health

There is no cure for xeroderma pigmentosum. In addition, any damage
that occurs to the skin from sun exposure is permanent and irreversible.
The main goals of treatment are therefore to protect the patient from sun
exposure and monitor the development of symptoms affecting the eyes
and nervous system.

Avoiding sun exposure includes:

• Wearing protective clothing (long-sleeved shirts and full-length
  pants, shirts with collars, tightly-woven fabrics that don’t let light
  through); wide-brimmed hats; and eyewear specifically made to
  screen out ultraviolet rays.
  
• Applying sunscreens of SPF 30 or higher to all exposed areas of skin.
  
• Avoiding going outdoors during daylight hours as much as possible.
  
• Limiting outdoor activities to nighttime only.
  
• Avoiding the use of halogen or fluorescent bulbs indoors; these
  give off enough ultraviolet radiation to affect people with XP.
  
• Applying special film that blocks ultraviolet rays to house and car
  windows.
  

Monitoring patients with xeroderma pigmentosum includes:

• Regular visits to a dermatologist—at least every three to five
  months—to check for changes in the skin or early signs of skin
  cancer.
  
• Yearly testing of the patient’s nervous system.
  
• Frequent visits to an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) to check for
  clouding of the cornea, tumors near the eye, or other problems.
  

Skin cancers are usually removed by surgery as soon as they
appear. Solar keratoses are treated with a cream containing a drug
called 5-fluorouracil.