TOTAL-BODY HELIOTHERAPY

Sunlight has long been known to be beneficial for a variety of skin di seases. Patients with psoriasis and eczema frequently employ ambient h eliotherapy to control their conditions. However, social norms do not permit a person to expose the entire body in public, thus placing seve re restrictions on the utility of this modality for the treatment of g eneralized psoriasis, for example, Tan-Thru(TM) bathing suits, designe d to attract those who wish to tan without an accentuated ''tan line'' , are reported to absorb ultraviolet (UV) rays up to a maximum equival ent of a sun protection factor (SPF) 10 sunblock, thus offering approx imately 89% protection while in use, according to their manufacturer. If so, this bathing suit may allow patients with W-responsive skin der matoses to achieve full body exposure in a socially acceptable manner. The objective of this study was to verify the SPF and to determine th e actual transmittance to skin covered by a Tan-Thru(TM) bathing suit. Ten healthy adult subjects were recruited for this investigation, UVB minimal erythema dose (MED) was determined on unaffected gluteal or l ower back skin, once with and once without the swimsuit on. Our result s showed that the mean SPF afforded by the bathing suit was in fact 4. 9 (range 4.5-5.6). In conclusion, theoretically, the Tan-Thru(TM) bath ing suits could allow enough UVB penetration under ambient conditions to be beneficial for patients with UVB responsive conditions.