been developed and used for medical purposes as well as household appliances such as lighting, TVs, and monitors.

The LED treatment mechanism is known to help regenerate the skin cells by promoting their metabolic activities when light is investigated into the skin disease and LED light is absorbed into cellular tissues. This phenomenon is dubbed "Photobiomodulcation" and, to be more specific, cells exposed to LEDs increase ATP production, which regulates active oxygen. It can also prevent or reduce apoptosis. 1)2)

According to these mechanisms, LEDs are used for various purposes in dermatology. Studies have proved some benefits: wound healing by rapid cell multiplication, anti-inflammation, skin rejuvenation due to increased skin collagen synthesis, prevention of post-traumatic skin symptoms, prevention of sunburn from UVB when irradiated 660nm before exposure to UV.

Recently, Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences proved that UV-LED phototherapy is effective for psoriasis skin diseases.3) Also, the Annals of Dermatology reported that rats with atopic dermatitis induced by 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) have improved through LED treatment.4)

LED also has the advantage of reducing recovery time after laser treatment and preventing side effects. Investigating LEDs after surgery has the benefit of preventing significant scarring. Available data prove that it can be used for skin soothing or pain relief purposes.

Typical wavelengths of LED devices are 633-660 nm, a red-light wavelength, and 810-850 nm, an invisible but near-infrared wavelength that penetrates deep into the tissue. Both wavelengths are known to have anti-inflammatory effects and skin regeneration by managing inflammatory control factors. Red light wavelengths generally penetrate to the upper part of the dermis due to their high absorption rate of black color, whereas near-infrared rays can penetrate to the deeper part of the dermis due to their low absorption rate.2)

In general, the output of LED devices is lower than that of normal laser procedures and does not cause wounds. Since it is a pain-free procedure, no serious side effects have been reported as it is safe. However, pets that have epilepsy, photophobia, or retinal diseases, are light-sensitive, or take photosensitive drugs need a veterinarian’s guide before using LED devices. As LED devices are already used in the medical communities, the safety and effectiveness of skin diseases and postoperative use have been verified, but let's remember that application to pets should be used as an auxiliary treatment, not as an ultimate solution.

※ Citations

1. D Barolet. Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) in Dermatology. Semin Cutan Med Surg 27:227-238

2. Pinar Avci, Asheesh Gupta, Magesh Sadasivam. Low-level laser (light) therapy (LLLT) in skin: stimulating, healing, restoring. Semin Cutan Med Surg. 2013 Mar;32(1):41-52

3. TR Kwon, SE Lee, JH Kim et al, 310nm UV-LED Attenuates Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-like Skin Lesions in C57BL/6 Mice and Inhibits IL-22-Induced STAT3 Expression in HaCaT Cells. Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences. 2020. Accepted.

4. Cho EA, Lee YJ, Ryu YH, Han JH, Lee JH, Park YM. Therapeutic Effects of a Light Emitting Diode at a Variety of Wavelengths on Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice. Ann Dermatol. 2017;29(6):796-799. doi:10.5021/ad.2017.29.6.796

 



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