Background: A light-emitting diode (LED) photomodulation system can produce pulses of amber light expected to induce structural skin changes and reverse the effects of photoaging.
Objective: To reproduce the encouraging results already published.
Methods and materials: Facial skin was exposed to pulses of 588+/-10-nm-wavelength light from a photomodulation device for 40 seconds once a week for 8 weeks. Photographs, clinical assessment, and a subjective questionnaire were taken at baseline, at the last follow-up, and 1 month after that. Thirty-six patients' pre- and post-treatment photos were arbitrarily scrambled, and 30 independent blinded observers were asked to pick the post-treatment photo. Two time-point comparisons were evaluated.
Results: For every facial characteristic studied and for both time-point comparisons, patients reported highly statistically significant improvements. In extremely sharp contrast, neither the physician's assessment nor the independent observers' evaluation indicated any improvement.
Conclusion: Although subjective findings are comparable between studies, we were unable to reproduce the objective results of efficacy previously reported. Patients genuinely believed that several of their facial features had improved, even though there was no detectable objective change. Our data therefore suggest that the LED photomodulation treatment from the device tested is a placebo.