ABOUT PHOTOTHERAPY

Phototherapy, also known as light therapy, is a common form of treatment that uses bright, ultraviolet (UV) lights on your exposed skin. Phototherapy can treat several types of skin conditions, including psoriasis and eczema.

During a phototherapy procedure, your provider will verify that you’re wearing your personal protective equipment, like eye protection, before turning on the ultraviolet light. The way that the UV light passes on your skin is unique to each type of treatment:

• UVB light: You’ll stand in a box-like structure, similar to an upright tanning bed, where a light source will pass over your skin. Once you’re inside, the lights will turn on for a set amount of time by your provider. If you’re only treating a small section of your skin, you’ll sit or lie down on a table and your provider will wave a wand with a light in it across your skin.
• UVA light: The procedure is similar to UVB. Sometimes, medications are used to help the treatment work better. Psoralen is a plant chemical that makes your skin more sensitive to UVA light. If you have psoralen UVA treatment, your provider will begin by letting you soak in a bath that contains psoralen or give you psoralen to take by mouth or put on your skin before your treatment.
• Excimer laser light: Lasers deliver more focused ultraviolet light to smaller areas of your body. After exposing the area to be treated, your provider will have you lie on a table before moving the laser light over a small area of your skin that needs treatment.

There are different types of ultraviolet (UV) light, or ultraviolet radiation, that are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The sun produces UV light that reaches the Earth. UV light helps you produce vitamin D, which is essential to help your body survive. Too much UV exposure can damage your skin.

The UV light used in phototherapy is the same type of light emitted from the sun. Your provider will control the strength of the light and monitor the length of time that your skin will have exposure to UV light to prevent skin damage.

There are different types of ultraviolet light for medical procedures based on the type of ultraviolet and the size of the wavelength:

• UVB: Ultraviolet light B (UVB) has a medium wavelength that reaches the top layer of your skin. Overexposure to UVB light can cause sunburns.
• UVA: Ultraviolet light A has a long wavelength that reaches the first two layers of your skin and treats conditions that affect these deeper regions of the skin. Overexposure to UVA light can cause sunburn and wrinkles.