Winter… It’s phototherapy time for vitiligo treatment

Winter is here. The days get shorter, daylight hours diminish and there is less sunlight exposure. At this time of year, phototherapy with domestic-use lamps becomes even more essential for vitiligo treatment. Let’s take a look at the advantages.

Narrow-band UVB phototherapy lamps only employ a minimal percentage of the light spectrum, using the ultraviolet light wavelengths medically proven to be the most beneficial. Specifically, around 311 nanometres, equivalent to approximately 1% of solar light waves.

Narrow-band UVB phototherapy offers major advances in the treatment of vitiligo and other skin conditions, such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

The following are some of the benefits of using narrow-band UVB therapy:

• It contributes to repigmenting areas affected by vitiligo
• It helps stop the progression of vitiligo
• It stimulates melanocyte reserves
• It has fewer side effects than UVA phototherapy and produces fewer burns

Numerous studies have been carried out that confirm the effects of phototherapy with NB ultraviolet UVB, which highlight that the results (visible in over 50% of the cases and especially in cases of focused or segmental vitiligo) occur after a year of treatment.

At Abedul Productos Farmacéuticos we have a UVB-nb domestic phototherapy lamp, which enables psoriasis and vitiligo patients to locally tan the de-pigmented skin areas in the comfort of their own homes. Used alongside photosensitizers or pigmentation regulators, it improves vitiligo treatment results.