At least for vitiligo, narrowband ultraviolet B (UVB) nanometer phototherapy is now used more commonly than PUVA since it does not require the use of the psoralen. As with PUVA, treatment is carried out 2 to 3 times a week in a clinic or every day at home, and there is no need to use psoralen.
Narrowband UVB therapy is less effective for the legs and hands, compared to the face and neck. To the hands and legs PUVA may be more effective. The reason can be because UVA penetrates deeper in the skin, and the melanocytes in the skin of the hands and legs are positioned deeper in the skin. Narrowband UVB 311 nanometer is blocked by the topmost skin layer, and UVA 365 nanometer reaches the melanocytes that are in the bottom skin layer.
Melanin is a dark pigment of the skin and the melanocytes produce it. The melanocytes produce melanin when their receptors detect UV light. The purpose of the melanin is to block UV light so that it will not cause damage to the body cells under the skin.