The World of UV Phototherapy

Posts Tagged ‘Eczema’

The three diseases that we see UVB NB prescribed for most often are Eczema, Psoriasis and Vitiligo. People being treated with UVB NB for Eczema and Psoriasis typically  see results very quickly while those with Vitiligo have a tougher row to hoe. With Vitiligo, we typically see re-pigmentation begin after forty to sixty treatments, remember with treatments usually ocurring three times a week we’re looking at 12 to 20 weeks before re-pigmentation begins. It usually begins with freckling in the white areas and then over time the freckles expand to cover the area. Treatment will most likely continue for a year or more to fill in all/most areas that will re-pigment.

Folks with Psoriasis and Eczema usually respond quickkly to treatment and begin to see results with in the first week or so and treatments then continue for a month or two with most people clearing within a few months.

Here’s a page at National Psoriasis Foundation on UVB Phototherapy
Excerpt from page “Several studies indicate that narrow-band UVB clears psoriasis faster and produces longer remissions than broad-band UVB. Narrow-band UVB may be effective with fewer treatments per week than broad-band UVB. Narrow-band UVB is also emerging as an alternative to PUVA, the light-sensitizing medication psoralen plus exposure to ultraviolet light A. Although not as effective as PUVA, narrow-band UVB is easier for people to undergo and may be safer over the long term. The use of narrow-band UVB may increase as doctors and patients learn more about its effectiveness and safety…” See http://www.psoriasis.org/treatment/psoriasis/phototherapy/uvb.php

With Eczema and Psoriasis, what do you do when clearing has happened?

1. Wait for a re-occurence and start treatments again or
2. Perform a weekly maintenance dose at perhaps 75% of the last treatment time.

In either case, check with your dermatologist or medical professional. As a reminder, please read our disclaimer.

Link to entire article << Click Here >>

The first report of the use of ‘phototherapy’ in the treatment of skin disorders dates from 1400 BC from India when patients with vitiligo were given certain plant extracts (whose active ingredients included psoralens) and then exposed to the sun. The real interest in the use of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in the treatment of various skin diseases started in the 19th century when Niels Finsen received the Nobel Prize (1903) for his therapeutic results with UV irradiation in lupus vulgaris, the only dermatologist ever to be awarded one. This marked the start of modern phototherapy. It was used in thermal stations for the treatment of tuberculosis, in the treatment of leg ulcers in wartime, and various other skin diseases. It was a very long journey from the use of plant extracts and sun exposure to treat vitiligo to the use of oral psoralens and total body UVA-irradiation cabins (PUVA) to treat various skin diseases. In a landmark development, in 1974 Parrish et al reported the useful role of high intensity UVA tubes in combination with oral psoralens in the treatment of psoriasis leading to what is now known as PUVA therapy.

The history of UVB phototherapy is not as old as the history of photochemotherapy. Wiskemann introduced irradiation cabin with broad band UVB tubes in 1978 for the treatment of psoriasis and uremic pruritus. However, broad band UVB phototherapy was less efficient for treating psoriasis than PUVA and so never achieved popularity. The breakthrough came after 1988 when narrow-band UVB (NB-UVB) phototherapy was introduced for the treatment of psoriasis by van Weelden et al and Green et al.

Link to entire article << Click Here >>

Excerpted from an article by: Sunil Dogra, Amrinder Jit Kanwar, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh, India

Correspondence Address:
Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh - 160102, India
ajkanwar@sify.com