Phototherapy Side Effects and Warnings

Possible Complications

The UV lights may negatively affect your skin in a number of ways, including:

• Skin conditions could temporarily worsen
• Itchy skin
• Red skin due to exposure to the lights
• Burning of the skin

PUVA treatment specifically may cause:

• Nausea (if you took the psoralen pills)
• Burning skin
• Cataracts (lens of eye becomes cloudy, affecting vision)
• Headache
• Fatigue

If you have received a great number of phototherapy treatments, you may be at risk for:

• Premature aging of the skin, such as wrinkling and dryness
• Age spots or freckles may appear

Factors that may increase the risk of complications include:

• Allergy to sunlight
• Pregnancy or nursing
• Medical conditions (such as skin cancer or lupus ) that require you to avoid the sun
• History of skin cancer
• Liver disease (phototherapy may increase medicine levels in the blood)

Call Your Doctor

After arriving home, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:

• Signs of infection, including fever and chills
• Redness around the skin lesions or any discharge
• Severe skin burning, pain, or blistering
• Side effects you experienced due to the treatment continue or worsen
• Development of new or surprising symptoms

In case of an emergency, CALL 911.