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Exposing affected skin cells to
UV light through short, frequent sessions of exposure causes the
skin cells to die, eliminating or improving symptoms, providing
relief from psoriasis for many people. Although there is no cure
for psoriasis, phototherapy
treatments help significantly in upwards of 80% of the
cases .
Your doctor may prescribe
phototherapy using light in the Ultraviolet-A (UVA) or
Ultraviolet-B (UVB) range for treating psoriasis.
When comparing the two, UVB has
the added advantage of producing fewer adverse side effects, as the
long-term use of the psoriasis medication psoralen is
eliminated.
UVA: When using UVA light, doctors often combine
UVA phototherapy with an oral or topical medicine called psoralen.
The addition of psoralen (PUVA) makes the skin more sensitive to
the UVA light, producing a greater effect than UVA light alone, but
introducing the potential for side effects from using psoralen.
UVB: An improved understanding of UVB light allowed
doctors to better refine phototherapy treatment by including a very
precise range of UVB wavelengths, called narrowband UVB light
(nbUVB). Evidence has given new hope to psoriasis sufferers and
suggests that nbUVB phototherapy treatments offers even better
treatment results than broadband UVB therapy for certain patients.
Currently nbUVB is one of the main treatments for patients with
mild to severe psoriasis. Broadband UVB lamps emit a broad range of
light over the UVB spectrum.
Proven results
Prescribing Phototherapy for
Psoriasis, Eczema, or Vitiligo has been proven to be Safe and
Effective. Clearance is usually evident after just four to eight
weeks of treatments.
High Efficacy with Virtually No
Side Effects
Narrowband light treatment is
effective in 80% or more of all cases, with virtually no side
effects,) comparable to biological drugs, though these drugs may
have potentially severe side effects
Convenient and Comfortable
Phototherapy, or light treatment,
is a non-invasive medical treatment, which patients can take at
their doctor’s office or in their their own home if the physician
determines that the patient qualifies for home treatments and
prescribes a home treatment system for the patient.
Cost Effective
Average annual phototherapy costs
for in office patient phototherapy treatments range from $3,083 to
$7,288 a year, while biologic treatments range from $18,284 to
$27,577 annually.
The only patented units that
fold flat against the wall
UVBioTek™ units are the only
systems that fold flat against the wall when not in use, and still
allow fully adjustable lamp positioning.
Youtube video on the UVBioTek Full-Body Phototherapy System
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