Prospective, Randomized Study on the Efficacy and Safety of Local UV-Free Blue Light Treatment of Eczema

Abstract

Background: Blue light was shown to reduce the activation of T cells and modulate cytokine release in vitro. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy of blue light in the treatment of eczema. Methods: A sample of 21 patients with mild to moderate eczema were locally treated with blue LED light (light-emitting diode, emission maximum: 453 nm). They received light treatment 3 times per week for 4 weeks. A contralateral control lesion remained untreated. Results: A total of 20 patients completed the trial with a compliance rate of 100%. The blue light treatment was safe with no adverse events and no side effects. The primary end point change from baseline in the mean sum score of the local Eczema Severity Index (local ESI) was more pronounced for the treated area than for the control area (-1.9 ± 2.02 vs. -1.3 ± 2.24). The treatment difference was statistically significant (p = 0.0152, paired t test, two-sided). Conclusion: In this study UV-free blue light was safe and effective in the reduction of eczema lesions.

Neonatal Phototherapy: A Novel Therapy to Prevent Allergic Skin Disease for At Least 5 Years

“…After 5 years of observation, the prevalence of psoriasis, lichen, dyschromia, hair/hair follicle disorders, skin cancer, and total cancer was not increased in the phototherapy group. Other studies also indicated that blue light was safe -clinically [3][4][5], histologically [4], and in vitro [12,13]. Thus far, the only reported adverse effect was temporary hyper-pigmentation of the skin treatment area [14].…”

“…UV-free blue light has been reported to treat allergic skin disease [3][4][5]; however, it is used less often than UV light in the clinical setting. Moreover, the treatment effect and small sample size (10-36 subjects) of previous studies * Adjusted for confounding factors: sex, socioeconomic status, urbanization, special healthcare needs, congenital skin disease, neonatal infection, preterm status, low birth weight, high birth weight, and other birth or maternal conditions.…”

“…UV-free blue light (blue light) phototherapy (wavelength, 390-470 nm) is a safe and widely used method to treat neonatal jaundice. Although not as common as UV light, it was reported to be effective and safe in patients with eczema [3][4][5]. The immune system, skin, and skin microbiome develop during the neonatal period.…”

Effects of blue light on inflammation and skin barrier recovery following acute perturbation. Pilot study results in healthy human subjects

“…Additional evidence in this respect came from in vitro studies using HaCaT cells, where gene expression analysis showed downregulated pathways implicated in inflammatory responses, and using dendritic cells, where a reduced ability to release pro‐inflammatory cytokines was shown . At the clinical level, the recently reported positive impact of blue light on alleviating symptoms of psoriasis vulgaris (PV) and atopic dermatitis (AD), chronic inflammatory skin diseases characterized by hyperproliferation and inflammatory infiltrates, holds promise for its therapeutic potential …”

“…Setting the focus on the latter, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the impact of UV‐free blue light at 453 nm on the recovery of the skin barrier and on the cutaneous inflammatory response elicited by acute perturbation of the skin of healthy human volunteers. While blue light has already proven effective in clinical studies on diseased skin, data on its biological effects on perturbed but otherwise healthy skin are scarce. Skin reactions were evaluated up to 72 hours after stimulation using several noninvasive biophysical measurements.…”