Light Therapy for Psoriasis Patients

The healthcare technology company Philips has launched BlueControl 2.0, a device created to treat patients afflicted with psoriasis.

Psoriasis patients deal with immune systems triggered to cause rapid skin cell growth, which leads to the “excessive multiplication and improper differentiation (hyperproliferation) of a certain type of skin cell known as keratinocytes.”

As such, the blue LEDS — when shone on the keratinocytes – work to reduce the number of keratinocytes thereby increasing their differentiation.

The company collaborated with the Dermatology Department at the University Hospital Aachen, Germany, and discovered that one the psoriasis patients were exposed to the blue LEDs, “a significant improvement of the symptoms could be observed due to treatment of the affected skin area”.

This knowledge led to the inception of BlueControl in 2014, “the world’s first wearable blue LED light therapy device to treat skin disease psoriasis vulgaris”. The device’s successor, BlueControl 2.0 includes 40 LED lights, is easily strapped on to the body, and has more than enough battery life to last four treatments prior to recharging.