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The biggest advantages of 311 nm UVB-phototherapy are that it does not have any serious side-effects, it does not damage the internal organs, and by reducing skin symptoms and making the condition of the patient entirely asymptomatic it helps to decrease the physical and mental stress on the patients. It works in 80% of the cases. The advantage of treatment with narrow band UVB-light compared to other methods is the improvement of the therapeutic effect and the decrease of side-effects.
The skin diseases treated by UVB-light are not curable, but they can be made asymptomatic: symptoms decrease or disappear completely, but they can recur again with different intensity. We recommend maintenance treatments after the series of treatment is finished to avoid a relapse. Treatment with UVB light, besides being perfectly safe and highly effective, is also convenient, since it only takes between 10 seconds to 8 minutes. This means that patients do not have to wait. The dermatologist determines the length and timing of the radiations and checks if the treatments have been successful. If you have any complaints concerning the treatment, you can turn to the doctor.  The skin gets used to UVB-rays gradually, so the duration of the treatments is increased slowly. The number of treatments required to achieve an asymptomatic condition depends on the skin type and on how the skin reacts to UVB. Based on the experiences so far for the improvement of the symptoms of psoriasis and eczema, the patient needs three treatments a week and at least 10 occasions with no break in between. If a patient has vitiligo, an average 20 consecutive treatments are needed to start the re-pigmentation. Only this will bring the required results. If you skip an occasion, the duration of the next treatment cannot be increased. If a patient misses more than one treatment, they have to start again with the shortest treatment duration. Extended treatments or their interruption may decrease effectiveness. Within 4-8 hours after the treatment – depending on individual sensitivity–redness can appear. This may last up to max. 24 hours. Redness can be treated with a skin cream prescribed by the dermatologist. Moisturising cream is recommended for psoriasis between the treatments. Our dermatologist can give you a recommendation on request.
The treatment does not affect the sexual potency of men. Research about narrow-band, 311 nm UVB-phototherapy studied the frequency of tumour diseases in patients who had been treated for several decades, and they found that compared to patients not receiving the treatment the chance of getting these diseases is the same and not higher! This is why it is important to always follow the treatment plan prescribed by the dermatologist. The following information is included on the website of the National Psoriasis Foundation of America: “UVB is an established carcinogen (cancer-causing substance or agent) in humans. However, there is no direct evidence of increased risk of skin cancer from UVB treatment for psoriasis. It is important to have a doctor examine your skin periodically.” Based on the studies published on the website of the American Academy of Dermatology, it was pointed out that: “Risks of skin cancer appear to be no greater than those caused by sun exposure.”
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