Puva Light Treatment For Psoriasis

But using it for a long time can raise your chances of skin cancer.

Puva light treatment for psoriasis. Light therapy is effective for reducing or clearing up the symptoms of psoriasis. Each session only takes a few minutes but you may need to go to hospital 2 or 3 times a week for 6 to 8 weeks. Because of that it s typically only recommended for severe cases. Eczema psoriasis graft versus host disease vitiligo mycosis fungoides large plaque parapsoriasis and cutaneous t cell lymphoma using the sensitizing effects of the drug psoralen.

But it takes about 16 to 19 puva treatments to put a psoriasis outbreak into remission. Puva may also be a viable option for patients who have failed uvb therapy. Puva psoralen and ultraviolet a is an ultraviolet light therapy treatment for skin diseases. Topical puva is the preferred treatment method for palmoplantar psoriasis although bb uvb has been proven effective.

Talk with your doctor about whether home phototherapy is an option for you. Targeted uvb therapy with excimer lasers is the preferred treatment method for. Puva requires patient compliance with consistent treatments for 9 15 weeks to achieve maximal results. Light therapy is a first line treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis either alone or in combination with medications.

It involves exposing the skin to controlled amounts of natural or artificial light. In this combination therapy the psoralen taken internally acts as a skin sensitizer. Repeated treatments are necessary. Puva treatment is a very effective and safe treatment option for patients whose psoriasis is not well controlled on topical therapies alone.

686 the psoralen is applied or taken orally to sensitize the skin then the skin is exposed to uva. Puva clears up psoriasis quickly with long lasting results. Puva is a tried and true phototherapy treatment for chronic plaque psoriasis. This process called puva slows down excessive skin cell growth and can clear psoriasis symptoms for varying periods of time.

Therein lies the risk. Psoralen uva puva ultraviolet light a uva is relatively ineffective for psoriasis unless it s used with light sensitizing agents called psoralens. The sensitized skin affected by psoriasis can then be treated by ultraviolet a radiation.