Concierge dermatology · UK
Phototherapy - medical light, dosed properly.
Narrowband UVB, PUVA and UVA1 for psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo and intractable itch. A consultant dermatologist prescribes the course, every exposure is dose-tracked, and your lifetime UV record travels with you.
Why patients choose us
- 01
A consultant dermatologist plans every course
Phototherapy is a prescribed medical treatment, not a light booth. A named consultant dermatologist chooses the modality, sets the starting dose and reviews you through the course.
- 02
Dose tracked, skin protected, lifetime record kept
MED or skin-type based dosing, careful escalation, eye and genital protection, and a cumulative lifetime dose record - the housekeeping that keeps light therapy safe.
- 03
Independent, and free
We are paid by no clinic, so the recommendation - including whether phototherapy is right at all, or a cream or tablet would serve you better - is impartial and costs you nothing.
Indicative pricing
What private phototherapy costs in the UK.
Indicative ranges across our partner dermatology units. Send the details and we quote firm figures across two or three options, with cover checked.
In short
A full narrowband UVB course in our network: £1,000–£2,200, each visit minutes, not hours.
| Treatment | Indicative range | Typical duration | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consultant dermatology consultation | £200–£350 | 30–45 min | Same visit |
| Narrowband UVB - per session | £40–£80 | 5–15 min | Walk out same day |
| Narrowband UVB - course of 24–30 sessions | £1,000–£2,200 | 6–10 weeks | 2–3 visits per week |
| PUVA (oral or bath psoralen) - per session | £60–£100 | 20–45 min | Walk out same day |
| MED / test dosing appointment | £80–£150 | 20–30 min | Read at 24 hours |
| Home NB-UVB unit - setup and supervision guidance | £150–£300 | 45–60 min | Ongoing remote review |
Prices vary by clinic, by modality (narrowband UVB, oral or bath PUVA, hand-and-foot units), and by how many sessions your skin needs - vitiligo courses run longer than psoriasis courses. PUVA sits above UVB because of the psoralen and monitoring. We come back with a firm quote within one working day.
The problem
The right light, the right dose, and a schedule you can actually keep.
Phototherapy fails for practical reasons more than medical ones - long NHS waits, units miles from home, courses abandoned halfway. We fix the logistics so the light can do its work.
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Is light the right tool at all?
For some skin, a better cream, a tablet or a biologic beats a light course. A consultant weighs the options before you commit to thirty visits.
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Match the unit to your life
Two or three visits a week for weeks only works if the unit is near work or home - or the cabin is in your home. We plan the geography first.
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Count every joule, for life
Cumulative UV dose is the long-term safety story. Every session is logged against lifetime limits, and the record follows you between clinics.
The journey
From enquiry to clear skin - what happens, in order.
One team from first message through test dosing, the treatment course and your long-term dose record.
Phase 1 · Before your course
Assessment, test dosing, course planning
Phase 2 · Through the course
Sessions and dose escalation
Phase 3 · After
Review, maintenance, dose record
- 01
Before
You tell us what is going on
A short, confidential form. Your diagnosis if you have one, photos of the skin if you are comfortable, treatments tried so far, and how far you can travel.
- 02
Before
We come back with a recommendation
Within one working day: the right modality (narrowband UVB, PUVA or UVA1), a realistic course length, an indicative price. If topical treatment or a systemic drug fits better, we say so.
- 03
Before
Consultant dermatology assessment
Diagnosis confirmed, skin type assessed, lifetime UV exposure and skin-cancer history reviewed. For PUVA: psoralen route (oral or bath) agreed and eye checks arranged.
- 04
Before
Test dosing and course planning
MED testing or skin-type based starting dose, then a schedule you can actually keep - typically two or three visits a week for six to ten weeks. Home NB-UVB discussed where it fits.
- 05
The course
Your first treatment session
Minutes in the cabin, seconds to a few minutes of exposure. Goggles on, sensitive sites shielded, dose logged. You walk out and carry on with your day.
- 06
The course
Dose escalation through the course
Each visit the dose steps up if your skin tolerated the last one. Any redness or tenderness and the escalation pauses - the nurse checks your skin before every exposure.
- 07
After
Review, maintenance and the long-term record
Consultant review at the end of the course. Response documented, cumulative dose added to your lifetime record, and a maintenance or relapse plan agreed.
Typical start: within 1–2 weeks of enquiry. Typical course: 15–30 sessions over 6–10 weeks.
When it helps
When phototherapy is the right step.
The conditions we see most, plus the one red flag that means urgent dermatology first - not a light booking.
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Plaque psoriasis not controlled by creams
Widespread or stubborn plaques where topicals are failing - narrowband UVB clears or near-clears most patients within a course.
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Atopic eczema flaring despite treatment
Moderate-to-severe eczema that keeps breaking through emollients and steroids - NB-UVB calms inflammation and itch.
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Vitiligo
Narrowband UVB is the mainstay for repigmenting widespread vitiligo, particularly on the face and trunk. Courses are longer and response is gradual.
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Intractable itch (pruritus)
Generalised pruritus - including renal and cholestatic itch - that resists antihistamines and topicals often settles with a UVB course.
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Polymorphic light eruption
A spring “hardening” course of low-dose phototherapy before the sunny months can prevent the seasonal rash altogether.
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Mycosis fungoides (early-stage CTCL)
PUVA and NB-UVB are established skin-directed treatments for early-stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, delivered alongside specialist oncology review.
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Hand and foot dermatoses
Chronic palmoplantar eczema, pompholyx and palmoplantar psoriasis respond to localised hand-and-foot PUVA or UVB units.
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Red flag: a changing mole or new skin lesion
A new, changing or bleeding lesion is not a phototherapy question - it needs urgent dermatology assessment first, and light treatment must wait until it is excluded.
Treatment options
The modality depends on the condition - and on your skin.
What each option involves - waveband (narrowband UVB, UVA with psoralen, UVA1), delivery (whole body, hand-and-foot, home unit) and where each earns its place.
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Narrowband UVB (TL-01)
The workhorse. A precise 311–313 nm waveband, no drug needed. First-line light treatment for psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo and pruritus. Two or three sessions a week.
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Oral PUVA
Psoralen tablets two hours before UVA exposure. For resistant psoriasis, mycosis fungoides and thick plaques. Needs eye protection for 24 hours after each dose.
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Bath PUVA
Psoralen dissolved in a bath before UVA. Avoids nausea and prolonged photosensitivity of tablets - a good option where oral psoralen is poorly tolerated.
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Hand and foot units
Localised UVB or PUVA for palms and soles only. Spares the rest of the skin any UV dose - ideal for pompholyx and palmoplantar psoriasis.
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UVA1
A longer-wavelength modality available in a handful of specialist centres - used for morphoea, scleroderma-spectrum disease and severe atopic eczema.
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Home narrowband UVB
A prescribed home cabin or panel under consultant supervision, with dosing protocols and remote review. Cuts the travel burden of a hospital course.
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Scalp and targeted devices
Combs and targeted lamps deliver UVB to localised sites - the scalp, a single stubborn plaque - without treating uninvolved skin.
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What it is not
Not photodynamic therapy (which pairs light with a photosensitising cream for sun-damage and some skin cancers), not a tanning bed, and not a SAD lightbox - those use visible light, not medical UV.
Our vetted UK network
A small panel of dermatology units, we picked them.
Consultant dermatologists and dedicated phototherapy units across London and the major UK cities. Introductions are made privately, once we understand your case.
Selection criteria
How we choose every phototherapy unit in our network.
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Consultant dermatologist-led phototherapy units, run day-to-day by trained phototherapy nurses
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Calibrated cabins with MED testing, documented dosing protocols and lifetime dose records
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PUVA capability - oral and bath - with ophthalmology screening pathways in place
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Home NB-UVB supervision available for patients who cannot attend two or three times a week
Safety and side effects
What to expect through a course - honestly.
Phototherapy is a well-established, drug-sparing treatment. The things worth planning are the dosing, the eye protection, and the lifetime record of every joule your skin receives.
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No anaesthetic, no needles, no downtime
You stand in a cabin for seconds to minutes, then leave. The commitment is the schedule - two or three visits a week for several weeks - not the sessions themselves.
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Redness and burning
The most common side effect is sunburn-like erythema when a dose steps up too fast. Doses are escalated cautiously and your skin is checked before every exposure.
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Dryness and itch
Skin dries out through a course. Liberal emollients - applied after sessions, not immediately before unless advised - keep it comfortable.
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Cold-sore reactivation
UV can wake the cold-sore virus. If you are prone, the lips are shielded with sunblock during exposure and antiviral cover can be arranged.
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Eye protection is non-negotiable
Goggles in the cabin, always. After oral PUVA, UV-protective glasses for 24 hours because psoralen sensitises the lens - this protects against cataract.
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Premature skin ageing
UV is UV: repeated courses contribute to photoageing. Doses are kept to the minimum that controls the disease, and uninvolved sites are shielded.
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Cumulative skin-cancer risk - tracked for life
High lifetime PUVA exposure raises skin-cancer risk; NB-UVB risk appears far lower but is still counted. Every session is logged against recognised lifetime limits.
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Not a tanning treatment
Phototherapy is a prescribed medical dose of a specific waveband - it is not sunbed use, and sunbeds are never a substitute. Tanning between sessions distorts dosing and adds risk.
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Red flags during a course
Blistering burns, severe pain, eye symptoms after PUVA, or a new or changing skin lesion need the phototherapy team the same day - not the next scheduled session.
Reading your treatment record
Your phototherapy record in four parts. Read the last one first.
Whichever modality you had - narrowband UVB, PUVA or UVA1 - the record the dermatology unit sends you keeps to the same shape.
A quiet reminder
Dosimetry language is technical and can read coldly - we translate it for you.
If you would like us to talk you through the dose record and the cumulative figures before your review, just ask.
- 01 Header
Diagnosis, modality and skin type
What was treated and with which light - narrowband UVB, oral or bath PUVA, UVA1 - plus your Fitzpatrick skin type and MED result, which set the starting dose.
- 02 Course
Doses, escalation and any interruptions
Session-by-session doses, how escalation went, any erythema episodes, missed visits, and the total number of exposures delivered.
- 03 Findings
Response and cumulative dose
How the skin responded - clearance, partial response, repigmentation - and the cumulative dose from this course added to your lifetime UV record.
- 04 Impression
Maintenance, relapse plan, skin surveillance
Read this first: what happens if the condition returns, whether maintenance or a further course is sensible, and any skin-cancer surveillance advised.
Recognised by major UK insurers
Phototherapy is usually covered when recommended by a consultant dermatologist for an eligible condition such as psoriasis or eczema. Session limits vary by policy. We confirm cover before booking.
Frequently asked
Everything we get asked about phototherapy.
Quick answers on how it works, session numbers, risks, cost and the home-unit option.
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What is phototherapy and how does it work?
Phototherapy is a prescribed course of medical ultraviolet light - most often narrowband UVB, sometimes psoralen plus UVA (PUVA) - delivered in a calibrated cabin under dermatology supervision. The UV calms the overactive immune activity in the skin that drives psoriasis, eczema and related conditions. Each exposure lasts seconds to a few minutes, and the dose is stepped up carefully across the course.
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Which conditions does phototherapy treat?
Plaque and guttate psoriasis, moderate-to-severe atopic eczema, vitiligo, generalised itch (pruritus), polymorphic light eruption (as a preventive “hardening” course), early-stage mycosis fungoides, and stubborn hand and foot dermatoses. Your dermatologist confirms it is the right tool before a course is booked.
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How many sessions will I need?
A typical course is two or three sessions a week for 15–30 sessions - roughly six to ten weeks. Psoriasis often clears within that window; vitiligo needs longer and responds more gradually. Each visit takes only minutes once you are changed.
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Is phototherapy the same as a sunbed or a SAD lamp?
No to both. Sunbeds deliver an uncontrolled mix of UV for tanning and are never a substitute - using them alongside a course distorts your dosing and adds cancer risk. SAD lightboxes use bright visible light with the UV filtered out, for mood, not skin. And phototherapy is also distinct from photodynamic therapy, which pairs light with a photosensitising drug for sun-damage and certain skin cancers.
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What are the risks?
Short term: sunburn-like redness, dry itchy skin and occasional cold-sore reactivation. Long term: photoageing and a cumulative skin-cancer risk - clearly established for high lifetime PUVA exposure, much lower for narrowband UVB. Every exposure is logged against recognised lifetime dose limits, and eyes are protected at every session.
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How much does private phototherapy cost in the UK?
A consultant dermatology consultation is £200–£350. Narrowband UVB runs £40–£80 per session, so a full course of 24–30 sessions is typically £1,000–£2,200. PUVA is £60–£100 per session. Home NB-UVB setup and supervision guidance is £150–£300. We confirm firm figures within one working day.
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Can I have phototherapy at home?
Yes, for selected patients. Prescribed home narrowband UVB cabins and panels exist and work well under specialist supervision - with a dosing protocol, a treatment diary and remote consultant review. It suits people who respond to UVB but cannot manage two or three hospital visits a week.
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Is phototherapy available on the NHS?
Widely - most NHS dermatology departments run phototherapy units and it is a NICE-recognised treatment for psoriasis. The practical problems are the wait for a dermatology appointment and the travel burden of attending a hospital several times a week for weeks. Going privately typically means assessment within days and a unit or home option chosen around your life.
Related treatments
Looking for something else?
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Photodynamic therapy
Light plus a photosensitising drug for sun-damage.
Learn more -
Psoriasis treatment
Topicals, light and systemic options compared.
Learn more -
Eczema treatment
Getting stubborn atopic eczema under control.
Learn more -
Mole and skin lesion checks
Dermoscopy and mole surveillance.
Learn more -
Skin cancer screening
Full-body skin checks with a consultant.
Learn more -
All tests & procedures
Every test and procedure we arrange.
Learn more