Healing Your Pet with Phovia Therapy
Phovia treatment, also known as photobiomodulation therapy, delivers a broad spectrum of visible light to all layers of skin to promote healing.
Pets with chronic skin lesions due to infection, or with deep skin infection are potential candidates and may benefit from Phovia therapy. When used in conjunction with antibiotics, this treatment can help reduce the time it takes for skin to regenerate.
Phovia is a non-invasive treatment option that is typically well tolerated by pets. Not only does it help alleviate some of the discomfort your pet might feel when dealing with skin conditions, but it can also help reduce the number of medications that your pet needs in order to heal. This can help reduce stress for both you and your pet by reducing the need for oral medications or topical ointments that can be challenging to administer.
The Phovia System
Phovia is a two-part system that can be administered to your pet right in our office. This system is comprised of an LED lamp and a chromophore gel. When used together they produce multi-wavelength fluorescent light energy that can penetrate the skin to variable depths.
Other systems that use light energy to promote healing, such as laser therapy, are unable to reach all layers of skin. This is where Phovia treatment is different.
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The LED Lamp
The first part of the phovia process is the lamp. This lamp generates fluorescent light energy which increases the energy available for cell healing.
Although goggles are provided for safety, the blue light that is emitted is not known to be damaging to the retina.
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The Chromophore Gel
This gel is the key to making the whole system work. It contains chromophores which are specialized molecules that can absorb photons of directed light (from the LED lamp). The photons are then re-emitted at different wavelengths.
The gel is applied to the pet's skin, and then illuminated with the lamp, resulting in the healing effect that we see with this system.
FAQs About Phovia
If your veterinarian is suggesting Phovia treatment, you might have some questions. Take a look at the frequently asked questions below to learn more.
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How long does each Phovia treatment take?
Sessions are performed once or twice a week, with duration of treatment to be individually assessed based on a pet’s condition and progress.
Phovia is designed to be really quick and easy to use. Each application cycle typically lasts only 2 minutes.
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Does Phovia treatment require sedation?
This treatment does not require sedation and is usually well tolerated by pets.
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Can Phovia treatment be used with other treatments?
Phovia can be used with other medications and treatments. Phovia treatment can be used in conjunction with at-home treatments for the specific skin condition. Be sure to talk to your veterinarian before combining any treatments.
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How is Phovia treatment different than cold laser therapy?
Traditional laser therapy requires very precise positioning to ensure the correct delivery of light to the area and it often only covers a smaller treatment area. Lasers also require more frequent and longer treatments, up to 15 minutes each.
While most light therapy systems are limited to a single wavelength, addressing at most one level of the skin, the Phovia treatment uses multiple wavelengths, giving multiple robust cellular responses all at once.