Phototherapy of psoriasis: review and update.

Along with topical and systemic therapy, phototherapy is one of the three fundamental treatment options for managing psoriasis. The use of UVB continues to be one of the most important therapeutic interventions for mild to moderate psoriasis. An advance in UVB phototherapy has been the introduction of narrowband UVB lamps (311 nm). UVB lamps are superior to conventional broadband UVB in clearing psoriasis. PUVA is very effective therapy and is still the most effective form of phototherapy for severe, extensive form od the disease. There has been a trend towards whole-body PUVA-bath. Advantages of PUVA bath are lack of gastrointestinal side effects and no need for post-treatment eye photoprotection because there is no systemic photosensitization. UVB and PUVA can be administered in combination with a variety of topical and systemic treatments to achieve more effective results more quickly. The most recent form of phototherapy, 308-nm excimer laser, holds promise for becoming a useful tool in the treatment of stable, localized psoriasis.