I came across a Medscape article this morning and found it very interesting. One of the sections was entitled “NBUVB as Monotherapy in Vitiligo” and I thought I’d share it with you here.
The article leads one to determine that regular treatment every two days or three times per week is more effective than less frequent treatment plans.
It reads as follows:
The results of monotherapy with NBUVB have been better in Asian skin. Approximately three-quarters of patients in the series by Kanwar et al. achieved greater than 75% to complete repigmentation after NBUVB treatment for a maximum period of 1 year.[23] The mean duration of disease was significantly shorter in those who had marked to complete pigmentation compared with those who had poorer response. As with any treatment modality for vitiligo, the best results were observed in lesions on the face and neck, followed by the proximal limbs and trunk. Perifollicular pigmentation was the most common type of initial repigmentation that was observed in approximately three-quarters of patients. Continue reading →
UPDATE (Available Now Click Here> We are introducing a new UVB Narrow Band panel suitable for the treatment of Psoriasis, Vitiligo, Eczema and a host of other skin challenges and diseases. Weighing in at sixteen pounds, this new panel is light, portable and will travel very well.
This new product will use the newest of the UVB Narrowband Lamps released by Philips, the world leader in UVB Lamps for phototherapy. The new PL-L-36W/01/4P lamp allows the construction of a highly energy efficient light weight phototherapy system. We are truly thankful to the folks at Philips for creating this new lamp. This lamp style (PL36) has been around for a while and the visible light (non UV) form of this bulb has been used for many years in products to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder. You can see many of these products at Amjo’s www.sadlight.com and www.lightenupshop.com websites. These remarkable lamps generate twice the power of the TL20W/01 lamps used in our two foot tall (nominal) systems.
The UV Output from this new Handisol II will be slightly higher than our eight lamp Panosol II UVB NB 2′ Panel! This will allow shorter treatment times and better penetration for Plantar and Palmar (Foot and Hand) Psoriasis.
Handisol II
The new Handisol II UVB NB panel weighs in under 20 lbs. We fully expect that this unit will be one of our largest revenue producers in 2011.
You will need to contact Chris Cane (That’s me) to learn more. This Handisol II is priced agressively. Give me a call 513-942-2770. It is on our website now at www.HomePhotoTherapy.com .
Effective home phototherapy treatment of psoriasis, vitiligo, and other skin diseases. Handisol II lets you treat the most difficult areas quickly and effectively.
Exclusive Controlled Prescription Timer® assures control of your treatment regimen
High output for quick, effective treatment
Large window and reflective backing behind lamps provides coverage area of over 2 square feet
Key lock to prevent unauthorized use
Slim, lightweight, and portable makes storage and setup easy
Clear acrylic shield for easy cleaning and optimum light energy
Clinuvel, an Australian company is doing research on the use of an implantable drug and the use of UVB Narrow Band. Here’s an interesting video found on YouTube. This video and others can also be found at the www.clinuvel.com website:
In August 2010, Clinuvel announced that it would commence a pilot Phase II study (CUV031) to evaluate the use of its first-in-class drug SCENESSE® (afamelanotide) as a repigmentation therapy in nonsegmental vitiligo. As this is a new program, the company has established this webpage to serve as a portal for all information relevant to this study and vitiligo more broadly. Please note that Clinuvel is unable to respond to individual requests to be involved in the CUV031 study.
Narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy is currently seen as the phototherapy of choice for nonsegmental vitiligo patients.
Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation disorder that is characterised by a chronic and progressive loss of functioning skin and/or hair follicle melanocytes. Melanocytes are found in the epidermal layer of our skin and produce melanin, the pigment that gives colour to our skin and hair. The loss of epidermal melanocytes in vitiligo leads to a loss of melanin pigment which leaves the affected area white.
The most common subtype of vitiligo, nonsegmental vitiligo, accounts for 85 to 90 percent of cases. It is believed to be caused by the immune system attacking and destroying melanocytes causing a loss of pigment and leading to the loss of colour.
NB-UVB uses specific wavelengths to activate melanin in vitiliginous lesions of the skin. This therapy is known to effectively suppress the local immune response and accelerate the maturity of melanocytes in the area around hair follicles, which act as melanocyte reservoirs, leading to repigmentation of the skin.
Although NB-UVB is one of the leading therapies for nonsegmental vitiligo, the drawbacks are numerous. Chronic effects of NB-UVB may include skin aging and photo-carcinogenesis, which may lead to skin cancer; although these long term effects are yet to be fully investigated.
It was at an AVRF (American Vitiligo Research Foundation) meeting in perhaps 1999 or 2000 that I first met April and her Mom, Lori Mitchell. It was the first conference that we “Amjo Corp” attended as an exhibitor, Amjo was a just a year old at the time. Lori had just completed a book called “Different Just Like Me”
I just received a note from the NVF (National Vitiligo Foundation) that a Health Survey has been initiated by the St. Luke’s-Roosevelt and Beth Israel Medical Centers.
Online Health Survey of Patients with Vitiligo
Sponsored by Nanette B. Silverberg, MD, Departments of Dermatology, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt and Beth Israel Medical Centers, New York, NY
Dr. Silverberg is conducting a survey to review medical, genetic, psychological and nutritional factors that may cause or exacerbate vitiligo.
Individuals with vitiligo that have been previously diagnosed by a physician are welcome to contribute to this survey. The survey will not include any personal information that may identify you to the public.
Please note the two links below, one for yourself and a second for you to complete on behalf of your child.
Finally the news is in! I received an email from Dr. Ray Boissy with this years (2010) Annual Report and President’s Message.
Dr. Ray Boissy
Dr. Boissy opened with “A Word From The President” saying “2010 has been quite a year of turmoil for many of us. Challenges we are facing these days include economic instability, political wavering, war continuation, and weather unpredictability. Fortunately, the vitiligo Community in general and the National Vitiligo Foundation, Inc. (NVFI) in specific have had a strong, steady year thanks in part by the support and involvement of our members. Thank you. National awareness of vitiligo is dramatically increasing and the subject of vitiligo is more frequently in the news. Several months ago we attended the very First Vitiligo World Congress (VWC 2010), held in Milano, Italy. This was a hallmark event where 200 Researchers and Clinicians plus hundreds of patients gathered with enthusiasm and passion. The main focus for many of us attending was how to efficiently and coordinately advance in the understanding of and therapy for vitiligo; a true renaissance of a meeting.”
Earlier this year, a gentleman named Martin Cantu, formerly the lead singer for the Latin Rock Band “Malo” called me at Amjo Corp. Martin is one of those folks who developed Vitiligo later in life at the age of 47. As our phone conversation developed, I learned that three other family members also suffer from the disease and that he, Martin Cantu would like to use his position as a singer and performer to find a way to help others with the disease and perhaps help raise funds for research.
I put Martin in touch with Mary Cleveland (Exceutive Director of the NVFI) and the two of them are now developing a plan to exploit Martin Cantu’s fame.
Martin’s current group is, L-Ray. L-Rey is a contemporary Christian R&B group that infuses its own style of American Latin-Pop, funk, soul, vibes into its music. You can find out more at his Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/LReyGroup and his website www.LReyMusic.com.
You can learn more about Martin on Youtube when Joyce Meyer Interviews Martin Cantu of L-Rey
See
As Martin’s relationship develops with the NVF, I’ll try and keep you posted.
I was visiting the www.NVFI.org website the other day and came across an interesting radio discussion with Dr Jean Burgess and Dr Ray Boissy of the NVFI discuss Vitiligo with Angela Carlton at Clemson University ETV Radio
Clemson University ETV Radio “Your Day” Audio Broadcast on Vitiligo (Provides an Excellent Overview!) Please < CLICK HERE > to listen to the broadcast.
I felt like writing about something that has nothing to do with Vitiligo. Like many of us, we all wear diferent hats on different days. I became the UV Guy late in the last millennium when Randy Salter of Vitiligo Support International introduced me as the UV Guy as I was about to make a presentation on “What is UVB Narrow Band” at a joint AVRF/VSI Conference in Florida.
Anyway I digress, I do that a lot.
The reason for this post is to share with you that I did write a book with nothing to do with Vitiligo, UVB or any other part of my professional life. My daughter Amy (The “Am” part of Amjo) asked me repeatedly and more than once several times to sit down and write down some of the stories that I tell about my life. The thought was daunting and I procrastinated for many years until one Christmas when Amy gave me a book called “I Thought My Father was God.” As I read the first story entitled “The Chicken” I had an epiphany which is a fancy word for “brain fart”. Here’s the first story from the book “I thought my father was God” in its entirety, Continue reading →
Vitiligo is an acquired chronic skin disorder of pigmentation, which is characterized by white patches due to loss of pigment producing cells in the skin. These white or hypo-pigmented white patches are the hallmark, and the main Vitiligo symptom. These white patches are frequently symmetrical and their size usually keeps increasing with the passage of time. This is associated with a significant loss from the epidermis and also from the hair, of functioning melanocytes. Continue reading →
I came across a Medscape article this morning and found it very interesting. One of the sections was entitled “NBUVB as Monotherapy in Vitiligo” and I thought I’d share it with you here.
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