For people considering or using clinician-directed narrowband UVB, and their caregivers
What this page helps you do
If NB-UVB is an option, compare what home and clinic treatment would ask of you. Consider travel, supervision, setup, records, equipment, support, and cost. Neither setting is automatically right.
- Your task
- Compare realistic options using consistent factors and carry the trade-offs into a shared decision.
- The clinician boundary
- A qualified clinician determines candidacy and the treatment plan. Use the exact current device instructions and contact the care team for reactions or changes; this page does not provide settings or treatment changes.
If both use NB-UVB, what actually changes?
The light may be from the same treatment category, but the experience is not the same. The setting changes who operates and checks the equipment. It also changes who is present, how records are kept, and where you get help. Neither setting is automatically suitable just because both can use NB-UVB. Evidence
Why this matters
Phototherapy guidance describes both supervised clinic services and home programs for selected patients. In either setting, your diagnosis, treatment plan, safety boundaries, and follow-up stay with a qualified clinical team.
What would clinic treatment be like in my week?
At a clinic, the service operates the equipment and staff are present during treatment. That can make it easier to get help during a visit. It also means fitting scheduled appointments, travel, parking or transit, and time away from work, school, or caregiving into your week. Evidence Evidence
Why this matters
The clinic is responsible for its equipment, staffing, and operating procedures. You still need to know whom to contact between visits and how to report reactions, medicine changes, missed visits, or other concerns.
What would I be taking on at home?
Home treatment can remove repeated clinic trips, but more of the routine moves to you. You may need a suitable space and must follow the exact device instructions. You may also manage protective equipment, records, and concerns. Know which clinical or device-support team to contact. Greater convenience does not mean lower risk or better results. Evidence Evidence Evidence Evidence
Why this matters
A home program still depends on prescribing, training, follow-up, and clear routes for clinical and equipment concerns. Owning or keeping a device at home can also mean managing delivery, storage, household access, and manufacturer support.
How do I decide which setting fits my life?
Compare the parts that affect your life. These include support, travel, scheduling, space, equipment duties, follow-up, your total cost, and what happens when you need help. You can also choose another treatment or no active treatment for now. Evidence Evidence Evidence
Why this matters
Vitiligo guidance treats your goals, the pattern and activity of vitiligo, prior care, access, and personal priorities as part of shared decision-making. Availability and payment can differ by setting and need to be checked where you live.
Now compare the two settings
Put your real cash and time burden beside the trade-offs
First compare supervision, travel, space, and responsibility. Then use the calculator — have your clinic schedule, a supplier quote, and your written insurance estimate ready.
Cost and time planner
Compare home and clinic with your numbers
Work through what you know now. You can leave optional costs blank and return when you have a written quote or coverage estimate.
Calculator ready.
Fictional worked example · estimates only
Estimated cash across this example course
Clinic $4,824 · Home $3,550
These totals show what the calculator does with one made-up set of costs. They are not a quote, a recommended schedule, or a reason to choose one setting.
| Setting | Estimated cash | Travel and visit time |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic | $4,824 | 108 hours |
| Home | $3,550 | 6 hours |
Home time includes only travel and visit time for follow-up. The optional value of time is kept separate from cash.
What this example does not account for
- deductibles, plan limits, or costs not entered;
- drug costs or the clinical value of in-person supervision;
- time using a home device, because that depends on the device and your plan;
- changes to quotes, coverage, travel, follow-up, or supplies.
Assumptions used in the worked example
This made-up example uses a fictional course only to show the cost math. It does not publish or recommend a treatment schedule. Use only the plan your care team gives you.
Ask your care team- Clinic: $40 per visit, $8 for each round trip, 12.5 miles and 25 minutes each way, plus 40 minutes at the clinic.
- Home: a fictional $3,200 cash quote, no expected insurance payment, $150 in supplies, and four follow-up visits at $50 each.
- Driving uses the editable $0.76-per-mile full vehicle-cost allowance, sourced from the IRS and effective 2026-07-01.
- An optional $25 hourly value is shown separately and never added to cash.
What if I later switch settings or devices?
Do not carry instructions from one clinic or device to another on your own. Ask your team for an updated plan before changing the setting, device, lamp, or clinical team. Do the same after an interruption. Use current instructions for the exact equipment. Evidence Evidence Evidence
Why this matters
Devices and services can differ in controls, protective equipment, training, and support. A useful handoff includes what was prescribed, what actually happened, what you observed, and the exact device used.
Questions that can change the next decision
- For your clinicianWhat other options should I consider if neither setting works for me?Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.
- For your clinicianBefore I switch, what needs to be reviewed or rewritten?Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.
- For your clinicianWhat records should I bring to the new clinic or home program?Saving keeps this on your device and needs JavaScript, which is off in this browser.
Evidence behind this page
Sources
Each evidence badge opens the source and its limits. The full list stays available here.
- Phothera PhototherapyManufacturer · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2026-03-03
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports the current first-party route to Phothera device and accessory manuals and shows that instructions are model- and controller-specific.
What it does not support
It does not establish clinical suitability, comparative benefit, the condition of an individual unit, or that one manual applies to a related or legacy model; each exact linked manual and revision still requires verification.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Solarc Systems Inc.Manufacturer · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2020-09-18
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports first-party specifications and installation, electrical, protective-equipment, maintenance, and support boundaries for the named SolRx E-Series revision.
What it does not support
It does not support another SolRx family, confirm that this is the newest revision for an individual unit, establish clinical suitability, or prove comparative safety or effectiveness; the owner must verify the exact current manual with Solarc.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Zerigo Health, Inc.Manufacturer · not independentIndependence not established
- Published
- 2026-03-06
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports Zerigo’s current first-party description of its United States prescription device, required mobile application, Member Guide, Care Guide support, data-enabled service model, transfer restrictions, and distinction between technical support and medical advice.
What it does not support
It does not independently establish comparative benefit, coverage, privacy quality, clinical suitability, or that the program terms will remain unchanged.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and VenereologyRegulatory / guideline · not independentRelevant relationship disclosed
- Published
- 2023-09-25
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
Why the independence label says this: The journal is the publisher. This label refers to extensive author relationships disclosed for the recommendation, not to the journal itself.
What this source supports
It supports current expert-consensus terminology, clinical assessment, disease-activity evaluation, treatment-goal discussion, and shared decision-making.
What it does not support
It is not independent comparative proof. It cannot diagnose a reader from a description or photograph.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- British Journal of Dermatology (Eleftheriadou V, et al.)Regulatory / guideline · independentIndependent source
- Published
- 2022-01-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-31
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
Supports the clinical history and assessment domains, evaluation of associated autoimmune conditions, its recommendation for thyroid function and antithyroid antibody screening, current classification context, treatment-option map, psychosocial assessment, medical photography and the limits of pediatric evidence.
What it does not support
It was designed for UK care and reviewed literature through May 2019; it does not establish a universal testing plan, prescribe an individual plan, or establish current US labeling or coverage.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- British Journal of Dermatology (Goulden V, et al.)Regulatory / guideline · independentIndependent source
- Published
- 2022-09-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-29
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
It supports that traditional NB-UVB fluorescent lamps emit a narrow UVB band peaking around 311 nanometres, plus clinical uses, comparisons with other ultraviolet treatments, and safety boundaries including sunburn-type reactions.
What it does not support
It does not provide a personal treatment plan or establish any home-use setting. SteadySkin never reproduces its treatment schedules.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.
- British Association of DermatologistsPatient education · independentIndependent source
- Published
- 2022-06-01
- SteadySkin last checked
- 2026-07-29
What this source can and cannot tell you
What this source supports
It supports a plain-language explanation that NB-UVB uses a small part of the UVB spectrum, is used for conditions including psoriasis, eczema, and vitiligo, and is distinct from sunlight or a sunbed.
What it does not support
It is patient education, not primary evidence for an efficacy claim. Its own review date must remain current before SteadySkin relies on it.
Automated draft claim mapping withheld from reader-facing evidence details until clinical or editorial review is recorded. This page is not yet approved for indexing.