Tag: Phototherapy

Eczema Treatment Using Light

Eczema treatment can be done without the use of medication. In fact, there are three types around and your doctor will only be able to you which one you can take after a thorough examination.

The first is called UVA-1 Phototherapy. In this type of therapy, a narrow band of light is used to penetrate deeply into the skin. This is the newest one around and doctors have claimed that it is more focused and intense compared to other types since it does not burn the skin in therapeutic doses.

One of the advantages of this type of therapy is the fact that it can target large areas of skin without the side effects of oral or topical medications. It is currently being used to treat patients who are also suffering from dermatitis or dyshidrosis which is a condition that causes blisters on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet and morphea, thought to be an autoimmune disease that is localized to the skin and causes thickening and discoloration.

Since it is quite new, it is only available in a few hospitals in the US. During the session, a machine will emit UVA light directly over the affected area. Treatment usually takes 12 minutes and patients can keep coming back several times in a week. Some patients experience itchiness or redness after but this quickly disappears after a session.

Most patients have at least 4 to 5 therapy sessions in the first week and then cut this down to two or three in the succeeding weeks. You will see improvements after three weeks and doctors claim that there are no traces of this after a few months.

Aside from UVA-1 Phototherapy, you have narrow band UVB. This is the most common form of phototherapy around. The word narrow band refers to a specific wavelength of radiation so most of the time the patient is exposed to 311 nanometers of ultraviolet radiation.

The reason why it is the most common form aside from the fact that there are a lot of facilities that have it is the fact that your exposure time to the ultraviolet light is much shorter as well the course of treatment. It is more likely to clear your skin condition and you will enjoy a long remission period before it appears again.

Aside from eczema, this form of treatment is used to treat patients suffering from dermographism, early cutaneous T-cell, lichen planus, lymphoma, polymorphous light eruption, pruritus, and vitiligo.

The third type is PUVA which stands for Psoralen and UVA treatment. Psoralens are found in plants and can only be sensitized when this is taken either orally or applied topically. When applied with UVA, the patient does not have to be exposed too long to the radiation.

This process works by taking Psoralen orally an hour before UVA treatment. If the patient is not able to handle it, the hospital must provide a bathing system or a topical version of psoralens. Afterwards, the patient wears protective goggles during treatment and for the next 24 hours.

PUVA is given 2 to 3 times a week for a period of 3 months. Post treatment or maintenance therapy is one session a week. Each time the patient leaves the clinic, he or she must avoid exposure to sunlight for the next 24 hours.

Eczema treatment using light is safe and effective. You should consider it if you have this skin condition.

Eczema Treatment The Use of UV Light

There is a form of eczema treatment which does not require the patient suffering from the skin disease to take medications. Its called phototherapy or light therapy a treatment for certain skin conditions using artificial light wavelengths from the suns ultraviolet spectrum.

Phototherapy involves the use of two kinds of UV light: UVA and UVB. Sometimes only one kind of UV light is used; other times, a combination of both is employed, of course depending on the recommendation of a specialist. It is prescribed by some doctors for patients with eczema, particularly those with atopic dermatitis and contact dermatitis. So when does a doctor advise a patient to undergo phototherapy? When the eczema is widespread and does not respond to any medications applied onto the affected areas.

How long does the treatment last before significant results are evident?

Treatment by exposure to UVB light is considered to be the safer form of phototherapy. It is recommended for a person afflicted with eczema to undergo 3-5 treatments per week. The amount of UVB light used is gradually increased depending on the diseases response and the type of skin of the patient. Usually, a noticeable improvement on the affected skin is observed within 1-3 months of therapy.

Are there any side effects when I undergo this treatment?

The UV light used in phototherapy, although artificial, is still much like the one emitted by the sun. That is why exposure to this kind of light must be carefully done under the supervision of a specialist in order to prevent sunburn and other potential effects on the body. What are these potential side effects? One is the possible development of cataracts a condition which involves the clouding of the normally clear lens of the eyes. During a phototherapy session, the patients eyes are protected by special goggles to prevent the UV light from harming the eyes and vision.

Premature skin aging may also be another potential side effect of phototherapy, although limited to prolonged treatments only. However, the patients exposure to UV light is administered in controlled doses by a specialist, so any skin damage that may arise is significantly kept at minimum.

Isnt it that exposure to UV light causes skin cancer?

We all know that prolonged exposure to direct sunlight can cause skin cancer. Sunlight has UV light; phototherapy uses the same kind of light as that emitted by the sun. Yes, this is very much true. But then again, phototherapy is controlled and administered by a specialist, and each phototherapy session does not take long hours of exposure to UV light. Usually, the first treatment only takes a few seconds, working up to a few minutes each side of the body as the treatment course progresses. Of course, much of it still depends on what the specialist deems appropriate.

How does UV light help relieve eczema symptoms?

You might have heard before that some dermatologists actually recommend their patients suffering from skin conditions such as acne and psoriasis to have their skin exposed to sunlight at times. So whats in sunlight that makes it beneficial to such skin conditions? Yes, its UV light.

UV light kills the T cells in the affected skin, resulting to reduction of redness and slowing down of the production of skin cells that cause scaling. Because of the same effects, phototherapy is considered as an effective eczema treatment, when other treatment methods fail to yield positive results.