Internal Medicine

Phototherapy

When patients have psoriasis that does not respond to topical medications alone or have lesions that are too extensive for topical treatment, phototherapy becomes an option. During phototherapy, the patient’s skin or just the lesions are exposed to ultraviolet light.

UVB/NUVB is a types of ultraviolet radiation treatment (phototherapy) used for severe skin diseases. NUVB refers to a specific wavelength of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, that proved to be the most beneficial component of natural sunlight for psoriasis and looks promising in the treatment of some other skin conditions.

UVB phototherapy is highly effective in patients who have moderate to severe psoriasis and thin plaques. Patients usually receive between 2 and 5 treatments per week. During treatment, the skin is exposed to UVB, which is generated from a special lamp. To enhance penetration of UVB rays, an emollient is usually applied before exposure. UVB phototherapy may be combined with another psoriasis therapy, such as calcipotriene, tazarotene, anthralin or coal tar to increase effectiveness.

How it works: Ultraviolet (UV) light induces biologic reactions in the skin’s cells that decrease the number of skin cells that grow too quickly and kills T cells in the skin, which can result in the clearing of psoriatic lesions.