title: Minimal Erythema Dose (MED) testing.
abstract: Ultraviolet radiation (UV) therapy is sometimes used as a treatment for various common skin conditions, including psoriasis, acne, and eczema. The dosage of UV light is prescribed according to an individual's skin sensitivity. Thus, to establish the proper dosage of UV light to administer to a patient, the patient is sometimes screened to determine a minimal erythema dose (MED), which is the amount of UV radiation that will produce minimal erythema (sunburn or redness caused by engorgement of capillaries) of an individual's skin within a few hours following exposure. This article describes how to conduct minimal erythema dose (MED) testing. There is currently no easy way to determine an appropriate UV dose for clinical or research purposes without conducting formal MED testing, requiring observation hours after testing, or informal trial and error testing with the risks of under- or over-dosing. However, some alternative methods are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Fox Chase Cancer Center, USA. carolyn.heckman@fccc.edu
authors.forename: Carolyn J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Heckman
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chandler
authors.forename: Jacqueline D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Kloss
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benson
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rooney
authors.forename: Teja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Munshi
authors.forename: Susan D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Darlow
authors.forename: Clifford
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perlis
authors.forename: Sharon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Manne
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Oslin
mesh_terms: D004890:Erythema / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D012867:Skin / Q000528:radiation effects*; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays