Photonic fabric devices for phototherapy

Abstract

Phototherapy is the use of light for the treatment and prevention of disease. Especially, low-level red and near-infrared light (600-950 nm) irradiation provides low-energy stimulation to tissues, which results in increased proliferation rate of cells, as well as enhancement of growth factor synthesis and collagen production. Until now, only low-level laser and light-emitting diode (LED) are used for irradiation in low-level light therapy. Compared with the commercial laser or LED equipment, the photonic fabric device can provide a larger irradiation area with good flexibility, low weight, and low cost. In addition, it has no heating production, thus very promising for wearable phototherapy applications. Based on a comprehensive review of phototherapy, this chapter introduces the photonic fabric device and includes the integration of POF into the textile structure, the manufacture of side-emitting POF, and then the connection with the light source. Besides, the safety of photonic fabric device is the most important thing because it is used for humans directly. In this chapter, the related safety evaluation standard is investigated, involving photobiological evaluation of light radiation and biological evaluation. It further provides a photonic fabric device prototype for photorejuvenation as an example and elaborates its fabrication and evaluation. This photonic fabric device prototype exhibits high performance and can be applied in phototherapy.