About us

UVBLED Company History and Development of UVB Lamps

UVBLED began manufacturing UVB lamps in 1998.

At that time, the lamps were broadband UVB, emitting wavelengths in the range of 280–320 nanometers. With these lamps, the therapeutic (healing) dose was approximately 10 times higher than the dose that would cause skin burns.

To prevent skin burns, treatment with these broadband lamps had to be administered in a hospital setting, where medical staff could carefully control and gradually increase the exposure dose to allow the skin to adapt safely.

The standard lamps used in hospitals were the TL100W/12 model, produced by Philips Lighting. While we sold these lamps, we added a filter to block wavelengths below 290 nanometers, as these were primarily responsible for causing skin burns.

In the year 2000, Philips began manufacturing narrowband UVB lamps, which emit light specifically in the 311–313 nanometer range. With these lamps, the therapeutic dose is only three times the burning dose, making them significantly safer for use.

We began manufacturing and selling these narrowband lamps without filters, mainly using the PLS9W/01 bulb. The results with these lamps were better, as users experienced fewer burns and were more likely to continue treatment.

In 2001, we opened a treatment clinic utilizing these narrowband UVB lamps. Over the next 20 years, the clinic—branded as UVCLINIC—provided 250,000 treatments to 4,000 patients.

In 2023, Nichia Corporation began producing UVB LED lamps capable of emitting specific wavelengths. We started developing lamps using these new LEDs and invited users to test them. However, the results were inconsistent.

We discovered that many LED products did not emit the wavelengths claimed by the sellers. Some manufacturers produced inexpensive LEDs labeled as 312 nanometers to compete with Philips lamps but sold them under different wavelength claims.

To address this issue, we invested in a high-quality spectrometer capable of measuring UVB wavelengths, since accurate UVB spectrometers are expensive.

With the spectrometer, we verified the actual emission wavelengths of the LED chips. Eventually, we identified a reliable supplier that provided true UVB LED chips—not complete lamps, but the raw light-emitting components.

We ordered chips at different wavelengths, distributed them to users for testing, and identified the most effective wavelength. We then ordered chips at that specific wavelength in larger quantities and began manufacturing and selling lamps using them—with excellent results.

We found that the therapeutic dose is approximately 100 times lower than the burning dose. This means there is no need for gradual time increases, and visible improvements can be seen from the very first day of treatment.

Since this is a new technology, many users were initially hesitant to switch from traditional 312 nanometer narrowband lamps. To support adoption, we offered a two-month return option.