Phototherapy is the most commonly used modality for repigmenting vitiligo. Currently, UVB emitting devices, including narrow-band UVB (NBUVB) and excimer laser/light, are considered as the treatment of choice. While emitting wavelengths at close proximity, excimer lights emit higher irradiance (HI; W/m2 ) compared to NBUVB. Clinical reports have shown that excimer light is more efficacious in treating vitiligo compared to NBUVB, and we demonstrated that irradiance plays a critical role in promoting melanoblasts differentiation. UVB radiation from the sun is closely associated with photocarcinogenesis of the skin. Sunscreens were used to protect the skin by reducing UVB irradiance (low irradiance (LI) UVB). Sunscreen use was associated with skin cancer reduction in clinical trials. Paradoxically, sunscreen use was associated with increased sunburn episodes in the real-world settings. It was shown that UVB-induced sunburn depends on fluence (J/m2 ) but not irradiance of UVB radiation. We investigated the significance of irradiance in the context of UVB-induced carcinogenesis of the skin. For mice receiving equivalent fluence of UVB exposure, the LIUVB-treated mice showed earlier tumor development, larger tumor burden, and more epidermal keratinocytes harboring mutant p53 as compared to their HIUVB-treated counterparts. These results suggested that at equivalent fluence, LIUVB radiation has more photocarcinogenic potential on the skin compared to its HI counterpart. Since development of sunburn with or without sunscreen use indicates that certain threshold of UVB fluence has been received by the skin at LI and HI, respectively, sunburn episodes with sunscreen use (LIUVB) are more damaging to the skin compared to that without sunscreen (HIUVB) application. In summary, since irradiance plays an important role determining the biological effects of UVB radiation on the skin, future related studies should take this critical parameter into consideration.
Keywords: UVB; irradiance; photocarcinogenesis; phototherapy.
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