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The effects of low level or low intensity laser therapy (LLLT or LILT) on the three overlapping phases of wound healing, i.e. inflammation, proliferation and remodelling, are such that acute injuries heal more rapidly and that healing can be induced in chronic lesions such as venous ulcers/ pressure sores and diabetic ulcers. The duration of acute inflammation can be reduced by LLLT, the proliferative phase of repair, during which granulation tissue is formed, beginning earlier . The rate of wound contraction can be altered and angiogenesis increased. Healing involves the interaction and activity of many different cell types. Research has been carried out on the effects of LLLT on keratinocytes, mast cells, macrophages and fibroblasts. Keratinocyte and fibroblast proliferation can be stimulated directly and also indirectly through growth factors released from irradiated macrophages. |
Professor Mary Dyson PhD FCSP(Hon) FAIUM(Hon) LHD(Hon) Former Editor Grays Anatomy Former Head, Tissue Repair Research Unit, UMDS, Guys Hospital |
The effect on keratinocytes is particularly marked when the cells are maintained in adverse conditions similar to those produced by injury. The mast cell content of both intact and injured skin increases following irradiation, but only in injured skin is mast cell degranulation increased. This suggests that the sensitivity of mast cells to stimuli such as light is increased in injured tissues. Some of the materials released when mast cells degranulate can initiate the inflammatory response of the skin to injury, whereas others stimulate later processes such as angiogenesis. Work on cells involved in repair, namely endothelial cells, pericytes and lymphocytes is in progress.
