A reader asks:

 Can you tell me if someone who has had one of the following treatments, and was advised not to be exposed to sunlight, might still undergo light therapy? Microdermabrasion, Chemical Peel, Laser Hair Removal or Intense Pulsed Light Photo-rejuvenation. Thank you.

Answer:

When doctors advise patients to avoid sunlight, the risk factor is almost always ultraviolet (UV) radiation. As you can see from CET.org, an adequate light box should screen out UV, in which case there should be no UV risk. However, some light boxes screen out more UV than others, and boxes that use full-spectrum light bulbs present an additional challenge for adequate filtering. As a result, we can still see skin reddening and puffiness under filtered full-spectrum light, which is not good. CET recommends a light box with a polycarbonate diffusing screen and a lower color temperature (4000 Kelvin) than used in full spectrum boxes (5500 Kelvin and above). Unless your dermatologist wants you to avoid blue light as well as UV, this apparatus should suit your need.