EFFECTS OF RED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ATOPIC DERMATITIS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.66104/67ka1n31Keywords:
Atopic Dermatitis; Photobiomodulation; red LED; Quality of life; Low intensity lighth therapy; Skin barrier.Abstract
Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing-remitting inflammatory dermatosis, whose pathophysiology involves skin barrier dysfunction, immune dysregulation mediated by Th2 lymphocytes and environmental and genetic factors. In the Brazilian context, the condition affects up to 24% of children in urban centers in the Northeast, posing a relevant public health problem. Photobiomodulation (FBM) with red Light Emitting Diodes (LED), in the spectral range of 610 to 760 nm, emerges as a safe, non-invasive and low-cost therapeutic alternative, with anti-inflammatory and skin barrier regenerating potential documented in recent scientific evidence. This study aims to analyze the therapeutic effects of red LED in the clinical management of atopic dermatitis, evaluating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action, the clinical parameters used in the studies and their contribution to improving the quality of life of patients in the Brazilian context. This is an integrative review of the literature, structured in six stages according to the PRISMA 2020 protocol, with a guiding question prepared according to the acronym PICO. The searches were carried out in the PubMed, Science Direct, SciELO and Google Scholar databases, with descriptors combined by Boolean operators AND and OR, covering publications from 2021 to 2026 in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine (OCEB) Levels of Evidence. 17 studies were selected, categorized into three analytical axes: biochemical and cellular effects of red LED (mitochondrial ATP synthesis, fibroblast stimulation, collagen production and modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-10 and TNF-α); clinical parameters of use (energy density, exposure time, session frequency and power); and comparisons with other regenerative therapeutic modalities, especially low-power lasers. The findings converge on the effectiveness of red LED in reducing itching, modulating inflammation, restoring epidermal tight junctions and stimulating dermal collagen synthesis. It is concluded that red LED demonstrated clinically relevant therapeutic effects in the management of AD, constituting a safe, accessible and non-invasive option. The methodological heterogeneity between studies points to the urgent need for standardized protocols, especially considering the diversity of phototypes in the Brazilian population.
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