Beginning February 1st, I began going to a tanning salon. There are a whole host of studies that have been done showing the benefits of tanning to psoriasis. Tanning beds (with UVB lights) help the body to metabolize vitamin D, which helps to promote proper skin function. Vitamin D deficiency can also be linked to over 100 diseases (Tanning Truth). Real vitamin D is very important for our bodies.
The UV has been shown to kill T-Cells. The T-cells circulate the body looking for foreign antigens to attack. In the case of psoriasis they attack the body's own skin cells, and end up in the areas they are attacking (National Psoriasis Foundation). That is why psoriasis spots are very red. Exposing the T-Cells to UV rays not only reduces the redness significantly, but also slows down the growth of the scaling skin cells (International Eczema and Psoriasis Foundation) (Pathol 2008) (Pathol 2011).
This is not to say that tanning beds are the a silver bullet treatment or the answer to all of life's problems. There are always risks and concerns with things, and tanning beds are not exempt from that. Tanning beds have a risk of causing potential eye damage (that of course is if you look at the lights without protective eye wear), and links to melanoma. As far as the melanoma connection, there are just as many studies disproving links to UV exposure as there are proving them (Tanning Truth).
Here's the pictures from January 24, 2012. This was after switching my diet and using the topical lotions prescribed by the doctor. This also included taking vitamin D3 every morning orally:
As you can see, there is a marked improvement in the visual appearance of my psoriasis on my hands. I had patches on the inside of both my elbows, a patch on my left shoulder, and some under my right arm. All those patches disappeared during the month of February.
As far as I am concerned, the positives of indoor tanning far outweigh the negatives.
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