Sunlight and Psoriasis

When it comes to illness, most of us only encounter seasonal conditions like the cold, flu, and allergies, as well as health problems that arise as a result of our lifestyle choices. However, millions of people also suffer with chronic health issues like psoriasis. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder that produces dry, scaly patches on the skin and/or scalp due to an overproduction of skin cells. Luckily, there are several available methods for psoriasis treatment, including UVB narrow band light therapy.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for psoriasis, but UVB has been shown to reduce the symptoms. Getting moderate amounts of natural sunlight can be beneficial to our overall health as it aids in the body’s ability to produce vital nutrients, such as vitamin D. But, psoriasis sufferers typically require prolonged exposure to the sun in an effort to achieve clearer skin; this increases our risk of skin cancer as well as exposure to the more damaging UVA rays of the sun. Given this information, it’s easy to see why UVB psoriasis light therapy equipment uses the same principle as natural sunlight to treat patients without the added exposure to UVA.

If you are looking for a scalp psoriasis treatment, and can’t wait to get rid of scaly patches of skin on some other damaged areas, you should definitely consider a portable UVB lamp. At-home UVB lamp devices emit artificial sunlight using a special Philips 311nm bulb, and are designed to target affected areas of the skin. These devices eliminate the need for hours of daily natural sunlight exposure because treatment times are typically a few seconds to a few minutes per day, depending on a schedule set up by your doctor. They also have the added benefit of being lightweight and portable, which makes setting up a daily treatment schedule more convenient.