Eczema Light Therapy

The following are types of light therapy:

Phototherapy:

This is useful in cases of stubborn, chronic atopic dermatitis. UVB combined with emollients and tar have certainly been helpful. UVB is not suitable for acute exacerbations. It appears that a combination of UVA as well as UVB is better than UVB alone. PUVA (psoralens + UVA) appears more effective than UVB. There is the problem of rebound effect after discontinuing PUVA and the increased risk of skin cancer is documented.

Narrow Band UVB:

311 nanometers has been useful although further work needs to be done. A report on 5 patients with severe atopic eczema shows efficacy in all patients with a cumulative dose of 9.2 J/cm2 Benefit was seen after 3 weeks.
J Am Acad Dermatol 1999;40:995-7

PUVA:

This involves a combination of an oral photosensitizing drug psoralen combined with UVA. This has been shown to be effective in children resulting in clearance or near clearance.
Br J Dermatol 1988;118:791-5
Br J Dermatol 1993;129:431-6