Abstract

Objectives: Phototherapy is a noninvasive method for treating various skin diseases like acne etc. The mechanism of action is not completely known but it is believed that red light affects the lipid or proteins of the virus and enhances the local immune cell functions and collagen synthesis accelerating the healing process. In HSV infections phototherapy can be applied in order to reduce disease severity and duration especially in patients that cannot or are not willing to undergo topical or systemic antiviral treatment. Introduction: Herpes labialis is a very common viral infection caused by HSV1 and rarely HSV2. Its clinical characteristics are erythema, blisters and crusts accompanied by burning and pain. Symptomatic infections usually heal within 5 to 7 days and recurrences are very often. Furthermore, herpes labialis causes significant morbidity due to pain and aesthetic disfiguration. Common topical/systemic antivirals interfering with viral replication are used in order to reduce the duration of the lesions and flares up. Materials / method: Ten patients with herpes labialis wanted to try an alternative treatment for their infection as they were disappointed with previous treatments or they wanted to try a physical method. All patients had an infection appeared less than two days. An 633nm red light therapy was applied for 5 minutes for 3 consecutive days Results: Seven of 10 patients noticed a 70% improvement on the lesions and pain in 48-72 h. Three patients noticed only slight differences in symptoms improvement compared to untreated flares Conclusion: Although further investigations are needed, phototherapy could be a safe and an alternative treatment for reducing the duration and severity of herpes labialis.