Light treatment for scleroderma finger ulcers - study 2

To join this study, you need to be an adult aged 18 or over with a confirmed diagnosis of scleroderma (Systemic Sclerosis). You also need to receive your medical care at Salford Royal Hospital.

There are a few reasons why you might not be able to join. For example, if you are currently receiving certain strong intravenous (into a vein) treatments for your blood vessels, or if your finger ulcers are severe enough to need hospital stays or surgery. Also, if you are already having other light-based skin treatments for other medical reasons, you wouldn't be able to participate.

If you decide to take part, you'll need to visit Salford Royal Hospital three times. Ideally, these visits will be on three days very close together, but there can be a gap of up to three days between each visit if needed. Each hospital visit will last about two hours.

During these visits, you will receive one of three different 'doses' of the light therapy. At your first visit, the research team will ask about your health history and any medicines you take. They'll also gently examine your hands and fingers, including a special way to measure skin thickness using an ultrasound machine – this is painless and doesn't use radiation. At each visit, they'll check your fingers for any changes, measure the blood flow in your hands using a special device, and check your hand temperature with a special camera. These measurements will be taken just before the light treatment, immediately after, and then every 10 minutes for 90 minutes. You will receive all three different light doses over your three visits.