The plant Psoralea corylifolia (Babchi) contains the active constituent Psoralen which can be applied topically on the affected areas before sun exposure.
Psoralen entraps and enhances the benefit of the UV rays of sunlight when mild exposure is given. It makes the skin sensitive to sunlight so that the UV radiations can penetrate easily into the skin and
- Reduce symptoms such as itching and inflammation in excessive scaling conditions of skin. PUVA (Psoralen+UVA) slows down excessive skin cell growth and inflammation that causes extreme dry scaling conditions of skin to develop.
- Minimise uneven discolouration of skin and hypopigmentation. Psoralen, on absorption of sunlight, kindles the genetic memory of the damaged melanocytes (pigment producing skin cells), resulting in melanin production.
Narrowband UVB (311-312 nm) that is present in the sunlight also stimulates pigment cells to produce melanin in a very short time after exposure.
To step up the goodness of sunlight effectively in these conditions, a topical cream containing Psoralea corylifolia /Psoralen is highly recommended.
