Home ultraviolet phototherapy.

Home UV phototherapy is extremely popular with many psoriasis patients. However, it is essential that they understand the need for regular skin examination by the dermatologist. Patients with psoriasis are not trained nor are many nondermatologist physicians to recognize the early features of many skin cancers, and continued home UV therapy in the presence of such skin cancers is clearly unwise for the safety of that patient. The use of UVA tanning salon treatments in the therapy of psoriasis is usually unsuccessful and is extremely unwise with concomitant psoralen and drug therapy. This is to be discouraged, and the patient should always be treated with PUVA in the dermatologist's office with carefully monitored UVA machines and staff trained in the administration of PUVA phototherapy.