Wound healing / diabetic foot ulcers
Photobiomodulation for diabetic foot ulcers and skin color review
Dhlamini T, Houreld NN. Journal of Diabetes Research. 2022.
A review of DFU PBM studies highlighted improved healing with PBM plus conventional treatment, while noting limited skin-color-specific dosing research.
Evidence grade
low
Effect direction
positive
Panel relevance
not-panel-replicable
Key findings
- The review adopted 13 clinical trials and two clinical case studies.
- All clinical trials reviewed showed evidence that PBM plus conventional treatment increased DFU healing rate.
- Only one study adjusted the protocol according to skin color.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | Not reported nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Varied by trial |
| Duration | Varied by trial |
| Treatment area | Diabetic foot ulcers |
| Device type | Clinical PBM devices |
Caveats
- Skin tone may affect optical dosing, but clinical evidence is not mature enough for dosing rules.
- The indication is medical and not suitable for broad consumer panel recommendations.