Photochemotherapy Treatment for Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a disease resulting from accelerated replication and abnormal maturation of epidermal cells.1 It has a 1 to 2 percent prevalence in the United States.1 Currently, therapy is merely suppressive. Conventional treatment for psoriasis is the Goeck-erman technique, involving the use of tar and ultra-violet B (UVB) (290-320 nm).2 Classically, this treat-ment is delivered on an inpatient basis. The Goeck-erman regimen is usually effective but is very messy. A relatively new treatment for psoriasis, called PUVA, also involves ultraviolet radiation. The name of the treatment is derived from its components: psoralen, a systemic photosensitizing drug, and ultra-violet A (320-400 nm) radiation. The use of PUVA allows a neat outpatient therapeutic program that