A small pilot study has found the XTRAC excimer laser effective in treating certain cases of moderate to severe psoriasis, the company reported this week. The laser uses targeted ultraviolet (UV) light to treat psoriasis patches, while leaving unaffected skin alone.
This report should not come as a surprise. UV light–whether from the sun, special boxes designed for psoriasis treatment, or the lasers used in this pilot study–is very effective and safe for treating most psoriasis. What’s odd is that some insurers’ foolish reimbursement and co-pay policies are making UV treatments less attractive to their patients and physicians.
Click here to read more about UVB, PUVA and excimer laser treatments for psoriasis.
[The XTRAC study was done by a leading psoriasis researcher, but the sample was tiny (about 10 patients) and did not have a comparable placebo group, nor has it been peer-reviewed or published in an academic journal, so we would not make too much of the specific statistics cited.]
