Phototherapy

When Kim Kardashian recently claimed that her tanning booth soothes her psoriasis, the star received backlash from practitioners and fans alike.

Patients treated with phototherapy without psoralens do not experience higher incidence rates of skin cancer compared with the general population, according to a study.

Published data from sequenced skin samples of 111 individuals with psoriasis suggest that the chronic condition is not started or spread by somatic mutations.

For patients with Bowen’s disease, 5-fluorouracil was shown to be noninferior to surgical excision and resulted in better cosmetic outcomes, according to a study.

The quality and quantity of ultraviolet B phototherapy sessions for the treatment of atopic dermatitis did not increase the risk of skin cancer development in patients, according to a study.

Zerigo Health announced the launch of Zerigo 2.0 ecosystem, a digital platform that connects health care systems and patients to the management and phototherapy treatment of chronic skin conditions, according to a company press release.

Healio spoke with Joy Wan, MD, MSCE, pediatric dermatologist at Johns Hopkins University, about challenges in pediatric psoriasis, collaborative care and available treatment options.

What psoriasis treatment is as effective as adalimumab but achieves better overall improvement in health-related quality of life, as well as improves patient report of pain, lowers markers of systemic inflammation that cause cardiovascular disease, improves levels of HDL (ie, good cholesterol) and requires no laboratory screening?

Psoriasis treatment options have come a long way, but phototherapy, one of the oldest treatments around, is still a mainstay in many dermatologists’ offices offering safe, effective management of plaque psoriasis.

Patients with psoriasis who use biologics are more likely to develop psoriatic arthritis than those on other or no therapies, according to retrospective data published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.