USA Today

New treatment examined for skin problem

Doses of ultraviolet radiation applied through a laser appear to clear the common skin condition psoriasis for “moderately long” periods of time – averaging 6 1/2 months – without exposing large areas of the body to potentially damaging rays, shows a study of 13 patients conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. With conventional phototherapy
and photochemotherapy, generally the whole body is unavoidably exposed to UV radiation, says the report in this month’s Archives of Dermatology. Burning and itching can result in the short run and cause long-term side effects, including accelerated aging of the skin and cancer.