Systemic PUVA therapy may be useful in the treatment of chronic palmoplantar eczema. Topical PUVA-paint avoids some of the unwanted side effects of systemic psoralens and has been used successfully in the treatment of palmoplantar eczema and psoriasis. However, few data are available on the effectiveness of local bath-PUVA therapy in palmoplantar eczema.

Our purpose was to assess the effectiveness of local bath-PUVA therapy in 28 patients with chronic palmar or plantar eczema or both who were resistant to conventional topical treatment.

After fungal or bacterial infection had been excluded in all patients, hands or feet or both were soaked for 15 minutes in warm water containing 1 mg/L 8-methoxypsoralen. Immediately after, the skin was irradiated with increasing doses of UVA, starting with 0.5 J/cm². PUVA-bath therapy was performed 4 times a week up to a total of 25 treatments. No additional therapy was allowed except emollients.

Excellent or good effects were achieved in 93% of the patients with dyshidrotc and in 86% of the patients with hyperkeratotic eczema. In the patients with dyshidrotic eczema, the cumulative doses and the highest single doses of UVA were lower than those in the patients with hyperkeratotic eczema (21.4 vs 27.9 J/cm² and 2.4 vs 3.0 J/cm² of UVA), but this was not statistically significant. No phototoxic reactions were observed.

Local bath-PUVA therapy is of value in the management of chronic palmoplantar eczema resistant to standard modes of topical treatment. Compared with topical PUVA-paint, local bath-PUVA therapy has several advantages, particularly the absence of phototoxic reactions, severe hyperpigmentation, and protracted photosensitivity.