Ok...so...I want to purchase a NB-UVB lamp. I've been searching ebay a lot lately but I don't feel confident enough to make a purchase.
Can someone help me out? What lamp did you buy? I only have vitiligo on my face ("only") so I need only a small facial one.
Also, I am totally clueless as to the protocol. How long do I shine it on my face? How many times a week. My Derm is not supporting me at all and everytime I get to see her, it is winter and you can barely see my vitiligo....then spring somes along, followed by summer...and my vitiligo becomes hugely apparent.
Also, I have melasma mixed in there as well (left over from my pregnancy)...a lovely combo. I'm pretty sure the lamp will make my melasma darker, am I correct? The sun does, so I assume the lamp will too.
Thanks for your help guys!
Replies
Thanks James for responding.
Just a quick question - I don't have much time as I'm at work....
I am in Canada. Will this be an issue when purchasing from National Biological Corp?
Also, did your insurance cover the purchase of your lamp?
I can't answer the question about being out of the U.S. as I have no idea if that presents a problem or not. My guess would be that it does not given that drugs, medical treatments, and devices are used and shipped between countries all the time, but I would simply ask the question to them.
Regarding insurance, ultimately mine did not cover it. However, National Biological was very helpful in providing "non-insurance" pricing as well as working through the insurance process. I fought with my insurance provider very hard. However, their logic was completely backwards as they wanted to spend more money to send me somewhere than to just buy the machine once! With co-pays, plus my time to go somewhere, it was worth it to me to just buy the darn thing! As well, as mentioned before, National Biological helped with pricing given the denial from insurance. In the end, I am well ahead due to the co-pays that would have been paid each visit to a doctor's office. Bottom line: National Biological deals with this everyday and will be very helpful to you.
Please let me if you need any more info. I've been through the process so I know where you're coming from!
I have just ordrered the Dermalume 2x from national bio corp. since my insurance is not in their network I will have to pay them from my pocket ...it's about $900. Did you get any discount? How much did you pay? Any tips to fight with the insurance?
Thank you ....
Hi Vani...
Yes I continue to use the lamp and the results are very satisfactory! The one I have is the Panosol II (2 foot). When you get your's, I would highly encourage you to follow the instructions (of the unit and by your doctor). It may be tempting to "go nuts" but I can promise you that UVB will burn you if you don't use it right. With time, you will work your way to longer times as you build up. Also, I am glad you used National Biological. There are units all over the internet and on ebay but many are not the real thing (or much weaker units). I have been very happy with my unit and the fact that I can get results!
Regarding insurance, I was given the old "take a hike." It was completely backwards because they wanted me to go to a doctor's office several times a week. So rather than just pay for the unit and be done, they wanted an ongoing expense (which, over time, would be much more expensive than just paying once for the equipment). I justified just paying for the unit by the fact that going to an office would require a co-pay as well as the time it would take to go there. Though I got no help from the insurance company, I am well ahead given the co-pay I would have had to pay each time. I seem to remember my unit being around $1000, and National Biological gave me a "no help from insurance" discount.
I don't remember when I got my unit, but it has been more than three years. I have yet to replace any of the bulbs and am very glad that I got it. The best tips I can give you are 1. follow the instructions, 2. consistency is the key (follow the instructions and plan for approx. two to three times a week), 3. if you are on any creams they should work well with the UVB so continue them if your doctor agrees, 4. any vitamins and diet strategies should also compliment use of UVB. I have found that it is important to have everything (cream and light from the outside, vitamins and diet from the inside) working together to get the best results. Low stress level and exercise are also suggested and can help with everything else.
You will find what works best for you! If you have any other questions let me know. I hope this works for you!
Thanks again for your advice.
Good luck
Vani.
I got one from National Biological Corp. You can Google and easily find them. You will need a prescription from your doctor. I would not get one from ebay at it might be a scam or likely ineffective.
If your doctor is not supporting you, I would suggest finding a new one! I found that I had to be my own best advocate and ended up telling my doctor what I wanted! I found that if I had done the research myself, he really had no choice as I knew as much or more than he did! My point is that I highly suggest that you work with a doctor to get the real thing vs. going out to somewhere like ebay as anything that does not require a prescription likely won't work as it should.
If you end up getting a UVB lamp, be very careful! It works and will burn you! They aren't kidding when they say to start at 10 seconds and work up from there! It took me several months to build to minutes. Though results will obviously be different from person to person, I can tell you that my experience has been good. I can't tell you about your last question, other than to say the UVB lamp will give you a tan in a matter of a few minutes (the tan shows up within several hours).
Let me know if you have other questions as I'm happy to help.