Photobiomodulation in Wound Healing: Evaluating Blue Light Therapy for Hard-to-Heal Wounds

Chronic wounds that fail to respond to conventional therapies represent a significant burden for patients and healthcare systems alike. Now, growing clinical evidence suggests that blue light photobiomodulation (PBM) may offer an effective adjunct to standard wound care—especially in outpatient settings led by nursing staff.

Pilot studies have begun to document measurable improvements in wound healing following the application of blue light therapy. These improvements include reductions in wound size, decreased pain, and better tissue quality, signaling a potential shift in how persistent wounds are managed across disciplines like dermatology, endocrinology, and wound care technology.

One recent pilot trial conducted in Turin, Italy, targeted patients with chronic wounds of venous, lymphatic, diabetic, or mixed etiology. Many of these wounds had remained stagnant for more than two years despite ongoing treatment. In this nurse-led outpatient setting, blue light PBM was administered twice weekly over four weeks in conjunction with routine wound care. Exposure sessions ranged from 60 to 120 seconds using blue light in the 400–430 nm wavelength range. Researchers observed notable clinical improvement, with reactivation of stalled healing processes and reductions in wound dimensions.

These findings are echoed in an observational study published in the Journal of Wound Care, in which patients with lower-limb chronic wounds received blue light therapy once weekly over a four-week period. The mean wound area reduction was 51.38%, with venous ulcers responding particularly well, showing a 63.36% decrease in surface area. Importantly, 61% of participants achieved complete wound closure by the end of the study, while also reporting substantial pain relief and improvements in surrounding skin integrity.

The biological rationale for these results lies in blue light’s ability to influence cellular behavior without causing thermal damage. A scoping review in Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser Surgery highlights how blue light—particularly within the 400–430 nm spectrum—can modulate inflammatory signaling, enhance fibroblast activity, and improve tissue oxygenation. These effects collectively support faster and more orderly wound repair.

Moreover, blue light shows promise in addressing one of the most tenacious challenges in wound management: biofilm disruption. Chronic wounds often harbor microbial biofilms that resist antibiotics and impair healing. Preliminary research suggests that blue light may aid in eliminating pathogens and destabilizing biofilms, although further mechanistic studies are needed to clarify these effects.

Despite these advances, key questions remain. Current studies have used varying treatment parameters—doses, exposure durations, and frequencies—making it difficult to compare outcomes or establish best practices. As such, larger, randomized controlled trials will be critical for developing standardized treatment protocols that optimize blue light PBM’s safety and efficacy in diverse patient populations.

As chronic wound prevalence continues to rise—particularly in aging populations and those with diabetes—clinicians are increasingly seeking therapies that are non-invasive, cost-effective, and easily integrated into outpatient workflows. Blue light photobiomodulation offers a compelling candidate. By working in concert with established wound care techniques, it has the potential to redefine what’s possible in managing wounds once thought unresponsive to healing.