Ninety-six points of light: phototherapy practices of members of The Photomedicine Society

Background: Phototherapy is an effective and relatively safe treatment for many skin diseases. Recent concern has focused on an apparent decline in phototherapy usage in the US. Objective: To determine the current state of phototherapy as practiced globally. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of members of the Photomedicine Society. Results: Data derived from responses of 96 members showed all to have been in practice for more than five years, providing phototherapy within two years of completing residency. Usage of narrow-band ultraviolet B, ultraviolet A-1 (UVA-1), bath-psoralens plus UVA, and photodynamic therapy was markedly greater among phototherapists in Europe compared to their counterparts in North America and Asia. Conclusions: Worldwide, there are fewer younger dermatologists who incorporate phototherapy in their practices. European phototherapists have led the world in usage of the newer phototherapy modalities.