Ultraviolet or UV light has often been vilified for its hazardous effects on the skin, including sunburns, skin cancer, and premature wrinkles. But UV light has some uses too. In particular, it's a useful treatment for certain skin conditions.
Conditions that can be treated with UV light range from mild to severe. These include psoriasis, eczema, itchy or dry skin, vitiligo (white patches caused by skin pigment loss), graft-vs-host disease (possible complication of bone marrow and blood transplants), and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, which is a rare skin cancer. According to Dermatology Associates of the Bay Area, photodynamic UV therapy is also an option for mild or moderate acne.
Doctors are still unsure as to how UV light aids certain conditions. A possible reason could be UV light slowing down overgrowth in skin cells and somehow affecting the immune system.
UV light therapy should only be given under supervision of health care professionals. There are a variety of ways in which this therapy can be administered, including the use of light beds, small hand-held lights, light-emitting combs for the scalp, and high-intensity lasers used for small areas of skin. The length of therapy sessions can vary from seconds to a full hour, and many sessions may be required for the treatment to take effect.
Despite its potential benefits, exposure to UV light still puts you at risk for skin cancer. If you decide to go into UV therapy, frequent screening for skin cancer can allow for early detection and increase your chances of treating it.
