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| Fig. 55.3 Portable UVA units for treating the scalp (A) or the hands and feet (B). |
PUVA is an acronym for psoralen and ultraviolet light, type A. It involves the combined use of a prescription psoralen (methoxsalen or trioxsalen) and long-wave ultraviolet light (UVA). PUVA therapy for psoriasis was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1982 and has since become one of the treatments of choice for many adult patients with extensive patch and plaque-type psoriasis and mycosis fungoides. The psoralen usually is administered orally (sometimes topically) and followed by exposure to UVA light. While UVA is most commonly delivered in booths, special portable units are also available to treat the hands, feet, and scalp (Fig. 55-3).
