Probably dumb phototherapy question

[Imapsomom]

I notice tonight the boys rear end and lower back (areas that have never had sun exposure) are quite red and verging on burnt. We are due to go in for the third treatment of the week tomorrow. I will ask at the dermatologist office but I would appreciate your thoughts on a) do we wait until Monday and only go twice this week or b) go and ask for a lower dose snd less time so he is still getting the 3x uv but not getting a burn. It seems obvious to me to skip tomorrow, but I don’t want to lose and benefits (and time spent)

[Raxyl]

I’d ring and ask with the thought to postpone till Monday if I were you.

[Maryam]

They normally proceed but adjust the dose and exposure.

[Fred]

I’d ring and ask with the thought to postpone till Monday if I were you.

Sorry I can't help, but agree with Craig.

[JohnB]

I notice tonight the boys rear end and lower back (areas that have never had sun exposure) are quite red and verging on burnt. We are due to go in for the third treatment of the week tomorrow. I will ask at the dermatologist office but I would appreciate your thoughts on a) do we wait until Monday and only go twice this week or b) go and ask for a lower dose snd less time so he is still getting the 3x uv but not getting a burn. It seems obvious to me to skip tomorrow, but I don’t want to lose and benefits (and time spent)

From my experience it all depends on whether it's uva or uvb. If it's the b version you shouldn't be burning. They normally carry on with the incremental time increases, but make you wear some dark clothing to cover the singed area. Occasionally they do stop it if you are burning where you really need the rays :s .
If it's uva then you will be taking tablets as well to make you more sensitive, this they push to the point of just turning pink it's where it is most efficacious.
UV treatment should really be closely monitored, it can do long term damage if you overindulge.

[Imapsomom]

It’s UVB. No tablets. Thanks all for the excellent advice. I did call the doctors office and the nurse agrees it’s best to wait.

[Turnedlight]

This is what I was talking about when I got burnt - I noticed I was red in sensitive areas but went on with the treatment and then got sunburn followed by psoriasis.
Yes uvb can burn.
Does his red skin feel like it’s radiating heat like with sun burn?
Just be careful, I imagine you can carry on again when the redness goes.

[jiml]

It’s UVB. No tablets. Thanks all for the excellent advice. I did call the doctors office and the nurse agrees it’s best to wait.

A wise move, as I remember in the distant past when having uv treatment if there was slight redness the next treatment was kept the same time instead of increasing it

But that was over 10 years ago but I guess the thinking the same now

[Imapsomom]

Yes I would rather decrease a bit and go from there. Its a different machine so I imagine there is slight differences in the calibration.

[D Foster]

I came across this recently in some old papers so I have scanned it .

• Male patients must cover their genitals with a snug fitting, close weave, dark coloured sock, thong or
underwear. It is very important that the exact same area of skin is covered during each exposure to UVB
and that it is never removed during treatment, in order to avoid sunburn and the potential risk of skin
cancer in this area.
What are the potential side effects of UVB treatment?
• Redness, burning and blistering of the skin: As with any form of sunlight, UVB may cause your
skin to become red, burnt and (rarely) blistered. We try to avoid this, but some tanning and redness of
your skin is likely. Please let the nurses know if your skin becomes red, burnt or blistered after
UVB treatment. This usually develops eight to 14 hours after your treatment.
• Dry skin and itching: UVB tends to cause dry skin and sometimes mild itching. It is important to
apply moisturisers regularly after you have UVB treatment to reduce this. Please let the nurses know if
you experience an itchy rash while having UVB treatment.
• Skin cancer: Just as sun exposure may increase your risk of skin cancer, the use of UVB may increase
your risk of developing skin cancer. The risk increases with the number of UVB treatments, so we will
give you as few treatments as possible.
• Premature skin ageing: Repeated use of UVB may age your skin. This is another reason for keeping
the number of UVB treatments as low as possible.
• Rashes: Please be aware that your skin condition could temporarily worsen during treatment.
Very occasionally patients develop an itchy, bumpy rash during the course of treatment known as
polymorphic light eruption. If this happens we may alter your treatment to allow this to settle.