MBS Much Better Skin

14/05/2024

A word to the wise……..

Most of our customers have either experienced n-UVB phototherapy in the NHS or have researched the subject extensively.

But a lot of people who are just starting out on their Psoriasis journey are understandably desperate for a solution. I’m pretty convinced that anyone who has had moderate to severe Psoriasis has hit that low.

At MBS we have a range of UVB which offer customers the most appropriate treatment for their condition. If you have ever spoken to us, you’ll know that we take the time to find out about our customers and their conditions so that we can offer the appropriate device.

We have Hand Held devices, Partial body units , Canopies which provide whole body coverage through to Hospital style cabinets that are designed for home use.

n-UVB phototherapy is not cheap and our devices range in price from roughly £250 for our Hand Helds, £990 for Partial body equipment, £2600 for our best selling whole body unit, through to £7.5K for a Hospital style cabinet.

Bear with, this isn’t an advert, it’s supposed to be more of a cautionary note.

Naturally a lot of Psoriasis sufferers, when they hit that low, look for an entry into UVB Phototherapy and choose our Hand Held as the most affordable option. If you speak to us, (or look on our website), we explain the benefits and downsides of the device, the most notable downside being its size, or rather the size of its light face which limits the area that is exposed to UVB.

Now we’ve always seen cheap low quality Chinese products that compete against our Hand Held advertised on Google and Amazon. But the market seems to have been flooded with a deluge of hundreds of these adverts in the last couple of months.

Some of the products are so obviously bad that you probably would not even consider purchasing. Example, many that look like low budget Ikea table lamps, torches or clamp lights but with n-UVB lamps allegedly.

We have always treated these devices as just poor quality competition.

Recently, however, we have been concerned by a new style of phototherapy device in this market.

308nm LED phototherapy devices are just plain unsafe. They are being sold as hand held “UVB” light therapy devices to treat Psoriasis and Vitiligo. Please check this with a Dermatologist before buying. But the efficacy of these new devices has only been “proved” in a study of 22 people by a Chinese University’s research department ??? There have been no formal clinical trials performed and the device is untested in a clinical setting. Further, these devices emit a very intense light (23 mW/cm2 as opposed to 3.5 mW/cm2) in a conventional n-UVB Hand Held Phototherapy device. If used incorrectly, this could result in burns and skin damage.

Please fact check this with a Dermatologist, but our recommendation would be to consider you purchase carefully before you do.

24/03/2024

Through February and March, we have seen an unprecedented rise in requests to hire our n-UVB Canopies for Psoriasis, Vitiligo & Eczema. When I say unprecedented, I mean it! We have a fleet of over 50 units, we’ve been hiring since ’96 and even through Covid, when we saw demand rocket, our wait lists were no more than 2 weeks with 10 customers waiting.

We know that waiting list times for NHS treatment have gone up since the start of the year.

Last year, referral times were reported to us as, at best 6 weeks and 6 months between GP and Derm appointments and then between 6 months and up to two years for actual Phototherapy treatment.

We would like to find out what your experience has been recently and would appreciate any feedback on referral times in your local Trust. We’d like to know how Phototherapy referrals are working in your part of the country.

03/11/2023

We have been helping Psoriasis suffers since 1996 with the hire and sales of n-UVB phototherapy equipment that clears Psoriasis very effectively. But it struck me that although we can provide a very effective remedy, we are can do more to help customers avoid a Psoriasis flare and thereby stay free of the symptoms for longer.

Psoriasis is an immune mediated condition which, sadly, you are stuck with for life. It can be triggered by an almost infinite number of factors which can be unique to each individual. However, some of these factors are common across Psoriasis sufferers. For example, strep infections are medically recognised as a common trigger along with smoking and stress.

As it is National Psoriasis Week, we thought that we’d reach out to you to see whether you would share your own experience of factors that trigger Psoriasis, in the hope that your experience might give other Psoriasis sufferers some insights into triggers that they might potentially avoid in order to stay Psoriasis free for longer.

For those of you who are new to this condition the Psoriasis Association is a UK based charity which provide a wealth of information for sufferers. Take a look at their resources starting with their page on Psoriasis Awareness Week 2023 . They have a wealth of practical information for Sufferers and Supporters.

https://www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/

01/07/2023

Psoriasis in Summer….. Summer sunshine is welcomed by many Psoriasis sufferer’s but dreaded by a few. For the majority of us it means we can enjoy the heat knowing that the Sun’s rays (in moderation), may offer some improvement in our condition. But for some of us with severe conditions it can be an awkward time as self-consciously, we may be reluctant expose our bodies as much as we’d like to.

UVB light is the part of Sunlight that improves your Psoriasis in the summer. However, it is only present in sunlight in very small quantity. In order to improve your condition, you have to spend quite a long time in Sunlight and thereby expose yourself to UVA (the harmful rays) and increase your chances of burning or carcinoma in the long term.

n-UVB Phototherapy provides a long-term solution. Our phototherapy units use Philips TL01 designed to generate only therapeutic n-UVB. This means that you only have to expose your body for an incredibly short period of time in order to reap significant therapeutic benefit (between 30 seconds and a maximum of 4 minutes 2-3 times per week).

So don’t rely on the Sun (if you ever can in the UK), don’t fret about your condition (stress is known to exacerbate Psoriasis), contact us for more information on how n-UVB Phototherapy is much better than natural sunlight for Psoriasis.

MBS offer Hospital style UVB Light Therapy devices which treat Psoriasis, Vitiligo and Eczema using Philips TL01 UVB light therapy at home

07/06/2023

Our hand-held phototherapy device, suitable for small areas of moderate to mild Psoriasis, is manufactured by a German Medical Device Manufacturer Saalmann Medical.

The device comes with 4 years, Manufacturer’s Warranty.

On behalf of the Manufacturer, we are in the process of conducting a customer survey of all the customers that we have sold the device since 2020.

Our survey results combined with those throughout the rest of Europe will enable the manufacturer to present the European Regulators with one of the largest sets of information on the efficacy of n-UVB phototherapy based on real world use.

We have only just started this exercise, but so far, the results are extremely positive with almost all (98%) of respondents noting between an 85% and 100% improvement in their condition and all noting that they would recommend the treatment to others.

Please note though, as you can see clearly in the photos, this device has a small light face and is only suitable for treating small areas.

If you are interested in finding out whether it may be the right n-UVB Phototherapy product for you, please do give us a call first. 01925 694 280

19/05/2023

N’er (or is it Ne’er?) cast a clout till May is out ……. But summer is round the corner!

Remember though, UVB light therapy takes between 8 & 10 weeks before you will start to see impressive results. It’s a really effective therapy, but you have to follow the treatment regime rigorously (ideally, without missing a session) and that means exposing skin affected by Psoriasis to n-UVB light between 3 & 5 times per week.

This summer you could be confidently wearing shorts or that short sleeved top. But to control your Psoriasis by summer, you need to start thinking about treatment now! Make an appointment to see your GP to get a referral to a Dermatologist and start your journey to much better skin today!

27/04/2023

If you have a son or daughter who suffer with moderate to severe Psoriasis, in their last year of study before going on to University or Higher Education, now is a good time to reach out to a GP or Dermatologist to get some advice and hopefully treatment for their condition.

Exam stress often exacerbates Psoriasis.

Every year, just after the Exam season has finished, we find that worried parents contact us hoping to start n-UVB Light Therapy. They hope that, within the window that their children have between finishing their exams and starting at Uni, they can get rid of the worst effects of Psoriasis.

It can be a stressful and worrying time for both Parent and Child as the offspring leave the security and comfort of the nest to share accommodation with people that they don’t know…… I’ve been there so trust me I know.

Unfortunately it can be difficult to improve a moderate to severe case of Psoriasis within this short window (even if you are luck enough to be able to access treatment options that quickly).

So our advice is to act now! Consult your GP or Dermatologist and get a head start on tackling Psoriasis as soon as possible!

07/03/2023

If you need UVB phototherapy treatment for your Psoriasis right now, contact us today on

0800 612 0954

We can help!

But out of curiosity, could you let us know what the wait times are for referral to a Dermatologist or for light treatment in your local area?

19/03/2020

You are using our light therapy products right?

Friends with the same condition are probably waiting for or undergoing treatment in the NHS.

Please spread the word. We can deliver Narrowband UVB Canopies and Cabinets which offer hospital style treatment at home.

Effective n-UVB Light treatment relies on consistent & regular sessions of exposure to the light. If you are attending a course of treatment via the NHS this typically involves appointments every 2-3 days for 8 weeks.

If the treatment is working for you, you will understand how effective n-UVB light therapy is and the importance of maintaining the treatment regime.

Contact us on 0800 612 0954 to discuss which unit is most appropriate for your condition. Our website also provides information on Narrowband UVB light therapy, it's application and efficacy.

Find out all about UVB Narrowband Phototherapy treatment with Philips Narrowband tubes and the key facts surrounding it on our helpful fact page.