Skin Light Therapy Sample Protocols & Studies

Jan 18, 2023

Last Updated 04/23/2023

Sample Protocols

These are extremely conceptual. Every singular device is different. Every person and their skin density is different. This is meant to help guide you to develop your own protocols individualistic to you. I will update these over time. These are intentionally very basic for the time being. These are not complete and do not contain all the necessary information and wavelengths. If you are uncomfortable with UV light, consider blue light or other spectrum light. Many studies show different wavelengths can be used for the same skin inflammation.

The information below is 100% Conceptual. I highly suggest you google your symptoms followed by light therapy. If you need help interpreting something or a study, please let me know in the comments!

General Wellness
1. Blue Light 10 minutes followed by Red Light for 20 minutes
Dermatitis/Eczema
1. UVB as needed, over time it should be no more than once a day.
Vitiligo
1. UVB as needed
  1. Phototherapy with narrow band ultraviolet B (UVB) has been shown to stop or slow the progression of active vitiligo. It might be more effective when used with corticosteroids or calcineurin inhibitors. You'll need therapy two to three times a week. It could take 1 to 3 months before you notice any change, and it could take 6 months or longer to get the full effect. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vitiligo/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355916
Psoriasis
1. UVB as needed
Pityriasis Rosea
1. UVB or Yellow light as needed
  1. Since this is likely activated by a latent virus, it may be wise to also consider near infrared light in certain places away from the skin inflammation. Will add more to this in the future.
Erythema
1. Green Light as needed
Wrinkles
1. Blue Light 5minutes followed by Red Light for 20 minutes daily.
Wounds
1. Green or Red Light as needed. Several times a day is perfectly safe and even recommended.
Cold Sores
1. 650nm Red Laser Diode light as needed, several times a day is perfectly safe and even recommended. Other wavelengths work as well, such as blue & near infrared.
Acne
1. Blue Light as needed. Several times a day is perfectly safe and even recommended.
Pigments
1. Green Light as needed
Freckles
1. Green Light as needed.
Hives/Urticaria
1. UVB as needed
Dark Circles
1. The cause for this varies person to person. Generally I like Red light as needed.
Illness Rash
1. The cause for this varies person to person. Generally I like Red light as needed.
Age/Liver Spot
1. Green Light as needed
Sun Burn
1. Red light as needed
  1. Personal experience, red light really does help a lot with sun burns
Dry Skin
1. Red light as needed
Lentigines
1. Green Light as needed
Warts
1. Red Light as needed

There are countless light therapy studies, these are just a brief list of examples

UVB
1. UVB phototherapy for pityriasis rosea: a bilateral comparison study
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7490372/
2. Treatment of Pityriasis Rosea With UV Radiation
  1. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/544100
3. UVB phototherapy for Pityriasis rosea
  1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-3083.2004.00803.x
4. Randomized double-blind trial of treatment of vitiligo: efficacy of psoralen-UV-A therapy vs Narrowband-UV-B therapy
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17519217/
5. Treatment of Chronic Urticaria with Narrowband Ultraviolet B Phototherapy: a Randomized Controlled Trial
  1. https://www.medicaljournals.se/acta/content/html/10.2340/00015555-0434
UVA
1. Low-dose Ultraviolet A1 Phototherapy for Treating Pityriasis Rosea
  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2861245/
Blue Light
1. A randomized controlled study for the treatment of acne vulgaris using high-intensity 414 nm solid state diode arrays
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25594129/
Green Light
1. Combination 532nm and 1064nm lasers for noninvasive skin rejuvenation and toning.
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14568830/
  2. Reduction of pigment. Bright Skin light prevents the formation of pigment in your skin. Your skin tone will be smooth and bright. Research has shown an 80% improvement in pigmentation among patients.
2. Combination 532nm and 1064nm lasers for non-invasive skin rejuvenation and toning.
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14568830/
  2. Get a lighter skin tone. A reduction in the production of melanin in the skin also causes that less melanin travel to the skin’s surface. As a result, it will lead to a lighter and smoother skin tone.
3. Laser therapy of freckles and lentigines with quasi-continuous, frequency-doubled, Nd:YAG (532 nm) laser in Fitzpatrick skin type IV: a 24-month follow-up
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12623553/
  2. Decreases age spots and freckles. Bright Skin light improves the skin tone and evens out pigmentation. It also breaks up melanin clusters (hyperpigmentation) and diminishes existing discoloration. Age spots, freckles and lentigines otherwise known as liver spots become less visible.
4. Q-switched 660 nm versus 532 nm: YAG laser for the treatment for facial lentigines in Asian patients: A prospective, randomized, double-blinded, split-face comparison pilot study.
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26551773/
5. Wound Healing Effect of 525nm Green LED Irradiation on Skin Wounds of Male Sprague Dawley Rats
  1. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Wound-Healing-Effect-of-525-nm-Green-LED-on-Skin-of-Cheon-Park/3e024f0e9a3afb3e8318a8953a00a48b0bfaa18c
  2. Increases Wound Healing. Bright Skin light has a sterilizing function and increases cell growth enabling your skin to repair the affected area. Research shows that cell regeneration was more active in the nearby wound area following treatment with Bright Skin Light leading to increased wound healing.
6. A Prospective Study in the Treatment of Lentigines in Asian Skin Using 532 nm Picosecond Nd:YAG Laser
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31115070/
7. Evaluation of green light exposure on headache frequency and quality of life in migraine patients: A preliminary one-way cross-over clinical trial
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32903062/
8. Prospective Study of 532-nm Picosecond Laser for the Treatment of Pigmented Lesions of the Face and Dorsal Hands
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36342252/
  2. Treatment with a 532-nm picosecond laser is safe and highly effective for the treatment of the pigmented lesions of the face and dorsal hands.
9. Comparison of the efficacy and safety of a picosecond frequency-doubled 532-nm Nd:YAG Laser and a Q-switched frequency-doubled 532-nm Nd:YAG Laser for the treatment of ephelides: A randomized, split-lesion, double-center, controlled trial
  1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocd.15462
10. Several in vitro studies show that green light can stimulate fibroblasts, hepatocytes (Castro 2003), neurons, adipocytes (Roche 2017, Jackson 2013), mitochondria (Kassak 2005), etc.
  1. Green light emitting diodes accelerate wound healing: characterization of the effect and its molecular basis in vitro and in vivo
    1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22380691/
Yellow/Amber Light
1. 590 nm LED Irradiation Improved Erythema through Inhibiting Angiogenesis of Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells and Ameliorated Pigmentation in Melasma
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36552713/
2. The effect of 577-nm pro-yellow laser on demodex density in patients with rosacea
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33742514/
3. Treatment of erythematotelangiectatic rosacea, facial erythema, and facial telangiectasia with a 577-nm pro-yellow laser: a case series
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30097757/
4. Successful treatment of facial vascular skin diseases with a 577-nm pro-yellow laser
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31033204/
5. Efficacy of 577 nm pro-yellow laser in the treatment of melasma: a prospective split-face study
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32216566/
6. Evaluation of the efficacy of pro-yellow laser in the management of vascular skin disorders
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33872451/
Red Light
1. Red light phototherapy alone is effective for acne vulgaris: randomized, single-blinded clinical trial
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17903156/
2. The Red Light Treatment of Small-Pox
  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2509016/?page=1
Near Red Light
1. A Controlled Trial to Determine the Efficacy of Red and Near-Infrared Light Treatment in Patient Satisfaction, Reduction of Fine Lines, Wrinkles, Skin Roughness, and Intradermal Collagen Density Increase
  1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3926176/
InfraRed Light
1. Evaluation of the efficacy of low-level light therapy using 1072 nm infrared light for the treatment of herpes simplex labialis
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23731454/
Broadband Light
1. Broadband light treatment using static operation and constant motion techniques for skin tightening in Asian patients
  1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29883238/

Additional Studies

Latest laser and light-based advances for ethnic skin rejuvenation.
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19881986/
Treatment of facial erythema in skin types I-IV using combination long-pulse
1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/295764351_TREATMENT_OF_FACIAL_ERYTHEMA_IN_SKIN_TYPES_I-IV_USING_COMBINATION_LONG-PULSE_AND_Q-SWITCHED_1064nm_NdYAG_LASERS
2. The decrease of spider veins and rosacea. Green light is suitable for treating red vessels on the surface of the skin. The light slowly causes the small blood vessels to close down and disappear.
Is light-emitting diode phototherapy (LED-LLLT) really effective?
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3799034/
Utilization of light-emitting diodes for skin therapy: Systematic review and meta-analysis
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36310510/
Narrowband UVB phototherapy in pityriasis rosea
1. https://journals.lww.com/idoj/Fulltext/2015/06050/Narrowband_UVB_phototherapy_in_pityriasis_rosea.3.aspx
A clinical review of phototherapy for psoriasis
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5756569/
Laser and light therapy for facial warts: a systematic review
1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdv.13789
Infraorbital Dark Circles: A Review of the Pathogenesis, Evaluation and Treatment
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924417/
Treatments of Infra-Orbital Dark Circles by Various Etiologies
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7992473/
Treatment of infraorbital dark circles using a low-fluence Q-switched 1,064-nm laser
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21605241/

Home-based devices in dermatology: a systematic review of safety and efficacy
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8918178/

Additional Articles

LIGHT-EMITTING DIODES (LEDS) IN DERMATOLOGY
1. https://www.scmsjournal.com/article/buy_now/?id=259

Please let me know if you have any questions =)

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