Reza F. Ghohestani, M.D., is chief of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at the UT Health Science Center.
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SAN ANTONIO (Feb. 21, 2008) — For the first time in their lives, patients who suffer from some of the most frustrating and embarrassing skin diseases — including psoriasis, vitiligo and atopic dermatitis — have real hope for effectively, conveniently and painlessly treating their conditions.

The division of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the first practice in the area to offer the PHAROS EX-308 excimer laser, a gentle and painless phototherapy laser shown to be effective in alleviating these difficult-to-treat conditions. The procedure is performed at the dermatology clinic in the University Health Center Downtown, a facility of the University Health System.

Excimer laser offers painless treatment with no recovery time for patients
The excimer laser is different from cosmetic lasers, which are usually associated with pain during treatment and post-treatment downtime for the patient. Instead, the excimer laser delivers a highly energetic but painless beam of ultraviolet B (UVB) light directly to the psoriasis, vitiligo and atopic dermatitis patches through a hand piece that rests directly on the patient’s skin.

The PHAROS EX-308 excimer laser delivers more effective phototherapy treatments for patients with skin diseases, and is more convenient and painless for patients.

It features the most advanced optical technology on the market, including an adjustable spot size and guided aiming beam, to precisely target only the affected skin and spare the surrounding healthy tissue from exposure.

Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a non-contagious, lifelong skin disease that affects an estimated 7 million Americans. The most common form, plaque psoriasis, appears as raised, red patches or lesions covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells called scale. In addition to discomfort and itching, psoriasis patients commonly suffer from social embarrassment and depression.

The usual treatments are messy, time-consuming and costly. In the UT Health Science Center practice, patients come in twice each week for an average of four to six weeks, and each treatment session usually takes only five to 10 minutes. Patients usually enjoy several months of treatment-free remission.

“Patients love it,” said Reza F. Ghohestani, M.D., chief of dermatology and cutaneous surgery at the Health Science Center. “Patients enjoy much greater self-esteem and a higher quality of life after treatment.”

Vitiligo
Vitiligo is characterized by the white patches of skin on different parts of the body as a result of the destruction of melanocytes. Vitiligo is not contagious. For some people, although not for everyone, the depigmentation is progressive. Vitiligo affects 1 to 2 percent of the world’s population, including approximately 2 to 5 million Americans.

Prior to the excimer laser, vitiligo patients’ treatment options were usually limited to topical steroids with limited efficacy and traditional phototherapy that often required hundreds of treatments and exposed all of the patients’ skin to UV light, increasing risks such as photo-aging and carcinogenicity. Now vitiligo patients at the UT Health Science Center’s dermatology clinic can benefit from the excimer laser’s proven repigmentation technology with none of the downsides of steroids or old-fashioned phototherapy.

Atopic dermatitis
The excimer laser also treats topic dermatitis, hereditary skin inflammation that commonly affects infants, children and young adults.

Treatments now covered by insurance
Insurance companies including Blue Cross of Texas, United Healthcare, Cigna, Aetna, TriCare and Medicare have recognized the efficacy and safety of excimer laser treatments and now reimburse for these treatments.

For appointments, patients can call the UT Health Science Center dermatology clinic at (210) 358-7578.

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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $576 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $15.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $35 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to seven campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 22,000 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and allied health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, allied health, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu.