The Benefits of Light Therapy at Home



While there's no known cure for conditions like psoriasis, vitiligo and eczema, phototherapy, is a proven treatment option that usually provides moderate to total clearing in 80% or more of the cases. Biological drugs, on the other hand, are suitable for fewer people and produce results that only offer clearance of around 45% to 60% – with often severe side-effects.

In most cases, a home light therapy unit – what physicians call phototherapy – presents the optimal treatment option for psoriasis, vitiligo, and eczema. In the opinions of experts Drs. Steven R. Feldman and his colleagues at the Department of Dermatology, Pathology and Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, “The use of UVB phototherapy is one of the least costly treatments in terms of achieving treatment success and perhaps the safest way to manage psoriasis… Moreover, home UVB phototherapy should be promoted for appropriate patients who require long-term UVB as a maintenance therapy for their disease because this would eliminate most of the major inconveniences of phototherapy: frequent travel to the office for sessions, co-payments for each treatment, and lost time from work.”

Given the clear benefit of home phototherapy treatment, UVBioTek™ has created home light therapy systems that are considerably more effective than competitors’, and that also have the least amount of impact on your lifestyle. UVBioTek™ systems allow the UV panels to be positioned closer, generating a more intense light using fewer lamps. This means better and more controlled exposure than that offered by any other manufacturer, and this reduces treatment time, and the associated expense. Moreover, when you are done with treatment, the UVBioTek™ unit folds against the wall and Safely out of the way until the next use.

Home Light Therapy with a unit from UVBioTek™
Proven results:
Of light therapy in general, and of the more efficient UVBioTek™ units in particular. You can begin to show improvement in your psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema or other condition in just a few sessions. And with a home unit, you can treat your skin condition in the convenience of your own home, on your schedule, with the assistance of UVBioTek™.

High Efficacy with Virtually No Side Effects:
Phototherapy is effective in 80% or more of all cases, with virtually no side effects, compared to a 45% to 60% effectiveness rate for biological drugs (plus side-effects). And, again, you can treat your skin condition in the convenience of your own home, on your schedule.

Convenient and Comfortable:
Phototherapy is a non-invasive treatment, which you can experience at your doctor’s office or at home. Our units make it even more convenient because they blend in with your décor and require very little space.

Cost Effective:
According to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in January, 2010, “Average annual phototherapy costs ranged from $3,083 to $7,288, while biologic therapies ranged from $18,284 to $27,577 annually.”

To put that into perspective, the lowest average amount paid annually for biologic treatments is roughly three times the cost of a 16-lamp UVBioTek™ home phototherapy system… a one-time expense that provides a lifetime of effective treatments – compared with $20K-$30K every year for biologic therapies.

Great for Combination Therapy:
If other methods of treating psoriasis, vitiligo or eczema aren't working, adding UVB phototherapy may be the answer. Combination therapies including topical agents and light therapy, or biologics and phototherapy, may play an important role in finding relief from your skin condition. This is especially useful if other systemic medications such as Amevive® or Enbrel® alone are too severe for your particular situation. You can also use phototherapy alone if potential side effects from the biologics are a concern.

Here, for example, an article in Skin & Allergy News sheds new light on combining phototherapy with certain biologics like Amevive® or Enbrel®:

"Dr. Koo [of the University of California, San Francisco] said he has had excellent results using phototherapy and biologics in serial combination on psoriasis. First, clear the thick scaly plaques with phototherapy, and then transition the patient to a biologic such as alefacept. At Dr. Koo's treatment center, some patients are on etanercept [Enbrel®], infliximab [Remicade], or alefacept [Amevive®] while concurrently undergoing phototherapy. There does not appear to be a photosensitization problem with any of the biologics, he added." *

* "Biologics the Rage, but Don't Shun PUVA, UVB." Goldman, R., Contributing Writer, Skin & Allergy News - 08/2003 (Volume 24, Number 8)

What’s so different about the UVBioTek™ units?
Distance is critical with UVB rays

For every inch between you and the lamps, there is a significant decrease in UV light effectiveness. Light meter testing shows a decrease in UVB output of 50% or more after just six to seven inches of travel. A dramatic 70% drop occurs at just ten inches away.



Our competitors’ systems, designed in the 1960’s yet still sold today, are bulky, refrigerator-like and stationary. They are inflexible and created to accommodate the largest bodies. The design requires an excessive number of lamps to offset the distance discrepancy (or light dissipation) for smaller bodies, and the majority of users may be standing at or beyond the ten inch mark – which means the treatment against psoriasis and such, despite the extra lamps, is only 30% effective.

Our units by comparison are designed to fold around all body sizes, with a distance from the lamps of as little as two inches. This allows for maximum effectiveness in treatment. It also requires far less space than the outdated booths, especially since the unit folds against the wall. In terms of energy saving, UV light meter tests show that superior UVB output is achieved in our systems with up to 30% fewer lamps. That means a huge savings on electricity and re-lamping costs.

Evenness of exposure

Joules-based treatments (light treatments) are problematic and are difficult to accurately determine with stationary, round, hexagon and square phototherapy systems. If your shoulders are four inches from the lamps, your front and back are eight inches and your legs twelve inches, how do you set the Joules accurately for the front, back and legs without over-exposing the shoulders and/or sides? Our full-body units solve this problem through adjustable panels.

The adjustable panels also solve the problem of maximizing the proximity between the body and the lamps for varying body types. No matter the type, our units delivers treatment at peak efficacy.

Functional, space saving design
These are the only systems that fold flat against the wall when not in use then open easily for treatment when needed. The closed unit projects a mere five to eight inches from the wall, ensuring that you do not have to dedicate a portion of your room to the system. Additionally, the door panels can be customized to integrate with your room décor. You can choose from our available door colors and styles, or request a custom style.

Lower Energy Cost
Closer positioning of the UV panels reduces psoriasis and vitiligo treatment times, among other conditions. This adjustability means fewer lamps are required, less energy is needed for lamps and cooling, and costs are lower. The angular UV panel positioning also creates superior UV cross-firing for shorter treatment times and potentially greater results.

In summary
Light therapy has proven an effective treatment for psoriasis, vitiligo, eczema and other UV responsive skin diseases, but it has had drawbacks insofar as the frequency of the treatment and the need to travel to the doctor’s office has made it difficult for patients. However with home light therapy units from UVBioTek™, this difficulty vanishes and you can treat yourself at home (as prescribed by your physician) in just minutes, with virtually no impact on your day-to-day life. UVBioTek™ units in particular outperform the competition because their unique design provides a more effective treatment even as they reduce the time spent treating. The foldout and stylish design also ensures that your room space remains free.