New research reveals ultraviolet light therapy is as beneficial for darker skin as li...( DALLAS July 8 2008 An analysis of ...),Health

DALLAS July 8, 2008 An analysis of more than 100 patients has confirmed for the first time that darker-skinned patients benefit as those with lighter skin when given light therapy for morphea and related diseases, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers show.

Phototherapy is the use of ultraviolet light to treat skin disorders, ranging from common problems such as acne and psoriasis to rarer conditions such as scleroderma and morphea, a hardening of the skin.

Some clinical observations have suggested that darker skin may not respond as well to light therapy, but the new data indicate that skin type does not significantly influence the effectiveness of UVA1 phototherapy, said Dr. Heidi Jacobe, assistant professor of dermatology at UT Southwestern and lead author of the study appearing in the June edition of the British Journal of Dermatology.

"This study is good news, indicating that UVA1 phototherapy should be considered as a therapeutic option for more darkly pigmented patients," noted Dr. Jacobe, who heads UT Southwestern's phototherapy clinic, one of a select few UVA1 phototherapy units in the Southwest.

Patients with diseases such as morphea respond better when treated earlier in the course of the disease, so it's important to know whether a particular treatment such as light therapy is useful.

Researchers reviewed 101 cases treated at UT Southwestern's phototherapy clinic over a three-year period ending in 2007, noting demographic and diagnostic data, skin type and clinical outcome, using standard improvement scales.

Researchers noted that the cumulative dose used did not vary significantly between skin types, and there was little or no correlation between skin type and clinical improvement scores.

The majority of patients treated at the center were diagnosed with either morphea or scleroderma. The maladies often cause discolorations of the thickened skin, usually red or purple
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