Hand and Foot PUVA

PUVA or photochemotherapy is a type of phototherapy used for severe skin diseases.

PUVA therapy is a combination of UVA light and a medicament (8-Methoxy-Psoralen = 8-MOP) which sensitises your skin to UVA light with the aim to make the treatment more effective. It has been available in its present form since 1976.

PUVA= Psoralen + UVA.

Psoralens are compounds found in many plants which make the skin temporarily sensitive to UVA. The ancient Egyptians were the first to use psoralens for the treatment of skin diseases thousands of years ago.

Those patients requiring treatment to small areas only may be treated using a hand and foot unit. We are offering a topical PUVA – a compounded psoralen cream is applied to the affected areas 30 minutes before UVA exposure.