Microwaves that can zap Psoriasis...

A new treatment that uses microwaves to 'cook' blood vessels could be a major breakthrough in the treatment of psoriasis, a skin disorder that affects around one million people in the UK.

The technique takes 15 minutes, is painless and leaves no scarring. Doctors say they are amazed at initial results. In nearly all cases, psriasis has completely disappeared after being zapped with a tiny needle gently placed on the skin.

The new treatment works using thermo-coagulation, where tiny blood vessels feeding the psoriasis are heated to such a high temperature they are destroyed.

'We've treated around 20 patients with psoriasis and so far all of them have responded,' said Mr Brian Newman, a private surgeon who is offering the new service at his clinics in Bolton and London.

Psoriasis, one of the most common medical conditions in Britain, is thought to be caused by the immune system malfunctioning, triggering accelerated growth of skin cells. These pile up on the surface of the skin and the body cannot shed them fast enough, resulting in unsightly raised red skin, covered by a flaky white plaque.

Though rarely life-threatening, severe psoriasis can cause serious psychological damage because of the disfigurement. Existing treatments are either not completely effective or awkward to use.

Some patients are prescribed creams that are applied daily and can take nearly an hour to dry. Others need regular sessions of a light treatment called phototherapy. Powerful drugs can contain the itchiness and inflammation, but none of the medicines actually cures the condition.

THE latest treatment involves a machine called Veinwave which is already being to treat thread veins — tiny unsightly blood vessels on the surface of the skin — and rosacea, the condition that causes permanent reddening of the face.

Mr Newman, who has pioneered the use of Veinwave in the UK, has recently discovered that it seems to work on psoriasis, though psoriasis is an auto-immune disease — one triggered by abnormal reaction from the immune system — and, in theory, should not depend on a good blood supply to survive.

A handheld probe, with a very fine needle on the end, is attached to a machine producing microwaves. The surgeon places the probe on the surface of the affected skin and switches on the Veinwave machine. The probe instantly heats up to 85 degrees centigrade for a fraction of a second and then switches off again. This process is repeated. The intense heat destroys the blood vessels keeping the patches of psriasis supplied with the oxygen they need to thrive. The patient just feels a slight pressure on the skin and needs no anaesthetic. In just 15 minutes, one doctor can treat an area the size of a dinner plate.

Mr Newman says: 'It might take several sessions of treatment, taut the scaly lesions seem to just drop off. At first, the skin looks slightly worse because you get a slight inflammation but within ten days the affected area becomes smooth.'

The treatment is not yet available on the NHS and it costs around £250 to treat each affected area of the body.

John Fisher, from Bolton, Lancashire, was one of the first to try the new microwave therapy. The 28-year-old operations manager first developed the disorder in his early teens. It spread from a few tiny patches on his scalp until it affected large areas of his arms and legs.

As well as being unsightly, the severe itching kept him awake at night and deterred him from wearing short-sleeve shirts or shorts. John says: 'By last October it was getting out of control.' In December he went for his first bout of treatment.

'After a few days the dry skin had dropped off and the redness was gone,' he says. 'Now there's only a very fine shadow where the psoriasis used to be.'

John is awaiting treatment on the rest of his body and hopes his skin will be completely clear in time for his wedding to fiancee Catherine in the summer. With the Maldives as a possible honeymoon destination, he wants to be able to strip off with confidence. FOR more information, call Veinwave on freephone 0800 542 2023 or go to www.veinwave.com

By Pat Hagan, Good Health, Daily Mail, Tuesday February 17th 2004, page 44