As with all medications, how effective they are depends on your own particular metabolism and condition. While biologics can often produce faster results in many people, the vast majority of those people would see better results using light therapy for psoriasis and eczema, and particularly vitiligo. Narrowband UVB phototherapy treatments generally provide moderate to total clearing in 80% or more of the cases. Biologic drugs are effective for a smaller percentage of patients and usually produce clearance results of only 45% to 60% in the average patient. With very severe skin conditions, a combination of phototherapy and medications (not just biologicals) can often be the solution, but MORE patients see get BETTER results using Narrowband UVB light therapy than biologics.

That describes what they are supposed to DO. When comparing medical treatments, you not only have to factor what particular treatments do, but also what they are NOT intended to do. In other words; "unintended side effects". Like any medication, light therapy presents several side effects. While many are actually beneficial (increases Vitamin D3 synthesis, reduces depression), some are not (risk of sunburn if overused, cataract formation if you don't protect the eyes) but all these adverse side effects are easily prevented by following proper use.

Biological medications have a tremendous number of potential undesirable side effects, many of them common, including a definite increase in the patient's risk for skin cancer. According to the FDA's statistics, biological medications are responsible for roughly a thousand deaths each year. The risk of developing severe infections (fungal, bacterial and/or viral) is dramatically increased while taking biologicals. These medications are given by injection (often twice weekly), which means they have to be processed by the internal organs, and they are also very stressful to the body in general; the risk of serious compications is rather high.

Narrowband UVB phototherapy usually offers the best results for the greatest number of patients with fewer potential side effects than just about any other medication. For those few people whose conditions do not respond well to phototherapy, biologicals can often be a more effective alternative. However, if you don't determine whether or not phototherapy is effective for you before jumping straight to biologicals, you may very well be subjecting your body to infections, cancer and just about everything in between. For much the same reason that your dermatologist prescribes topical treatments before moving on to other treatment alternatives, phototherapy needs to be the next step before biologicals are prescribed; you normally want to try the medications that carry the lowest risk of side effects (and cost the least) before moving on to something far more expensive and detrimental to your general health and longevity.

 

	Effectiveness	Time Required	Cost
PUVA (Psoralen + UVA)	90%	4 Weeks	$3,083 to $7,288 One-time cost
nbUVB from UVBioTek™	80-82%	5 Weeks
Remicade*	82%	8 Weeks	$18,284 to $27,577 annually
Humira*	62%	8 Weeks
Enbrel*	47-49%	8 Weeks
Raptiva* **	32%	10 Weeks

*Remicade is a registered trademark of Centocor, Inc.
*Humira is a registered trademark of Abbott Laboratories..
*Enbrel® is a registered trademark of Amgen, Inc. / Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
*Raptiva® is a registered trademark of Genentech.
**Removed from the US market April 2009, due to the risk of PML, a fatal brain infection.

Yes. When UVB exposure is uncontrolled and the skin gets burned, this can often lead to an increased risk for skin cancer. This is true whether you're at the beach, working outside in your yard, or simply spend a lot of time in the Sun.

The better question to ask is, "Will UVB phototherapy increase the risk of skin cancer?", and the answer to that is, "not when used properly".

Studies have repeatedly proved that UVB phototherapy treatments for psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema and other conditions are effective and safe when used as prescribed. Nothing in medical literature so far indicates that the proper use of UVB light therapy has ever caused any increase in the risk for skin cancer. As it turns out, phototherapy is a commonly used treatment for dangerous skin cancers like Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL) and Mycosis Fungoides (MF).

Although not clinically proven, the risk for skin cancer appears to be much more closely related to the degree of skin damage patients receive in their lifetime. The most common form of skin damage is moderate to severe erythema (AKA: sunburn). A major part of following proper phototherapy light treatment protocol is to NOT burn the skin; so if you're using it correctly and aren't burning the skin, they should be fine.

The spectrum of UV light is broken up into three primary frequency ranges; UVA, UVB, and UVC.

UVA light: most commonly used in tanning systems, but also required for PUVA treatments, a doctor-supervised therapy that adds photosensitizing drugs (“psoralens”… the “P” in PUVA) that make the skin hypersensitive to light. These drugs are very stressful to the internal organs and are known carcinogens (aggressive ones at that). Because of these risks, there is a maximum number of PUVA treatments that any patient can take in their lifetime.

There is also a subset of the UVA spectrum that’s called “UVA-1”; there’s a lack of consensus on this as of yet, but it consists of the lower end of the UVA range. This has not yet been approved by the FDA for specific medical purposes, so all usage is considered “off-label”. This is supposed to effectively treat scleroderma (where the skin begins to shrink, tighten & harden; rather painful for the joints). There is also talk of using this type of light to treat lupus in very low doses. Since lupus is normally exacerbated with light exposure, as of this writing this is anecdotal.

UVB light: often referred to as “burning rays” because this is the range that can cause physical damage to the skin if overexposed.

Standard UVB lamps produce “broadband” UVB light. This used to be the most common type of phototherapy lamp for psoriasis treatments, but is relatively ineffective for conditions like vitiligo. In the early days of tanning salons, their lamps were more like “grow lamps”, and emitted both UVA and UVB. Because of the extraneous UVB, many psoriasis sufferers used to attain positive results by tanning. Since UVB lght causes skin damage when used to excess, and skin damage can lead to cancer, the tanning industry started reducing the amount of UVB... to the point that it is very uncommon today for tanning salon patrons to get sunburned (those that do, usually spent the rest of the day at the beach or went to another tanning salon on the same day – overdoing it one way or the other). Unfortunately, this also means that psoriatics (people with psoriasis) no longer get any benefit by using tanning systems these days… although many doctors still recommend it to this day.

nbUVB light: Pronounced "Narrowband UVB", these lamps block everything except for a very specific frequency of light; 311 nanometers (+/- 2nm). This has been found to be the most effective light therapy for virtually all of the UVB-responsive skin conditions, and is highly effective in treating vitiligo (where broadband UVB has little effect for most patients.) UVBioTekTM products only come with nbUVB lamps, unless otherwise specified.

UVC light: is basically the “death ray” range (not in the focused sense of a “ray” like a laser, but as in the “death” sense) and is most commonly used in sterilization devices, air purification systems (basically just air sterilization), some types of photolithography and as a catalyst for hardening certain polymers. It has no medical use beyond sterilization and is ineffective for treating psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema, or any related conditions.

Other terms you’ll often hear

Full-Spectrum Therapy: Full spectrum lights are most often used medically to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder Syndrome (SADS; AKA: “The Winter Blues”). These lights emit some light at the low end of the UV spectrum, but it has more to do with trying to simulate the Sun with a truer white light. This is most commonly used North of the Arctic Circle, but is being seen much more often elsewhere thanks to people working indoors or working nights. The FDA is a little wobbly about the efficacy of these lights, but the psychosomatic effect alone is enough to help a lot of people.

Jaundice Lamps: Also often referred to as "bilirubin lights", these are used to treat jaundice, most commonly in newborns and infants.

Red Light: For the most part, these are generally heat lamps. Infrared light, which is on the opposite end of the spectrum from ultraviolet, is also more commonly called "heat". Many conditions, dermatological or otherwise, respond well to heat therapy.

Blue Light: Said to be effective in treating acne and skin aging, this is still not acknowledged to be a legitimate treatment option by many.

The Sun: Being outside, or laying out in the Sun can provide you with large amounts of ultraviolet and infrared light. This alone can be enough for some people to keep their conditions in check. The problem is there's no way of knowing how much light you're receiving at any given time, and you don't know if you've been overexposed until hours after the fact.

Like any other FDA regulated medication or procedure, phototherapy light systems used to treat psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo or other light-responsive conditions may not be sold to or by anyone without a valid prescription from a doctor.

Because it makes sense medically, financially and emotionally. If you've been receiving treatment for psoriasis or vitiligo at your dermatologist’s office, then you know how cumbersome that process can be. The frequency of the treatments makes it costly and very time-consuming, therefore difficult to maintain the schedule. With a home unit, you treat on your schedule, in the comfort and privacy of your own home, with no fuss and virtually no impact on your lifestyle.

If phototherapy is effective for you and your condition, getting a home unit is smart both medically and financially because you will require treatments for as long as you have the condition (i.e. the rest of your life, especially for psoriasis and vitiligo). When you factor in the co-payments for each visit, plus the time & expense of getting there and back, the cost of long-term office-based phototherapy is much higher. Many people will spend enough out-of-pocket money in just one year of office treatments to more than pay for even our most expensive home systems.

Getting a home unit is also smart emotionally. It puts you in control of when you take your treatments, you don't have to drive anywhere to take them and you're in your own home. You can also treat every other day, which is considered to be medically optimal. Doctors often prescribe three treatments per week, which is the most you can take if their offices are closed on the weekends.

Most of all, the purchase of a home light therapy system represents a one-time purchase that can be expected to provide you with a lifetime of effective treatments and clear skin.

Short answer; Nope! It's not even remotely close.

According to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in January, 2010, when treating psoriasis and vitiligo in particular, “Average annual phototherapy costs ranged from $3,083 to $7,288, while biologic therapies ranged from $18,284 to $27,577 annually.” The last word being the biggest problem; paying for biologicals annually versus buying a home phototherapy system once.

To put that into perspective, the lowest average amount paid annually for biologic treatments is roughly three times the cost of the best UVBioTek™ home phototherapy light system... again, a one-time expense that provides a lifetime of effective treatments, as opposed to $20K-$30K each and every year for biological therapies. Plus, no injections are involved.

Insurance generally covers about 80% of the cost for the home phototherapy equipment, depending on the system. However, insurance
plans differ and reimbursements can vary anywhere from 0% to 100%.
To have the best chance of getting the greatest reimbursement, call us today at (800) 882-4683 and we will contact your insurance carrier for you and handle the paperwork.

Our experienced staff is there to help you with every aspect of the insurance process, free of charge. Our dedicated professionals have worked with almost every type of plan and the process is generally the same for all of them. Again, to have the best chance of getting the greatest reimbursement, call us before you contact your insurance carrier.

We offer several extended payment options for our home phototherapy equipment, many of which are interest free. In addition, we accept MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover cards.

Absolutely! Just make sure your doctor prescribes UVBioTek™. With UVBioTek™ systems, the location you use to treat your skin condition won't look like a doctor's office at all. All of our units either fold flat to the wall when not in use, or have door panels that cover and conceal the lamps from view. With your choice of door colors, these systems can be integrated into any room décor to be visually pleasing and elegant; looking more like a cabinet or a closet than a medical device.

A single panel light system differs from a full-body system in that you have to treat the front and back sides of the body separately, while a full-body system treats the whole body at once. They both use the same lamps, so they are just as effective, it simply takes longer to treat using a single panel. Since they are less expensive (a full-body system basically consisting of four single panel systems that are hinged together), insurance will often drive patients toward single panel light systems in order to save money. However,
a full-body system will almost always provide more consistent and quicker treatments than using a single panel.

Which one you need is a question for your doctor to decide, but full-body systems offer the quickest exposure times. They also fold up to look like a cabinet or closet door when not in use, while the single panel systems usually do not.

The short answer: Even exposure reduces treatment times, adjustable lamp distance allows for maximum effectiveness, Acrylic safety shields instead of wire mesh, state-of-the-art design and various safety features make it a space-saving and elegant piece of medical equipment that looks like anything but.

Read the long answer here: The Benefits of a UVBioTek™ Home Light Therapy System.

Exposing affected skin cells to short, frequent sessions of UV light with phototherapy provides relief from psoriasis for many people. Read more about psoriasis and treatment of psoriasis.

Phototherapy is one of the most successful vitiligo treatments available, resulting in natural repigmentation of your skin by stimulating neighboring cells to produce more skin color. Read more about vitiligo and how to treat vitiligo.

With proper use, phototherapy treatment is one of the most common and successful methods for treating eczema and gaining relief. Read more about eczema and treating eczema.

Phototherapy as a CTCL treatment is a proven treatment option that can be administered at a dermatologist’s office or right in the privacy of your own home. Read more about CTCL and CTCL treatments.