Ultraviolet B Phototherapy for Psoriasis: Review of Practical Guidelines

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

4-1-2016

Publication Title

American journal of clinical dermatology

Abstract

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition that affects approximately 2 % of people worldwide. Topical treatments, systemic treatments, biologic agents, and phototherapy are all treatment options for psoriasis. Ultraviolet (UV) B phototherapy is most appropriate for patients with >10 % affected body surface area who have not responded to topical treatments. This review outlines the use, dosage, safety, and efficacy of narrowband UVB (NB-UVB) and targeted phototherapy. NB-UVB and excimer laser are effective treatment options for psoriasis; they are administered two to three times weekly until clearance followed by maintenance treatment before discontinuation. Long-term data on NB-UVB indicate that it has a good safety profile. NB-UVB is commonly used with adjunctive topical treatments such as emollients, calcipotriene, cortico-steroids, retinoids, and tar. NB-UVB can be used in selected patients with traditional systemic agents such as methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil, and cyclosporine, although the duration of the combined treatment should be kept to a minimum and patients need to be closely monitored. Acitretin can be safely used with phototherapy, but robust data on the combination use of biologic agents or phosphodiesterase inhibitors with phototherapy are lacking.

Medical Subject Headings

Acitretin; Administration, Topical; Combined Modality Therapy; Contraindications; Dermatologic Agents; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; Humans; Interleukin-17; Keratolytic Agents; Lasers, Excimer; Low-Level Light Therapy; Methotrexate; PUVA Therapy; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Psoriasis; Skin; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Ultraviolet Therapy

PubMed ID

26872953

Volume

17

Issue

2

First Page

125

Last Page

133

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