Phototherapy Vs. Tanning Beds
- Newborns with jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia), a common condition in which there is too much bilirubin in the blood, are often treated with phototherapy. In the mid-1990s, a portable device for in-hospital and at-home use---a bibiblanket---emerged as the preferred devise for treating hyperbilirubinemia. The "blanket," a pad of woven fibers, provides the strongest light possible while filtering out potentially harmful ultraviolet rays.
- According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, phototherapy can be an effective treatment for the chronic autoimmune disease that affects the skin. Ultraviolet light B (UVB) slows the growth of affected skin cells, and can be delivered by a special UVB light unit in a doctor's office, or at home; at-home equipment requires a prescription. PUVA, or ultraviolet light A used in combination with psoralen, a light-sensitizing medication, is prescribed for severe types of psoriasis as well as eczema and vitiligo; treatment is delivered at a doctor's office.
- Light therapy boxes designed to mimic light of the sun is one of many tools used to treat seasonal affective disorder (SAD). While they can be purchased over-the-counter for at-home use, the Mayo Clinic advises that patients check with their health professional to make sure that the light therapy is recommended and that the product they purchase is safe and effective.
- Medical News Today cites a Dec. 2006 report in Archives of Dermatology that says phototherapy treatment for infants leads to an increased risk of developing skin moles in childhood; moles are an established risk factor for melanoma. The American Osteopathic College of Dermatologists reports on its website that PUVA treatments increase the risk of squamous cell skin cancer; patients receiving more than 150 treatments were also at a higher risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
- Most tanning beds use primarily ultraviolet A (UVA) rays, as well as a small percentage of ultraviolet B (UVB); their high-intensity UVA rays are 10 to 12 times more powerful than the sun's ultraviolet rays. A Jan. 2009 New York Times article on its Health Guide website states that some psoriasis patients have benefitted from commercial-grade Wolff tanning beds which use UVB radiation; however, because UV strengths can vary greatly among tanning beds, commercial and at-home tanning beds generally are not recommended as a substitute for phototherapy devises.
- In July 2009 the World Health Organization (WHO) elevated tanning beds to its highest cancer risk category---"carcinogenic to humans." The Lancet Oncology, which published the WHO report, states that using a tanning bed increases the relative risk of developing melanoma by 20 percent; the risk of this cancer increases by 75 percent when tanning bed use starts before age 30.
