How Does Red Light Therapy for Psoriasis Work?

From healthline.com

Red light therapy (RLT) is a type of phototherapy used for many skin conditions and even cancer. Some people find it helpful in treating psoriasis, though results have been mixed.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that involves a rapid turnover of skin cells. People with psoriasis often find rough areas of painful irritation and silvery scales called plaques on various parts of their bodies.

There’s no cure for this autoimmune disease, but treatments are available that can help ease psoriasis symptoms. These include home remedies to calm the skin, topical and oral medications, and light therapy.

Keep reading to learn more about red light therapy (RLT) for psoriasis, including how it works and if it might be right for you.

What is red light therapy?

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RLT is a form of light therapy that uses light-emitting diodes (LED) to treat conditions from acne to persistent wounds. Some people with psoriasis undergo light therapy with ultraviolet (UV) rays, but RLT doesn’t contain any UV rays.

In a hospital setting, doctors may combine RLT with certain medications. Some experts refer to this as photodynamic therapy.

You don’t necessarily need to see a doctor to test out RLT. There are various consumer products on the market aimed at cosmetic applications.

Many tanning salons, like B-Tan Tanning in parts of Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, offer red light beds. These salons say that red light beds help reduce:

• cellulite
• acne
• scars
• stretch marks
• fine lines
• wrinkles

For more targeted RLT, you’ll need to consult a dermatologist first.

How long has red light therapy been around?

Scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Quantum Devices, Inc. (QDI) first discovered red light as a way to grow plants in space back in the early 1990s.

Red LEDs produce light that’s 10 times brighter than the sun’s rays. They also learned that this intense light helps energy metabolism in plant cells and promotes growth and photosynthesis.

From 1995 to 1998, the Marshall Space Flight Center challenged QDI to study red light for its potential application in medicine. In other words, they wanted to see if the red light that energized plant cells would work the same way on human cells.

The primary focus of this research was to determine if RLT might affect certain conditions that impact astronauts.

Specifically, the scientists wanted to see if RLT could help with muscle atrophy and bone density issues that arise from long periods of weightlessness. Wounds also heal slowly in space, so that was another key focus area of their studies.

What is red light therapy used for today?

Through grants and clinical trials in the years since the initial research, RLT has proven effective for some medical conditions, including:

• acne
• age spots
• cancer
• psoriasis
• sun damage
• wounds

RLT can even be used to help activate certain drugs that fight cancer. Some cancer drugs are sensitive to light.

When the treated cells are exposed to certain types of light, such as red light, they die off. This therapy has been particularly helpful for treating esophageal cancer, lung cancer, and skin diseases like actinic keratosis.

Red light therapy and psoriasis

An older 2011 study in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and VenereologyTrusted Source examined the effects of RLT versus blue light therapy for individuals with psoriasis. Participants had high dose treatments 3 times per week for 4 consecutive weeks while applying a 10 percent salicylic acid solution to plaques.

What were the results? Both the red and blue light therapies were effective in treating psoriasis. The difference between the two wasn’t significant for scaling and hardening of the skin. However, the blue light therapy did come ahead when treating erythema, or reddened skin.

It’s important to remember that these treatments were done with high doses in a medical setting. The results may vary greatly if the therapy is performed at home or in a salon or wellness centre.

Risks and considerations

RLT isn’t associated with any major risks. Still, you may want to speak with your doctor if you’re taking medications that increase your skin’s photosensitivity.

There are several other types of light therapies that may help with psoriasis. Consider also asking your doctor about the following therapies:

• ultraviolet light B (UVB)
• natural sunlight
• psoralen and ultraviolet light A (PUVA)
• laser treatments

Speaking with your doctor

There’s no cure for psoriasis. However, you may find relief from your symptoms if you use the right mix of treatments. RLT is just another tool to add to your kit for finding relief. Of course, before trying anything new, it’s best to check with your doctor.

Though you can purchase red light devices for home use or arrange for therapy sessions outside of a medical setting, your doctor may have certain guidelines that will make your treatment more effective.

You may want to ask which type of light therapy would most help your specific symptoms. Your doctor may also have suggestions for how to combine oral or topical medications with light therapy, as well as what lifestyle changes will help you avoid psoriasis triggers.

https://www.healthline.com/health/red-light-therapy-psoriasis 

Best and Worst Advice on Managing Psoriasis

From healthcentral.com 

Hear what works (and what doesn’t) from your PsO peers

More than 7.5 million people in the United States have psoriasis, an autoimmune skin disease. If you’re one of them, you know its impact can go deeper than skin; approximately a third of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis, a condition that impacts joints and surrounding tissues. There is no cure for psoriasis, but there have been enormous leaps forward in the treatment landscape. As research reveals more about the mechanisms that cause psoriatic inflammation, treatment has become more targeted and effective. Today, there are multiple FDA-approved biologic options for psoriasis treatment.

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Misinformation Abounds

Despite scientific breakthroughs in psoriasis, misinformation remains common. Maybe you’ve heard people say that psoriasis can be cured or that it can be transmitted sexually to another person—neither is true. Fortunately, there are reliable resources such as the National Psoriasis Foundation that can provide science-backed info on managing the condition. Another great resource? People living with psoriasis themselves, who have heard every myth under the sky about their condition—and have something to say about the best (and worst) advice they’ve been given.

Worst Advice: Lube Up With Oil

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Emily Hertzberg, 41, an art teacher who lives in East Meadow, New York has had no shortage of bad advice about her psoriasis. “Someone once told me to put olive oil on my psoriasis patches, which of course didn’t work,” says Hertzberg. “It just made my skin extra greasy which is gross,” she explains. While olive oil has shown potential for a variety of skin conditions, investigators of a 2025 study admit that more quality evidence is needed to recommend olive oil for all skin conditions. Hertzberg has decided, “I’ll stick to olive oil for cooking!”

Best Advice: Try Light Therapy

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“Years ago, someone mentioned light therapy to me for psoriasis and I have been utilizing its incredible benefits ever since,” reports Hertzberg. “It is such a game changer for me, it shrinks my patches and helps combat flares.” Also known as phototherapy, light therapy is usually administered at a dermatology clinic, hospital, or in a doctor’s office. It can be used alone or in addition to another psoriasis treatment. According to a 2023 article, clinical response to light therapy is relatively quick, often within one to two weeks.

Worst Advice: Bathe in Bleach

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Bree Pease, 22, originally from Australia and now living in Saskatchewan, Canada, has learned to spot potentially harmful tips when she receives them. “I’ve heard a lot of bad advice, but the worst was probably from a random person online who told me to ‘just take a bleach bath,’” she says, “As if burning my skin off would somehow make it better!” While some skin conditions may benefit from a tiny dose of bleach added to bathwater, psoriasis (which is caused by immune system dysfunction) isn’t one of them.

Best Advice: You’re More Than Your Skin

                                                              GettyImages/fotostorm

Ever feel like you spend more time fighting the negative psychological impact of psoriasis than the physical symptoms? People with psoriasis are more likely to live with depression and anxiety, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. The battle to conquer mental health demons is real, says Pease. “The best advice I ever got was from someone in the psoriasis community who told me, ‘Your skin doesn’t define your worth.’ It sounds simple, but at a time when I was struggling with confidence it changed everything for me.”

Worst Advice: Just Moisturize

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“The worst advice I have received—from more people that I’d like to count—is: ‘That scab looks dry, have you tried putting some moisturizer on it?’” says Lianne Hunter, 38, a public relations director from Manchester, United Kingdom. Though it’s coming from a place of kindness, Hunter says the constant need to explain her psoriasis is not a ‘scab’ can be exhausting. Over the years, she says, she’s learned rather than correct the bad advice it’s easier to take the path of least resistance. “Just smile and nod, smile and nod,” she says.

Best Advice: Don’t Let Psoriasis Hold You Back

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“I’ve had psoriasis since I was five, so I don’t really remember life without it,” says Hunter. “It also means I navigated a lot of my younger, self-conscious years with it,” she says. “My mother was matter-of-fact about the condition. She always said just because I have it doesn’t mean I should let it hold me back. That always stuck in my head and made me face the condition head on—I didn’t shy away from explaining what it was and how it impacted me.”

Worst Advice: Try Snake Skin Powder

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No, that’s not a joke. Howard Chang, 53, a minister in Woodland, CA, says the worst advice anyone ever gave him about his psoriasis came from a friend of his parents, who suggested drinking actual snake skin powder mixed in water. “They theorized that since snakes shed their skin, ingesting their skin would help me shed my psoriasis,” explains Chang. “Unfortunately, the snake skin powder mixture caused me to retain water, I quickly gained weight, my face puffed up, and my psoriasis worsened.”

Best Advice: Bathe in Moderation

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“After college I found a dermatologist who asked about my skin care routines—at that time I showered twice a day and didn’t apply regular moisturizer,” says Chang. “He lightly scratched my leg to show how dry my skin had become from over-bathing,” he says. Ever since, Chang has showered once daily and moisturized immediately afterwards. “My skin became less irritated with my new bathing and moisturizing routine,” he says. “It’s hard to change lifelong habits, but I’m glad I made the change that has helped me better manage my psoriasis.”

https://www.healthcentral.com/slideshow/best-and-worst-advice-on-managing-psoriasis?ap=nl2060&rhid=67ec2b8321f52bf01b0cca01&mui=&lid=141093361&mkt_tok=NTQxLUdLWi0yNDMAAAGcqcFAEcERJWnIgu8D88bUJsmqE7Qyo7zRM77KzKZszQ4KxPZusYjACD7d3qSnvGej-LBtBh9FOa3mFPJa9DLvLtBQPewB7TPV1t-imhPTanFLWck

Why Dermatologists Love At-Home UVB Light for Psoriasis

From healthcentral.com

Clearer skin and fewer office visits are just some of the perks. Discover how UVB therapy works at home 

There are a ton of treatments out there for psoriasis, like topical creams, oral medications, and biologics. But few are as effective (or easy) as ultraviolet B (UVB) light therapy at home, which offers a more accessible way to use phototherapy—the use of a specific wavelength of light to help heal the skin—to treat a host of skin conditions, including psoriasis.

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A Brief History of Healing Light

It’s not exactly new. UV light has been used since ancient Egypt to manage skin diseases, and in the early 1900s, the Nobel Prize was awarded to researcher Niels Finsen of Copenhagen for his development of medical phototherapy. More recently, in the 1980s, “we figured out that there’s a single wavelength of light, 311 nanometers, which is very effective at treating psoriasis—yet less likely to cause some of the harmful effects that you may see with other wavelengths that exist in sunlight,” says Joel Gelfand, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist and the medical director of the Psoriasis and Phototherapy Treatment Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The Biggest Barrier: Getting to the Dermatologist's Office (Again and Again)

Phototherapy has long been considered an effective way to treat psoriasis, especially compared to other common treatment options. In fact, one review found that it led 75% of people to achieve a status of “clear/minimal disease” with fewer topical treatments, such as steroid creams, for at least 12 months.

But access has been a huge issue, since individuals often must go to the doctor’s office two or three times a week for their phototherapy. “The treatments are [on average] a few minutes long, but to do it two or three times a week for eight to 12 weeks is really hard for a lot of people,” says Dr. Gelfand. Plus, he adds, your health insurer might view each session as a doctor visit and therefore charge a copay every time.

For those reasons, among others, the prospect of doing UVB light therapy at home is appealing—and becoming more common as the effectiveness of such at-home devices improves. In a 2024 study in JAMA Dermatology, of which Dr. Gelfand was the lead author, at-home phototherapy was as effective as the in-office treatment for people with plaque psoriasis. New York board-certified dermatologist Shari Lipner, M.D., a professor at the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, also recommends them—especially for “some patients with psoriasis who may have trouble getting to the office during their school or workday,” she says.

What to Expect During At-Home Light Therapy for Psoriasis

At-home UVB light therapy might sound high-tech, but it’s surprisingly straightforward once you get the hang of it. Most people use a handheld or table-top narrowband UVB device that emits a targeted beam of light to treat psoriasis-affected areas. These machines come in different sizes—some are about the size of a shoebox; others resemble oversized flashlights—so you can either hold it directly over a patch of skin or rest it on a stand or table for hands-free treatment.

For larger surface areas or more severe psoriasis, some patients may use full-body panels or even walk-in booth-style units (similar to a tanning booth), though those are less common for home use. The distance between your skin and the light matters: typically, you’ll need to be about a foot away, but your doctor will provide exact instructions based on the device.

You’ll usually do treatments two to three times a week, for sessions ranging from 30 seconds to 15 minutes depending on your dose and skin type. Clothing is optional—many people expose only the areas being treated and keep the rest of their body covered for protection. The device is programmed to match your skin tone—whether fair, medium, or dark—and automatically adjusts the dose accordingly.

How do you know it’s working? According to Dr. Gelfand, a little redness about six hours after treatment that fades within 24 hours is a sign you’ve hit the sweet spot for effectiveness.

How Does UVB Light Therapy Work?

UVB light therapy can target specific areas on the body, which is why the ideal candidate is someone who has psoriasis on the arms, the legs, and/or the trunk, says Dr. Gelfand. It’s not as effective for areas like the scalp, genitals, or nails, where the light doesn’t penetrate as well. Done properly, light therapy offers a lot of benefits for skin. These include:

• Slows skin cell growth. Psoriasis causes abnormally rapid skin cell turnover, leading to plaque formation. Broadly speaking, UVB light therapy “has an impact on the ability for the skin to proliferate rapidly,” says Dr. Gelfand. “It slows that down.”

• Tames inflammation. UVB light seems to prevent something called “antigen presentation,” which occurs in conditions like eczema and psoriasis. In these conditions, the immune system mistakenly attacks normal proteins. UVB light therapy helps knock out the cells that trigger this immune response.

• Restores skin colour. Having psoriasis may increase your risk of developing vitiligo because both are autoimmune conditions that can share similar genetic and immune system pathways. In vitiligo, the immune system attacks melanocytes—the cells that give skin its pigment. Research shows that UVB light can restore pigment by encouraging melanocytes to return to affected areas.

• Boosts vitamin D. Vitamin D is a go-to treatment for psoriasis, but your body needs sunlight to make it. UVB phototherapy seems to do the trick, too. One study found that light therapy not only increased vitamin D levels but also improved skin clarity among people with psoriasis.

How to Choose the Best UVB Light Therapy Device for Home Use

If you’re looking to try UVB light therapy at home, talk with your doctor first. “This really has to be done under supervision of a physician, preferably a dermatologist,” says Dr. Gelfand. “Most clinicians out there do not get the medical training necessary to diagnose and treat these types of disorders, nor do they have a strong background training of how to use ultraviolet lights effectively.”

Next, you’ll need a machine. You’ll find them in various sizes—handheld wands for small spots or full panels for larger body areas. Any reputable brand (Dr. Gelfand points to Phothera as a good one) will require a doctor’s sign-off in order to purchase. Avoid buying devices online without a prescription; the machines must be carefully calibrated to deliver safe, effective treatment.

What About Cost?

“The biggest barrier patients face is an uneven coverage of these devices by insurance,” says Dr. Gelfand. Sometimes they’re covered; sometimes not. Still, if you find phototherapy works for your psoriasis, it may be worth the investment: One study found phototherapy to be significantly more affordable than biologic treatments—averaging about $5,000 over three years, including bulb replacements compared to a single biologic injection that can cost $3,000 to $10,000.

Is At-Home Light Therapy Safe?

UVB light therapy at home is considered safe, especially because the devices come with built-in safeguards, and your doctor will program the right settings for your skin type.

In fact, in the JAMA Dermatology study, “no one had a severe-enough reaction to the light treatment that they decided to stop phototherapy,” says Dr. Gelfand. Still, it’s smart to be aware of potential side effects:

• Burns. Possible but rare. “It’s pretty difficult to dose yourself in a way that you could have a medically significant burn because of how the machines are calibrated,” says Dr. Gelfand.

• Skin cancer risk. While unlikely, long-term UV exposure could slightly raise the risk of skin cancer, especially in fair-skinned individuals. Dr. Gelfand recommends keeping unaffected skin covered—for example, roll up your sleeve to treat a forearm but keep the rest of your body protected. 

Bottom Line

UVB light therapy—especially at home—is one of the most promising treatments for people with psoriasis and other skin conditions. It can be life-changing, with some people reaching remission after just one course of treatment, says Dr. Gelfand.

Even if light therapy alone doesn’t do the trick, it’s an excellent first-line option. “Sometimes we combine therapies—we may add certain oral medications, we may add some of the newer topicals that can be very effective, or they may have to shift to some of the biologics,” he says.

And the best part? You can do it on your own time, in your own home—making it an empowering, flexible tool for managing chronic skin conditions.

https://www.healthcentral.com/article/at-home-uvb-therapy?ap=nl2060&rhid=67ec2b8321f52bf01b0cca01&mui=&lid=141093361&mkt_tok=NTQxLUdLWi0yNDMAAAGaROz36KhiopqNHwZwwjSRy-H3B42iWT6NcOFZVe9KqPGKb7iSAe363AjtMlFuYYREossTTQD7fo7ZuENOWPQNh75wvETBeQVpkjjVnD9d9kqBwQ4