Narrowband UVB Phototherapy for the Treatment of Psoriasis: A Review and Update

An advance in UVB-based phototherapy has been the introduction of fluorescent lightbulbs (Philips TL-01) that deliver monochromatic light at 311-nm UVB, a narrowband wavelength that seems to maximize clearing of plaques relative to its erythrogenic potential. Narrowband UVB phototherapy has considerable advantages over traditional treatment options such as broadband UVB and psoralen plus UVA (PUVA). It is clearly more effective than broadband UVB, safer than PUVA, and well tolerated by patients when taken at suberythemogenic doses. Narrowband UVB represents an important new therapy for psoriasis.