Phototherapy, or treatment with light, is an effective treatment for a number of skin diseases, including psoriasis. The phototherapy psoriasis treatment can be administered in several different ways. Additionally, there are home phototherapy units that can be ordered online without a prescription, so home psoriasis treatment is possible. Considering these factors, it is no wonder that the phototherapy psoriasis treatment is as popular as it is.

Sunlight as Psoriasis Treatment

Mild cases of psoriasis may be helped by daily exposure to sunlight. This is based on the observation that psoriasis patients tend to always be better in summer when people expose themselves to sunlight.  Daily, short, nonburning exposure to sunlight clears or improves psoriasis in many people. If using psoralen for PUVA phototherapy psoriasis treatment, care must be taken to avoid sunlight to prevent severe sunburns, and the eyes must be protected for one to two days with UV-blocking glasses.

Sunlight or artificial ultraviolet light exposure (using UVB), either alone or in combination with the application of skin moisturizers, coal tar derivatives, or anthralin, has also been found effective, especially in the case of more resistant or widespread cases of psoriasis.

PUVA Psoriasis Treatment

PUVA is an acronym for Psoralen - Ultraviolet light A. Psoralen is a light-sensitizing medication which, when combined with exposure to ultraviolet light A, can result in a quicker, more effective treatment than with ultraviolet light alone. PUVA is normally used when more than 10 percent of the skin is affected or when the disease interferes with a person's occupation (for example, when an actor's face or hands are involved).

There are risks of serious side effects which should be taken into account before choosing to use PUVA as a phototherapy psoriasis treatment. The most important is that PUVA, over a long enough period of time, increases your risk of skin cancer.

UVB Psoriasis Treatment

UVB phototherapy psoriasis treatment involves exposing the skin to an artificial UVB light source for a set length of time on a regular schedule. This can be done either under a doctor's direction in a medical setting or with a home unit. UVB is light with a short wavelength that is absorbed in the skin's epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin). An alternative UVB phototherapy psoriasis treatment using pulsed dye lasers can be used to treat chronic localized plaque lesions.

One combined therapy program, known as the Ingram regime, involves a coal tar bath, UVB phototherapy, and application of an anthralin-salicylic acid paste that is left on the skin for 6 to 24 hours. A similar regime, the Goeckerman treatment, combines coal tar ointment with UVB phototherapy.

Broadband UVB, which is "old-fashioned" UVB, was a treatment that William Goeckerman introduced in the 1920s and remains one of the lowest-risk effective treatments for psoriasis.

Conclusion

The phototherapy psoriasis treatment is very promising for a variety of types of psoriasis.  For example, it is an effective guttate psoriasis treatment. With the ability to help psoriasis sufferers gain relief from their skin disorder, phototherapy may be right for you. As with every other type of psoriasis treatment, consult with your doctor to determine the right psoriasis treatment for you.