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Artificial hardening for polymorphic light eruption: Practical points from ten years' experience
Author(s) -
Man I.,
Dawe R. S.,
Ferguson J.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
photodermatology, photoimmunology and photomedicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.736
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1600-0781
pISSN - 0905-4383
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0781.1999.tb00066.x
Subject(s) - sunlight , desensitization (medicine) , psoralen , artificial light , sun exposure , medicine , dermatology , ultraviolet light , ultraviolet radiation , hardening (computing) , ultraviolet , retrospective cohort study , surgery , astronomy , optics , physics , materials science , photochemistry , chemistry , nanotechnology , dna , biochemistry , receptor , illuminance , layer (electronics) , radiochemistry
The conservative approach of sunlight avoidance and broad‐spectrum sunscreen is often disappointing in patients with moderate to severe polymorphic light eruption. A springtime course of prophylactic artificial hardening with ultraviolet B (UVB) phototherapy or psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) photochemotherapy will often allow patients to tolerate more sunlight and give them greater freedom during the summer. In this retrospective study we describe ten years' experience of such “desensitization” treatment. Individualized therapy with attention to detail will maximize the effectiveness of this treatment.