What is the best for your psoriasis punch in?
While there is no cure forpsoriasis(an autoimmune skin condition), it is treatable and manageable.
When this overactive response occurs, the body responds with skininflammationthat causes skin cells to grow too quickly.
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They are available in over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription strengths.
Your healthcare provider can help you to decide which formulations might best treat your psoriasis.
Salicylic acid is akeratolytic(a peeling agent) that helps the outer layer of skin to shed better.
For treating psoriasis, it softens and lifts skin scales.
Long-term side effects of salicylic acid are skin irritation, weakening of hair shafts, and hair loss.
Coal tar can irritate and dry skin.
Using a moisturizer first and then applying the coal tar might reduce dryness.
Harder-to-treat areas include thekneesand elbows, where the stratum corneum, the outermost skin layer, is much thicker.
Topical steroids are available in prescription strengths and are typically applied once or twice daily.
Your healthcare provider might suggest you wrap treated skin areas to help the medicine work better.
Vitamin D topicals are another prescription option for treating psoriasis.
Plaque, guttate, and inverse psoriasis are treated with OTC and prescription topical steroids.
Nail psoriasis is typically not treated with topical skin treatments.
Oral and Injected Medications
Psoriasis is anautoimmune diseasestemming from internal processes.
This means your skin may not be completely clear even with topical therapy.
Oral and injected therapies include drugs that affect the whole body.
Your options for oral and injected medicines used for psoriasis are biologics, steroids, and oral medicines.
Biologics are given by injection or through intravenous (IV) infusions (delivered into a vein).
Biologics can be pretty effective but can increase your risk of severe infections.
They are typically used with other therapies, including topicals and light therapy.
Biologics for treating psoriasis and PsA are:
Steroids
Oral steroidshelp reduce inflammation and pain.
Oral steroids might be an option to manage flare-ups from PsA.
However, they should be used with caution as they may adversely affect people who have skin involvement.
Side effects include fatigue, nausea, stomachache, dizziness, headaches, and increased infection risk.
Cyclosporine is an immunosuppressive drug that causes the immune system to slow down the growth of skin cells.
Most injected and oral treatments for psoriasis are prescribed to people with moderate to severe disease symptoms.
People with inverse psoriasis might benefit from Otezla, cyclosporine and methotrexate, and biologics.
Pustular psoriasis is typically treated with topicals, but healthcare providers might prescribe biologics to reduce or prevent recurrences.
Erythrodermic psoriasis is a medical emergency and requires hospital care.
Treatments for PsA include NSAIDs, oral corticosteroids to manage flares, and DMARDs, including methotrexate and biologics.
Nail psoriasis is treated with biologics and oral medicines, including methotrexate.
For treating psoriasis, phototherapy might help reduce inflammation and slow skin cell growth.
It might also improve itch and pain.
What Types of Psoriasis Does Phototherapy Treat?
Choosing the Right Treatment for Psoriasis
Treating psoriasis can be exhausting and time-consuming.
They can change your treatment plan and get you back on track.
For example, mild psoriasis is typically treated with topical medicines and lifestyle therapies.
Managing Psoriasis Flare-Ups
Psoriasis is a condition that waxes and wanes.
Understanding Triggers
Flare-ups are sometimes the result of specific triggers.
You may also experience a flare with no exact cause or trigger.
Triggers of psoriasis flares will vary from person to person.
Common triggers of psoriasis flares are diet, stress, alcohol, and smoking.
Diet
Research shows that diet plays a role in the severity of psoriasis.
Examples of anti-inflammatory foods are:
Stress
Stress is a known trigger of psoriasis flares.
The research on psoriasis shows that stress is linked to disease onset and subsequent flares.
Psoriasis flares and visible symptoms of the condition might also lead to psychological discomfort.
Managing stress might help you to prevent flares.
If you find you are struggling to cope with the effects of psoriasis, talk to your healthcare provider.
They can offer information about resources and support to help you manage the psychological effects of the condition.
Quitting smoking and reducing your alcohol intake could improve disease symptoms.
Talk to your healthcare provider if you need help quitting.
Summary
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that occurs because the immune system malfunctions and attacks healthy tissues.
There is no cure for the condition, but it is treatable and manageable.
Treatment for psoriasis aims to stop skin cell growth and remove scales.
Your options are topical medicines, oral systemic medicines, biologics, and light therapy.
You might need to try different therapies before finding what best works to manage symptoms and reduce flare-ups.
Frequently Asked Questions
Psoriasis can be confused with other skin diseases like eczema.
A dermatologist is often the best healthcare provider to diagnose and treat it.
A dermatologist is a medical doctor specializing in skin, hair, and nail conditions.
Psoriasis can cause both physical and emotional discomfort.
Getting the condition under control can make coping with psoriasis much easier.
You should talk to your healthcare provider if psoriasis affects your emotional health.
They can offer coping resources or a referral to a mental health professional.
Losing weight might also reduce the effects of psoriasis.
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