Assessment of Topical PUVA in Acral Vitiligo

Abstract Acral vitiligo is a resistant subtype of vitiligo that does not respond easily to any treatment modalities. Topical psoralen plus ultraviolet A (topical PUVA) therapy is an option in case of localized dermatosis such as acral vitiligo. Ultraviolet A therapy can penetrate the dermis of the skin. This study objective was to evaluate the effect of topical PUVA in acral vitiligo. Methods Patients in this prospective randomized-controlled comparative clinical trial were divided in to two groups, first group received narrow band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) and topical PUVA at the same time, second group were already on NB-UVB and topical PUVA were added. Patients received 36 sessions of phototherapy over a period of 16 weeks. Every patient was evaluated monthly using point counting. Results No statistically significant difference was found between both groups regarding response. Conclusion Topical PUVA is of limited use in acral vitiligo.