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Therapeutic Photomedicine

»	What is phototherapy?
»	What diseases can be treated with phototherapy?
»	How does traditional phototherapy work?
»	How is phototherapy administered?
»	Compare the induction phase, maintenance phase, and tapering phase for various forms of phototherapy.
»	What advantages does narrowband UVB have over broadband UVB?
»	What advantages does narrowband UVB have over PUVA?
»	What is targeted laser phototherapy?
»	What is UVA1 phototherapy and why is it used?
»	What is the Soret band?
»	What is balneophototherapy?
»	What do MED and MPD mean and why are they important?
»	What is Goeckerman therapy?
»	What are the most common acute UVB phototherapy side effects?
»	What are the most common long-term UVB phototherapy side effects?
»	What is PUVA phototherapy?
»	What are psoralens?
»	How do the psoralens work?
»	Are there contraindications to using PUVA?
»	What is bath PUVA?
»	What is RePUVA?
»	What is photopheresis?
»	Which diseases have been treated with extracorporeal photopheresis?
»	How is photodynamic therapy used in dermatology?
»	What is blue-light phototherapy?

What is balneophototherapy?

Salt water bathing in combination with UV phototherapy. Potential mechanisms of action include the following: Magnesium salts may decrease antigen presentation in the skin, water-soaked skin allows more UV light to penetrate the skin due to decreased reflectance, and perhaps there is a neuropsychiatric influence (relaxation, vacation, decreased stress).