Advantages of Psoriasis Treatments

Posted by DrRinkyKapoorBlog on December 2nd, 2015

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes red, crusty, flaky patches of skin, usually covered with silvery scales on the elbows, scalp, knees, and the lower back, although it can also appear elsewhere on the body. Severity varies widely from one person to the next, and it can cycle through minor irritations, mild symptoms, followed by periods of more severe attacks, or no symptoms at all. People suffering from the condition have increased production of skin cells, resulting in a build-up, which creates the red, flaky patches associated with psoriasis.

Treatments for Psoriasis aim to stop skin cells from growing quickly, thus reducing plaque formation and the inflammation that goes with it and to remove the scales and smooth out the skin, which is what most topical treatments do. Medications/therapies for psoriasis can be divided into three major categories, namely, topical treatments, systemic medications, and light therapy.

Topical treatments like topical corticosteroids (anti-inflammatory drugs), vitamin D analogues (slows down the growth of skin cells), and Anthralin (normalizes DNA activity in skin cells) can be used as stand-alone medications for mild to less severe cases of psoriasis. However, when the disease is more severe, creams and ointments are usually combined with light therapy or some other oral medications for the best results. The best advantage of topical treatments is that they are very soothing when applied to the affected skin surface, bringing almost instant relief. They are also easy to administer and manage, albeit slightly inconvenient, especially when the affected area is prone to contact.

Light treatment or phototherapy uses natural or artificial UV light, which kills the active T cells in the skin, thus slowing skin cell turnover. This in turn helps reduce the amount of scaling and inflammation in the affected area. Brief exposure to small amounts of sunlight on a daily basis can help improve the condition, although intense exposure may also worsen symptoms, so be sure to check with your skin doctor when using photo therapy. Apart from natural sunlight, other forms of phototherapy include UVB phototherapy, which directs controlled doses of UVB light coming from an artificial source towards the affected area, along with narrow band UVB therapy, Goeckerman therapy, excimer laser, and photo chemotherapy.

There are also oral or injected medications that can help improve severe or resistant forms of psoriasis. However, these may only be used for brief periods or alternated with other forms of treatment as they may cause severe side effects with prolonged use.

About the Author:

Dr. Rinky Kapoor is a world renowned Skin Specialist (Dermatologist), Dermato-surgeon expert and Cosmetic Dermatologist, and serves in fulfilling the growing demand in Hair, Skin and Nail care. She had been the co-founder of The Esthetic Clinic at Apollo Health City, Hyderabad and headed the Department of Cosmetic Dermatology and Lasers there from 2009-2011.