Phototherapy

What is phototherapy?

The spectrum of sunlight consists of 10% of ultraviolet radiation, 40% of visible spectrum rays, and 50% of infrared rays. These types of electromagnetic radiation are widely used in medicine. Today, narrow-spectrum phototherapy is the newest, most effective method of treatment using ultraviolet radiation.

In the 1950s, a method of phototherapy was developed - quartz (artificial ultraviolet emitter). Due to the presence of a large number of adverse reactions on the skin, the search of scientists continued. In the 70s, a new method was proposed - PUVA therapy.

The essence of the method: the patient is forced to take psoralen drugs (they have hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic effects) and ultraviolet radiation of the A spectrum, without taking the drugs, the effect of the treatment did not occur. In the 80s, the so-called broadband phototherapy (Broadband Phototherapy) was invented, but due to certain side reactions, it never became widely used.

Today, all modern clinics in the world use the most effective and popular method (developed in the 90s) — phototherapy of a narrow spectrum of light (Narrow band UVB 311 nm). From the broad spectrum of ultraviolet, one narrow spectrum has been "cut out", which has a therapeutic effect.

The spectrum of ultraviolet radiation has no side effects, and the treatment is not contraindicated for both pregnant women and children over 5 years of age, which clearly indicates the safety of this method. UVB 311 nm phototherapy for some skin diseases (psoriasis, parapsoriasis, atopic dermatitis) allows you to eliminate the skin manifestations of these diseases, and for vitiligo, it is the only treatment method that is recognized as evidence-based medicine.

Advantages of phototherapy

The main advantage of light therapy is the total duration of the procedure, which lasts from 5 minutes (at the beginning of treatment) to 30 minutes (increases over time), which allows you to save a lot of time for yourself, and completely eliminates the need to conduct treatment in an inpatient department.

According to global recommendations, depending on the patient's condition and the stage of the disease, the method of narrow-spectrum phototherapy is recommended only 2-3 times a week. In case of psoriasis, the optimal number of procedures is 20-30/course; with parapsoriasis — 5-7; with atopic dermatitis, neurodermatitis and eczema — 10-15; with vitiligo, a positive result is observed after 10 procedures, and for a course of 30-100. Do not forget the importance of other treatment methods that can be successfully combined with phototherapy, which allows you to achieve a faster treatment effect.

Depending on your diagnosis, our doctors will recommend a combination of phototherapy sessions with external treatment — the use of moisturizing preparations, shampoos, creams or other medical means.

Types of phototherapy

In our medical facility, you will be given the opportunity to use the following modern methods of phototherapy:

• Local narrow-spectrum phototherapy (Daavlin 7 Series X 311-10, 2011), which allows phototherapy to be carried out on open areas of the skin.
• Local narrow-spectrum phototherapy (Dermalight 80 UVB-311 nm, 2012) — allows treatment to be carried out on the scalp and, if necessary, to increase the radiation dose in areas where there is insufficient access to ultraviolet light during local phototherapy.

If you have any questions, you can make an appointment with our doctors.