New advances against psoriasis and vitiligo.

Estimates indicate that 1% of the world population has vitiligo and 3% suffer from psoriasis. They are both chronic skin diseases The cases are variable; they can have periods of remission. A cure does not yet exist, but a machine that was brought to Brazil last November promises to facilitate the treatment with faster results than the ones obtained with other known therapies. It is XTRAC Excimer Laser , which has been used in the U.S. since 1998.

This device emits laser light beams through an optical fiber. The application is fast; it takes only a few seconds on each lesion and the full session lasts about five minutes. “It is a very good treatment. In psoriasis we can already see results after ten sessions”, states Antonio Bastos Filho, a dermatologist who uses XTRAC in his clinic in Campinas, in the countryside of São Paulo.

In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American agency that controls food and medicine matters, approved treatment with this equipment. In Brazil, the process is still being analyzed at the Sanitary Vigilance National Agency (Anvisa), but the device has been already used with success. Since its launch, studies have been done based on XTRAC Excimer Laser and the results are enthusiastic. In 95% of the vitiligo cases, the treated lesions do not manifest the disease again and in the case of psoriasis, the remission period takes about six months.

The physician performs the applications. It is a radiation of unique wavelength that reaches 308 nanometers. The number of sessions reaches sixty, depending on the situation of each patient. The cost vary according to the case. “The laser does not work in the same way for everybody, however in these first weeks that I’m using it in my clinic, I’ve seen good results”, says Bastos Filho.

Among the advantages of the medical therapy are: the safety of the application, the absence of harmful side effects and the fact that there are no contraindications. Still, it is not a perfect treatment. “In vitiligo cases, after thirteen session without results, I recommend that the patient look for another alternative”, warns Bastos Filho. The laser is not yet the solution and there is much to study until the cure of these diseases is found.

Source: Folha de Londrina.