In 1901 Alexandra donated the first Finsen lamp to the dermatology department but prior to this treatment has taken place in the hospital garden and was described in the London Hospital Gazette of July 1900 as follows:

"The sunlight apparatus consists of a hollow lens, 10 inches in diameter, filled with a solution of sulphate of copper. The blue solution absorbs the red rays. . Pressed upon the skin is the second piece of apparatus - the pressure glass... Under  certain  circumstances the pressure is kept up by the fingers of the nurse... It is necessary that the patients have the care of the nurse throughout the seance, as the glass must be held at right angles to the axis of the light, and the area of the skin under treatment kept in focus.

The seance lasts for one hour, an area of the skin about the size of a shilling being submitted to the action of the concentrated light. At the next sitting, a second area of the same size is treated, and this is continued until the whole of the diseased tissue has been attacked. At the end of each seance there is an interval of a quarter-of-an-hour, during which the dressings are applied, and the nurses cleanse the pressure glasses.. .and wash their hands and forearms."

With the arrival of the Finsen lamp the treatment moved indoors and the treatment times were reduced enabling more patients to be treated. However the nursing care remained just as laborious until the Finsen Lomholt lamp, which had in inbuilt compressor, was introduced in 1936 and had the effect of freeing the attendant nurse. This treatment continued until the late 1940s when Isoniazid was introduced as a systemic treatment for tuberculosis.

King George V donated his personal carbon arc lamp to the department in 1928 when it was used into the 1950s to treat children from the East End of London for rickets. The lamp was undoubtedly beneficial and there are a number of patient who currently attend the dermatology who remember receiving these  "sunbaths".  The department of now interested in looking for a link between these treatments in childhood and an increased risk of skin cancer in later life.

In 1967 Dr Harvey Baker was appointed consultant dermatologist at the London Hospital. He developed a special interest in psoriasis and pioneered the development of PUVA light treatment (Photochemotherapy and UVA)

The reaction of the skin to UVA is heightened by the use of Psoralens, which are photosensitising drugs. They may be given orally or applied topically in a bath solution or in a lotion painted on the area to be treated. Oral psoralen must be taken one and a half to two hours before treatment for maximum effect and remains in the system for up to 24 hours. As the eyes also become sun-sensitive, UVA protected sunglasses need to be worn during this time.

In addition to psoriasis, PUVA may also be effective in the treatment of eczema, vitiligo, mycosis fungoides and PLE (polymorphic light eruption). Each patient has between 2 and 5 treatments per week, carefully calculated according to skin type and whether the psoralen is taken orally or applied to the skin. Patients with psoriaasis may also receive UVB treatment. The use of these treatments is weighed carefully against the risk of inducing skin cancer by UV radiation. Patient education including an understanding of the effects of sun exposure and sun beds is an important aspect of modern day dermatology nursing.

1989 census data for the UK records 40,000 new cases of skin cancer. Due to under reporting of non melanoma skin cancers true incidence is likely to be nearer 76,000 (ICRF April 1998).

Increase in cutaneous melanoma since records began (England and Wales)

These figures show that the incidence of melanoma is doubling every ten years and is increasing faster than any other cancer. People most likely to develop a melanoma are fair skinned, and experience intermittent sun exposure. It is important for everybody to avoid burning, and in particular, to prevent children from burning by wearing comfortable protective clothing, as there is strong evidence that sunburn in childhood may lead to skin cancer in later years.

Sun Awareness Week - the first week of June each year draws attention to the need for primary prevention of skin cancer and also encourages any body that has a mole that is growing larger over a period of months, is changing in shape or colour, or is weeping or bleeding, to seek medical advice since a melanoma that is treated early is usually curable.