Psoralens are medicines made from plants. They make your skin more sensitive to light. This allows the deeply penetrating UVA band of light to work on the skin.
Mechanism of action
Psoralens boost the amount of ultraviolet light your skin absorbs. This lets the light into your skin. The ultraviolet radiation helps treat severe skin diseases like psoriasis, vitiligo and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, a type of cancer.
Psoralens affect your DNA to stop cell growth in one of two ways. One group intercalates, or weaves itself into, DNA strands after your skin is exposed to ultraviolet light. This group includes 5-methoxypsoralen and 8-methoxypsoralen. The second group creates monoadducts, or links, to an individual base — the cross-pieces inside a DNA strand.
Ultraviolet light can slow down the overgrowth of skin cells that form psoriasis plaques, or rashes. It is found that psoralens and ultraviolet light together could trigger melanin production. Thus helping to treat vitiligo, which is a loss of pigment in the skin.
Hypo-pigmentary disorders are challenging skin disorders to treat because of its recurring condition. Doctors use psoralens with sunlamps or light booths that emit ultraviolet light. This is called PUVA or photochemotherapy.
Shortfalls of Oral Psoralens
Psoralens can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. Severe adverse reactions can occur with psoralens and UV radiation, including sunburn, increased risk of skin cancer (due to mutagenicity inherent in their action), cancer of the male genitalia, cataracts and accelerated skin ageing.
The increased risk for the development of skin cancer associated with these treatments has led to a search for alternative therapies. Natural psoralen has been used in combination with sunlight for the treatment of skin disease for centuries.
Topical natural Psoralen –Need of the hour
Verdura Mela Pro cream is the modified and modern form of classical Psoralea corylifolia
Psoralea corylifolia or babchi- It contains Psoralen which on absorption of sun light activates the damaged melanocytes (pigment producing skin cells) resulting into production of melanin.
Wrightia tinctoria or Vetpalai – Augments healing properties of skin.
Indigofera tinctoria- Acts as anti-oxidant and contain natural pigment indigo.
Piper longum or long pepper- Induces multiplication of pigment cells and also helps in the melanin transfer from the basal layer of the skin to the uppermost layer.
It has following benefits
- Contains Natural form of psoralens.
- Greater benefit in less photogenic reaction.
- Increases the susceptibility of skin to UV rays.
- Kindles genetic memory of the skin to produce melanin in Vitiligo.
- Proven to be hypoallergenic and safe for long term use
Method of application
Psoralen application is followed by exposure to gradually increasing doses (till mild erythema achieved) of sunlight. For sensitivity patients, alternative days exposure is preferable. According to new studies, the best time of the day to expose the sunlight is between 9.15 – 11.15 AM and 2.30-3.30 PM because there is minimal unwanted exposure to UVB and infrared light at these times.
Verdura mela gain cream helps in the management of vitiligo condition.
It also contains Psoralea corylifolia (natural source of Psoralen) that entraps and boosts the sun therapy and the sun screeners such as Bentonite, Calamine, Titanium dioxide and Zinc oxide that are present in it, give required protection to the skin from over exposure.
Clinical proof for efficacy of Verdura mela gain cream
A clinical study was done on 26 volunteers with cream with and without sun screeners and with and without sun exposure.
The findings of the study suggest that the herbal actives of the cream induce melanin production, irrespective of sun exposure. Simultaneously, the sunscreeners minimize the solar vulnerability of the skin.
Hence, with these proven complimentary benefits from contradicting agents, Verdura mela gain cream can be the best product of choice for vitiligo treatment.
