- Dr. Kuzel
- Treatments
- Conditions
- Calgary South
- Articles
- (403) 286-6888
- Contact Us
Book a consultation
Phototherapy uses a precisely measured dose of ultraviolet B light, delivered in a medical booth, to calm the immune activity in the skin that drives psoriasis, eczema and several other conditions. It is drug-free, well established, and covered by Alberta Health Care. Dr. Paul Kuzel, a board-certified dermatologist, prescribes and monitors every course.
Narrowband UVB delivers light at 311 nanometres, the wavelength that is most effective against inflammatory skin disease and least damaging to the skin. The dose is calculated for your skin type and increased gradually over the course.
Phototherapy is used for inflammatory skin disease that is too widespread for topical treatment alone, and for patients who prefer to avoid or cannot take systemic medication.
Widespread plaque psoriasis and guttate psoriasis. Narrowband UVB clears or substantially improves most patients within a course, and is particularly effective for guttate disease.
Moderate to severe eczema across large areas of the body that topical treatment does not control. Reduces inflammation and itch and allows a reduction in topical steroid use.
Narrowband UVB is the most effective non-surgical treatment for vitiligo, stimulating repigmentation from the edges of patches and from hair follicles within them. Face and trunk respond best; hands and feet respond least.
Generalised itch of kidney or liver disease, lichen planus, pityriasis lichenoides, polymorphic light eruption, early cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and other conditions where the evidence supports it, at the discretion of the treating dermatologist.
Phototherapy is safe because it is prescribed. The starting dose, the rate of increase, the number of sessions and the lifetime exposure are all decisions made by a physician who knows the condition and the patient.
Sessions are brief and are scheduled around work. Most patients are in and out of the clinic in under fifteen minutes.
Narrowband UVB has a long safety record. The common effects are mild and short-lived; the long-term risk is managed by limiting cumulative exposure and by skin surveillance.
Phototherapy for psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo and other medical indications is covered by Alberta Health Care. A referral from your family physician is the normal route and can be faxed to (403) 225-2914.
If you do not have a family doctor, call (403) 286-6888 and the team will advise on the fastest route to be seen. Sessions are available early morning and evening on weekdays.
For psoriasis, most patients see improvement within three to four weeks and clearance or near clearance by the end of an eight to twelve week course. Remission after a course commonly lasts several months, and courses can be repeated. Guttate psoriasis responds particularly well.
For atopic dermatitis, itch improves within the first few weeks and the skin settles over the course, allowing topical steroid use to be reduced. Where phototherapy is insufficient, it is followed by systemic treatment under the same physician.
For vitiligo, repigmentation begins after two to three months and continues over a course of six to twelve months. The face, neck and trunk repigment most reliably. Hands, feet and areas of white hair respond poorly, and this is discussed before treatment begins.
Yes. Narrowband UVB phototherapy for psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo and other medical indications is a covered service. A referral from your family physician is the normal route.
For phototherapy billed to Alberta Health Care, a referral from a physician is the normal route, and it can be faxed to (403) 225-2914. If you do not have a family doctor, call (403) 286-6888 and the team will advise.
Narrowband UVB has been used for decades with a well-characterised safety profile. Short-term effects are mild redness, dryness and tanning. The theoretical long-term risk is a small increase in skin cancer with very high cumulative exposure; large studies of narrowband UVB have not shown a significant increase at the doses used in typical courses. Exposure is recorded, and patients with repeated courses have annual skin checks.
No. Tanning beds emit mainly UVA, which does not treat these conditions and carries the highest melanoma risk of any ultraviolet source, at doses that are not measured. Phototherapy delivers a single narrow band of UVB at a calculated dose under medical supervision. Tanning beds are not a substitute and are not recommended.
The exposure itself starts at well under a minute and rises over the course to a few minutes. Including changing and review, most patients are in the clinic for ten to fifteen minutes.
For psoriasis and eczema, two or three sessions a week for eight to twelve weeks, so roughly twenty to thirty sessions. Vitiligo requires a longer course, often six to twelve months. The number is reviewed as the skin responds.
Yes, and it is usually recommended. Emollients are applied before sessions, and prescribed topical treatments continue on non-treatment days or as directed. Some products, including coal tar and certain retinoids, increase light sensitivity and are timed accordingly.
Most patients respond, but if the skin has not improved adequately by the end of the course, the plan moves to systemic treatment: oral agents or biologics, prescribed by Dr. Kuzel without a further referral.
Narrowband UVB is one of the few treatments for psoriasis and eczema considered safe in pregnancy and breastfeeding, because no drug is involved. Folate levels are monitored, as ultraviolet light can lower them.
Dr. Paul Kuzel, MD FRCPC, a board-certified dermatologist and the founder and Medical Director of Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South. He sees patients in English and Czech.
Grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Book a consultation with Dr. Kuzel, or ask your family physician for a referral.
Rejuvenation Dermatology Calgary South
10201 Southport Rd SW #102
Calgary, AB T2W 4X9
Two blocks west of the Delta Hotel
(403) 286-6888
Referrals by fax: (403) 225-2914
Open seven days a week, with early mornings and evenings on weekdays.
Take the first step toward achieving healthy, radiant, and flawless skin. Contact Rejuvenation Medical Aesthetics today to schedule your personalized consultation and explore the advanced treatments tailored to your unique needs.
