Why is Laser Therapy Important in Wound Healing?


Wound healing consists of three basic phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and restructuring. This process progresses with the cooperation of many cellular and biochemical mechanisms such as platelets, fibroblasts, cytokines and free radicals. However, in some cases, delays in one of these phases can cause chronic wound development. Ulcers that do not heal in more than four to eight weeks are included in this group and are seen in 2% of the population.

Chronic wounds can occur for many reasons such as diabetes, pressure sores, vascular insufficiency and burns and can both reduce the quality of life and lead to serious health problems. When traditional treatments are inadequate, the search for new and effective methods comes to the fore. At this point, laser therapy is gaining more and more importance in wound healing.

What is Laser Therapy and What is its Effect on Wounds?
Laser (Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is a high-energy light beam obtained by intensifying stimulated radiation. Laser, which was first used in dermatology in the 1960s, is now successfully used in many areas from pigmentation disorders to vascular lesions. Studies conducted in recent years show that laser can also positively affect connective tissue metabolism.

In applications such as chronic ulcers, surgical wounds, burns and neuropathic foot ulcers, it has been determined that laser treatment accelerates wound healing.

What are the Biomodulatory Effects of Laser?
Although the mechanism of laser treatment in wound healing is not fully understood; It has been observed in cell culture models that it affects mitochondria, increases ATP production and supports the release of growth factors and cytokines. In addition, positive effects such as increased cell membrane permeability, increased DNA-RNA synthesis and increased fibroblast proliferation have been reported.

Especially low-intensity laser applications increase collagen production and regulate tissue organization. This contributes to higher quality and faster healing of wound tissue.

Which Types of Lasers Are Used in Wound Treatment?
The most commonly preferred laser types used in wound healing are He-Ne and diode (diode) lasers. Apart from this, systems such as fractional carbon dioxide laser and Nd:YAG laser have also been tried in various clinics.

In studies;

980 nm diode laser,

658 nm diode laser,

830 nm GaAlAs diode laser,

Fractional CO2 laser
wavelengths have been applied to different wounds and significant improvement has been observed. It has been shown that especially low-intensity applications are quite effective in terms of fibroblast activity and collagen synthesis.

What Results Do Clinical Applications of Laser Give?
The clinical effects of laser treatment in wound healing have been examined in various studies:

It has been observed that laser application added to classical treatment in patients with diabetic foot ulcers provides significant reduction in ulcer diameter.

It has been stated that the ulcers completely healed between 3 weeks and 7 months and did not recur for 1 year with GaAlAs diode laser applied to 5 patients with chronic ulcers.

Studies using 980 nm diode lasers have reported improvements in symptoms such as reduction in ulcer diameter and pain.

Laser applications in pressure ulcers, neuropathic ulcers and oral aphthous ulcers have resulted in decreased pain levels and faster wound closure.

An ulcer that did not heal for 9 months in an epidermolysis bullosa patient healed 70% in 4 weeks with a single session of fractional CO2 laser application.

How Reliable is Laser Treatment in Wound Healing?
Despite the positive results obtained in animal models and cell cultures, the number of scientific publications on the effectiveness of laser in wound treatment in humans is still limited. Existing studies are not comparable to each other due to the variability of parameters such as the type of laser used, wavelength, application time and intensity.

Therefore, further studies are needed to determine the most appropriate laser type and treatment protocol to be used in wound healing. However, the results obtained to date show that low-intensity laser applications in particular can be effective in chronic ulcers and can be added as a supplement to classical treatments.

Conclusion: Is Laser Therapy an Alternative Option for Chronic Wounds?

Yes, laser therapy is a promising supportive treatment option for wound healing. Especially in chronic wounds resistant to other treatments, scientific data supports the positive effects of low-intensity laser at the cellular and tissue level. However, before proceeding with this treatment, it is important to determine the parameters such as the correct laser type, wavelength and application frequency.

New clinical research and standardization studies