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Narrowband UVB Therapy
for PSORIASIS
Psoriasis is a skin
disorder that can make skin itch, burn, sting, or bleed, while flaking and
scaling are the most common symptoms. About 4.5 million adults in the |
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While the cause of
psoriasis is still undetermined, physicians believe it is related to the
body’s immune system and that it is genetic. Physicians also believe
outbreaks can be caused by: emotional stress, injury to the skin, reaction to
certain drugs, and some types of infections. Psoriasis is not, however,
contagious. Most people who experience
psoriasis will have a mild form of the disorder; one or a few patches often
confined to the knees, elbows or scalp. The rest will have moderate to serve
psoriasis. Moderate involves 10 to 20 percent of the skin’s surface
(the palm of the hand is roughly 1 percent). Severe can range up to total
body involvement. At the Dermatology & Laser Center of San Antonio, we use Topical treatment, oral medications, phototherapy, or a combination of both. At the Dermatology and
Laser Center of San Antonio, we use a newer type of phototherapy, called
narrowband UVB. Narrowband UVB emits the part of the ultraviolet
light spectrum band that is most helpful for psoriasis. In this type of phototherapy,
UVB radiation penetrates the skin with more specific range of UV wavelengths
and decreases the abnormal rapid growth of skin cells associated with
psoriasis. UVB treatment involves exposing the skin to an artificial UVB
light source for a set length of time on a regular schedule. Several studies have
indicated that narrow-band UVB clears psoriasis faster and produces longer
remissions than the board- or wide-band UVB.
Narrow-band UVB is usually
effective with two or three treatments per week, while in some cases,
wide-band must be administered more frequently to be effective. In some
cases, narrow-band UVB is being considered an alternative to PUVA, which
requires patients to take a light-sensitizing medication called psoralen in addition to being exposed to UVA light.
Narrow-band UVB is easier for people to undergo and may be safer over the
long term with similar effectiveness. The pros for narrow-band therapy include:
No matter how mild,
moderate, or severe psoriasis patches or lesions are, problems of
unsightliness, itching and sometimes pain are common. Most people who have
mild psoriasis will never experience a worsening of the disorder. Some,
however, will experience a spread of the symptoms. Psoriasis tends to come
and go – flare and then get better as spontaneous remission may occur. The goal of treating
psoriasis is to make the condition easier to live with so a person can enjoy
normal social and physical activities. Occasionally, psoriasis will go into a
spontaneous remission on its own without treatment. Sometimes a treatment
that works to keep the psoriasis in check will stop working, making it
necessary for a different type of treatment or a combination of treatments to
begin.
The Dermatology & Laser Center of San Antonio™ 7810 Louis Pasteur, Suite 200 San Antonio, TX 78229 210.614.3355 |
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