[Does the light of soft lasers or of combination soft and middle-power lasers improve wound healing in rats?...

In recent years, soft and middle-power lasers have been employed in the treatment of wounds and various dermatoses, but as yet no experimental confirmation of their effects has come available. However, we have been able to show in a recent study that light from combined soft and middle-power lasers applied on postoperative days 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8 has a positive effect on wound healing in rats. The present study was intended to clarify the influence of the type of laser light and treatment duration under controlled conditions. In 24 rats, a 3-cm incision was made in the abdominal wall and sutured with 5 single knots. Eight of the animals served as controls, while the remaining animals were treated with laser light, 8 with a soft laser for 10 min/day on postoperative days 2, 3, 5, 8 and 15, the other 8 for 20 min. on day 1 only with combined soft and middle-power lasers. The wounds were photographed on post-operative days 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 15. 10 independent observers rated the photographs on a scale of 1 to 4 on the basis of edge approximation and absence of inflammation. Soft laser light alone did not improve wound healing as judged by these criteria. Nor did a single dose of combined soft and middle-power laser light have any statistically significant effect.