The Thermal Effects of Therapeutic Lasers with 810 and 904 nm Wavelengths on Human Skin

Objective: To investigate the effect of therapeutic infrared class 3B laser irradiation on skin temperature in healthy participants of differing skin color, age, and gender. Background: Little is known about the potential thermal effects of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) irradiation on human skin. Methods: Skin temperature was measured in 40 healthy volunteers with a thermographic camera at laser irradiated and control (non-irradiated) areas on the skin. Six irradiation doses (2–12 J) were delivered from a 200 mW, 810 nm laser and a 60 mW, 904 nm laser, respectively. Results: Thermal effects of therapeutic LLLT using doses recommended in the World Association for Laser Therapy (WALT) guidelines were insignificant; below 1.5°C in light, medium, and dark skin. When higher irradiation doses were used, the 60 mW, 904 nm laser produced significantly ( p