Understanding how to dose your treatments properly is critical for both safety and effectiveness.
- Your Prescription
- General Treatment Principles
Your Prescription
Have a detailed conversation with your provider about your treatment plan. Here are basic principles that will help you during the conversation. Your doctor provides specific treatment instructions based on:
- Your skin type (Fitzpatrick scale I-VI)
- Medical condition being treated
- Treatment area size and location
- Previous treatment response
- Current medications and health status
General Treatment Principles:
- Frequency: 3 times per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday typical)
- Rest days: At least one day between treatments
- Consistency: Same days each week for best results
- Duration: Treatment courses typically last 8-12 weeks
- Missing treatments: May require dose adjustment
Example of Treatment Phases:
Clearing Phase (Weeks 1-12):
- Goal: Achieve significant skin improvement
- Frequency: 3 times per week typically
- Progression: Gradual dose increases
- Duration: Usually 25-30 treatments
- Weekly shifts:
- Week 1-2: Conservative starting dose
- Week 3-4: Gradual increases (10-25% increments)
- Week 5-8: Maximum tolerable dose
- Week 9-12: Maintenance or tapering as prescribed
Maintenance Phase (Ongoing):
- Your provider may recommend that you continue treatment on a less frequent basis once your skin has cleared.
Dose Adjustment Principles (Based on Skin Response):
No reaction (no redness/symptoms):
- Action: Increase dose as prescribed by your provider
- Typical increase: 10-20% for NB-UVB
- Continue: Until slight pinkness achieved
Mild pinkness (gone within 24 hours) = target reaction:
- Action: This is the goal, maintain dose
- Continue: With prescribed increases over time
- Goal: Sustain this level of response
Moderate redness (24-48 hours):
- Action: Skip treatments until symptoms resolve
- Next treatment: Consult your physician for dose adjustment (e.g. hold the last dose, or reduce by 25-50%)
- Then: Resume gradual increases
Severe redness (>48 hours or painful):
- Action: Stop treatment
- Next steps: Consult your physician immediately
- Then: Resume treatment using new adjusted protocol as prescribed by your physician. Typically, you will go back to the last tolerated dose.
Special Considerations:
Sensitive Areas:
- Face/neck: May require reduced doses
- Genital areas: Special protection required if instructed by your provider
- Previously injured skin: May react differently
Medication Interactions:
- Photosensitizing drugs: May require dose adjustment
- Topical medications and Cosmetics: May affect treatment response, product containing salicylic acid block UVB
- Always inform your doctor of medication changes
Treatment Optimization:
Maximizing Effectiveness:
- Consistency is key - Don't skip treatments, treat the same area in the same manner
- Proper timing - Allow rest days between treatments
- Skin preparation - Clean, dry skin before treatment
- Post-treatment care - Moisturize as recommended
Recording and Tracking Treatments
Essential Information to Record:
- Date and time of treatment
- Treatment dose or duration
- Areas treated
- Skin response within 24-48 hours
- Environmental factors (forgot sunscreen, etc.)
- Any side effects or concerns
- Optional: Photo documentation - Weekly photos of treatment areas
Why tracking matters:
- Helps identify optimal dosing patterns
- Provides data for healthcare provider visits
- Tracks progress over time
- Identifies problem patterns early