Age-related changes in the elderly make it difficult to find a safe, effective, and affordable evidence-based dermatologic treatment. some studies in the past have demonstrated the effectiveness of phototherapy in this population. A retrospective study enrolling patients >/=65 years, treated with narrowband UVB(NB-UVB) phototherapy, investigated- 

1. The commonest dermatologic conditions for rendering phototherapy,
2. Effectiveness and safety of phototherapy,
3. Similar studies for comparing the outcomes

The observations derived were as follows-

Dermatologic Conditions Treated With Phototherapy—

• Psoriasis (50%) and dermatitis (21%) were found to be most commonly treated with phototherapy, followed by mycosis fungoides (10%) and vitiligo tied with prurigo nodularis (6%).

Effectiveness and Safety of Phototherapy—

• Phototherapy was found to be effective in the elderly, with 96% of the patients achieving a high or medium level of clearance. Psoriasis and dermatitis have high clearance rates with 81% and 82% of patients respectively.
• Phototherapy has minimal side effects; with 46% experiencing grade 1 (mild) erythema, 25% of patients experiencing grade 2 erythema and only 2% of patients experiencing grade 3 erythema.
• 6% of patients experienced increased itching,
• 25% of patients had no side effects. 

Comparison of Outcomes—

• Comparison with other studies confirmed the use of phototherapy in older adults and its effectiveness for treating an array of challenging inflammatory and proliferative skin diseases.

Highlights of the study were as follows- 

• With appropriate nursing care, phototherapy can be safely and effectively rendered for a variety of conditions in elderly patients.
• Elderly patients demand extended sessions to achieve comparable clearance rates from their younger counterparts.
• The use of photosensitizing medications in the elderly population demands thoughtful adjustments in dosing.

Matthews SW, Pike K, Chien AJ. Phototherapy: Safe and Effective for Challenging Skin Conditions in Older Adults, Cutis, 2021 July;108(01):E15-E21 | doi:10.12788/cutis.0307