Is Phototherapy Safe in Breastfeeding

I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Phototherapy? Is Phototherapy safe for nursing mother and child? Does Phototherapy extracts into breast milk? Does Phototherapy has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Phototherapy influence milk supply or can Phototherapy decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?

Phototherapy for psoriasis is generally acceptable; however, nursing should be withheld for 24 hours after ingestion of an oral psoralen, such as methoxsalen.[1] Laser therapy was used in some Russian and Austrian studies to prevent and treat lactation mastitis and nipple fissures.[2][3][4][5][6] A study from Bulgaria compared laser therapy to metoclopramide to increase serum prolactin and milk supply.[7] However, these studies are rather old and not well controlled. More recent studies found that laser application to cesarean section wounds did not adversely affect serum prolactin and LED light applied to the nipple improved the pain from nipple lesions one day sooner than sham therapy. Case reports have also been published from Australia indicating low-level laser therapy assists in healing nipple trauma and bleeding.[8] A study from China indicated that high-intensity red light (630 nM) plus antibiotics were more effective than antibiotics alone in healing mastitis and preventing recurrence.[9] One small study found that low-level laser therapy of the breasts resulted in increases in serum prolactin, and breastmilk lactose, protein.[10] In general, laser therapy and phototherapy are considered acceptable during breastfeeding.[11]

Use of low-level laser therapy to enhance healing of the surgical incision following cesarean section was evaluated in a small, poorly controlled study. Laser light was applied for 15 minutes on 3 consecutive days postoperatively. On the third day, serum prolactin levels were no significantly different in the two groups. The treatment appeared to help wound healing.[12] A randomized, controlled study in women with nipple lesions compared low-level light from an LED source to sham treatment of their lesions daily for 3 days. The treated women reported less pain after the first treatment than those receiving the placebo therapy. By day 3, the difference was not statistically significant.[13] A small, randomized study compared primiparous mothers who were supplementing their infants with formula during the first month postpartum and who received either 12 sessions of low-level laser light to the breasts over 3 weeks (n = 20) or no treatment (n = 20). All mothers received similar counseling by a blinded physician certified in lactation counseling. The treated group had greater increases in serum prolactin, and breastmilk lactose, protein and fat at 3 weeks and 3 months after the start of therapy.[10]