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World Psoriasis Day
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Health News 
- Ireland launches psoriasis awareness website
Published Wednesday 29 October 2008 - Psoriasis guidelines agreed by international panel
Published Tuesday 28 October 2008 - Diminished self-esteem as a symptom of psoriasis
Published Friday 24 October 2008 - Countries unite for World Psoriasis Day events
Published Thursday 23 October 2008
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Phototherapy
Phototherapy uses light. Light has long been known to help clear up psoriasis. There are three kinds of phototherapy:
UVB
PUVA
laser
UVB uses ultraviolet B light. Ultraviolet B light is more intense than ultraviolet A, but does not penetrate as deeply. PUVA uses ultraviolet A light and a psoralen compound which makes the skin more sensitive to this wavelength of light. These therapies require a number of visits to the hospital a week.
Lasers are the latest form of phototherapy. Laser therapy is done in hospital and needs a number of sessions to be effective, the exact number and frequency of sessions depends on the type of laser. A potential side effect of laser therapy is bruising and it is therefore, not recommended for people whose psoriasis worsens when the skin is injured.
The main side-effects with phototherapy are skin aging and an increased risk of skin cancer. The risk may be significantly reduced with laser therapy as less non-psoriatic skin comes into contact with the light; however, there is no evidence either way at the moment.