In 1925, William H. Goeckerman, M.D., at the Mayo Clinic, proved the benefit of combining tar with ultraviolet light B (UVB) phototherapy to treat psoriasis. The combination of intensive tar and UVB treatment was named after him, and it remains a very effective treatment for severe psoriasis.
Used in a hospital or day treatment program, the Goeckerman regimen usually requires three or four weeks of treatment. It will clear psoriasis in more than 90 percent of people and can produce a lengthy remission, ranging from a few months to a year or more, depending on the individual case of psoriasis.
