Safety / dosing principles
Biphasic dose response in low-level light therapy review
Huang YY, Sharma SK, Carroll J, Hamblin MR. Dose-Response. 2011.
This dose-response review explains why too little PBM may do nothing and too much may reduce or reverse the desired effect.
Evidence grade
indirect
Effect direction
mixed
Panel relevance
partially-replicable
Key findings
- PBM dosing is not linear; more minutes or higher power is not automatically better.
- Relevant parameters include wavelength, irradiance, fluence, exposure time, area, and schedule.
- This is a methodology anchor for consumer dose warnings rather than an efficacy study for a single condition.
Protocol details
| Wavelengths | Not reported nm |
|---|---|
| Irradiance | Not reported mW/cm2 |
| Fluence | Not reported J/cm2 |
| Session time | Not reported minutes |
| Frequency | Parameter-dependent |
| Duration | Parameter-dependent |
| Treatment area | Parameter-dependent |
| Device type | PBM devices |
Caveats
- Mechanistic and methodological evidence should not be treated as proof of a consumer benefit.
- Dose conversion between lasers, LEDs, masks, wraps, and panels needs irradiance and treatment area.