Psoralen and UVA Light Therapy (PUVA) for Psoriasis

When PUVA is used to treat psoriasis, short-term side effects include:

• Skin redness, headache, nausea, and itching.
• Burns.
• The spread of psoriasis to skin that was not affected before (Koebner's response).
• Nausea from the medicine.

The most significant potential long-term effect of PUVA treatment is an increased risk of some types of cancer.

• PUVA treatments with cyclosporine have shown a significant increase in the risk of Reference squamous cell cancer Opens New Window.^{Reference 2} A serious form of skin cancer, Reference melanoma Opens New Window, has also been reported.
• The male genitals are highly susceptible to the cancer-causing effects of both PUVA. Female genitals do not seem to be affected.

Other long-term side effects when using PUVA to treat psoriasis include:

• Premature skin damage associated with sun exposure.
• Discolored spots on the skin.
• Overgrowth of the scaly layer of skin caused by exposure to sunlight (actinic keratosis).
• Reference Cataracts Opens New Window. Cataracts may be avoided by wearing goggles during UVA treatments and sunglasses that block UV light when outdoors.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

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