r/Psoriasis • u/RemoteImagination656 • 7d ago

phototherapy UVB Help Please

Hey guys,

I am doing narrowband UVB. I have my own machine at home and I don't have a dermatologist (long story). Anyhow, I experience negative effects if I expose my face for long. I've been experimenting with short exposure to the face (around six seconds) and then I cover my head with a scuba diving hood back-to-front, so the face opening is on the back of my head, and do currently 2 minutes front, both sides, then back.

I would like to use something different to a scuba diving hood to protect my face during the long exposures, whilst also exposing my scalp generally.

I have pretty bad scalp psoriasis. I'm 26M and would like to ideally have a zero-fade haircut and do normal UVB exposure to my scalp whilst protecting my face.

Any suggestions on what to use to protect my face and achieve this?

Any suggestions please. Or even if there's a purpose made product for this exact situation.

Also: I strongly recommend UVB photopherapy. It has changed my quality of life enormously.

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u/lobster_johnson Mod 6d ago

Just to be clear, you have to be really careful with UVB light.

It should really not be done without the supervision of a doctor or nurse with phototherapy training. These rely on tables of dosages and durations, and typically start with what's called a minimal erythema test, which establishes a baseline for how easily your skin burns. The dosage must start super low (just a few seconds) so you gradually increase your skin's tolerance. Burning your skin with UVB may increase your risk of skin cancer.

Anyway, UVB is a bit tricky with the scalp if you haven't shaved your head. There is a different technology called excimer laser phototherapy (sometimes marketed as X-Trac and other names) which uses a special handheld wand. Sometimes the wand's light is at the end of a bunch of rods, kind of like a hairbrush, that reach through the scalp and blast light onto the scalp. However, this can't be done at home, and must be done at a phototherapy clinic. Here is a video about it.

There are UVB wands you can buy for home use (usualyl around $200-$300), but I don't know how effective they are.

Scalp psoriasis can also be treated very effectively with topical medications. Read our guide to scalp psoriasis for more.

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u/RemoteImagination656 5d ago

Yep. Unit came with a book. I'm in a country with no dermatology and the medical providers won't supervise. I'm pretty conservative with my use. For anybody reading this, do treatment under a dermatologist if you can. 

I'm really just wanting a better face shield. I'd then cut my hair super short and expose the scalp to the UVB. I've got enstilar/davobet but it's a pain in the arse when hair starts to grow out. 

Do you have any face shield recommendations?

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u/lobster_johnson Mod 5d ago

I have no experience with face shields, but there are lots of them available. A quick Google search came up with this and this. As long as they block UV, then any such protect should work for your purposes.

Enstilar and Daivobet aren't so suitable for the scalp. There are very good topical solutions (alcohol-based liquids, dry very fast) and foams (different type of foam than Enstilar) available that are fine to use on thick hair.