WATER BATH HYPERTHERMIA IS A SIMPLE THERAPY FOR PSORIASIS AND ALSO STIMULATES SKIN TANNING IN RESPONSE TO SUNLIGHT

An eight week trial, involving superficial hyperthermia delivered biwe ekly via simple water bath immersion, was tested for its ability to cl ear mild to moderate psoriatic lesions. Seven patients were treated an d three cases rapidly improved. In the remaining patients, the treatme nt frequency was increased to alternate days; two cases improved signi ficantly, one patient showed a partial response, and the fourth had no visible change (this was the only patient taking concurrent drug ther apy-etretinate). In addition to resolving psoriatic lesions, water bat h hyperthermia also reduced edema (swelling) and relieved pruritus (it ching) in all patients, both during the treatment period and for up to several months after lesions had returned. Lesion reappearance occurr ed within one to three months after the last heat treatment. We retrea ted one patient and produced a second complete remission. These result s indicate that simple repetitive water bath hyperthermia alone is eff ective in the treatment of psoriatic lesions in heatable locations. An unexpected side effect was enhanced melanin content (tanning) in all areas where hyperthermia treated skin was exposed to sunlight.