Wound Management

Wound Care & Laser Therapy

Warning: The images below show a severe wound that might make some people uneasy or sick.

Results may vary. This case showed positive results but that does not mean that everyone will get the same results. Laser are not specifically cleared for accelerating repair in wound care. Laser are FDA cleared for reducing inflammation and pain and increasing blood flow.

The following was submitted to us from a customer who purchased a system in Mid 2021. The patient is 83 years old with severe diabetic wounds that would not heal. They had been doing traditional wound management for more than 6 months on this wound and it continued to get worse. It was an urgent situation so we expedited a laser and asked them to take pictures so we could see any changes. They did not change any other factors in the care plan other than the addition of the laser therapy.

The day before laser therapy started.

1 week later

Wound healing is not an FDA cleared application. Lasers are FDA cleared for inflammation control, pain control and increasing blood flow but they are not specifically cleared for wound management.

What wavelengths of light are best for wound care?

Unlike deep structural problems that are best treated with 810nm to boost ATP production, wounds are very shallow so 810nm is not the first choice. In this case, 630 to 670nm (visible red) are the preferred wavelengths. Because we want as much of the energy absorbed right at the surface, we want to use visible red light, just like you typically see in other shallow applications like skin rejuvenation.  Different manufacturer offer slightly different wavelengths in the range of 630 to 670nm. These wavelengths do interact with the tissue in slightly different ways but they all seem to produce similar results. If a laser does not offer 630 to 670nm, 810nm to 915 are also good options. In general, 980-1250nm can be too hot and cause irritation. 

What is an appropriate power level?

Once again, wound management is very different from using laser therapy on deep structural damage. In this case, the application does not require a lot of power. This application is very shallow so we don't have to worry about loses as the light is absorbed traveling deep into the tissue. Most current systems are maxed out at about 2 watts and that is appropriate if the output from the emitter is larger than 1x1 inch area. Since wounds are so thermally sensitive, it can be problematic to deliver more than 2 joules/sec into a wound.

What about LEDs for wound management?

Yes, LED therapy systems can also be used. Because they are not coherent light and often don't do a very good pulsing, it is considered a secondary option. LED systems also have much different power level requirements. 2 watts of LED is nothing like 2 watts of laser. In some cases, people are using 200 watts of LEDs for this application.

You can see research and the science associated with wound care in the "Light and Laser Therapy" App in the Apple and Google play store.

Download our free Light & Laser Therapy App from the Apple or Android Store
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The key to this process is using Red laser in the 600nm range. This is a shallow penetration wavelength so the energy only goes where it is needed. If you don't have a red laser, you can still use in IR laser but much of the light energy will simply pass through the target area as it is very slowly absorbed by tissue.

This is one application when the dosages are very low so class 1-3b laser can be as effective as class 4 system and there is less chance of heating. Heating during therapy can be very painful so class-4 practitioners should turn the system way down.