From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading:

Psoriasis, an autoimmune disorder that can cause itchy and/or painful red, raised patches of skin, has millions of Americans covering up their skin to avoid embarrassment. Topical medications often fail to adequately treat psoriasis, and oral medications can have serious side effects, Light therapy offers relief for many psoriasis patients, but the rigorous schedule in an ultraviolet light chamber can be too inconvenient for some. Now clinicians are discovering treatment of psoriasis with excimer lasers, previously used successfully in eye surgery. The laser is administered in-office by a handheld wand to a small area, and the typical treatment only takes 3 to 5 minutes (multiple treatment sessions are needed). There is no pain, and many insurance plans cover the treatment. So far the excimer laser has proven effective for treating small areas of plaque, particularly on the palms and soles of feet. Large areas of skin are less practical for this type of treatment, due to the amount of time it would take to administer. A new, higher intensity laser now in development may be able to effectively treat psoriasis that covers as much as 30% of the body (the current laser can treat psoriasis that has spread over up to 10% of a patient’s body).

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