Psoriasis - Medications
Treatment for psoriasis usually begins with topical medicines that you spread on the affected areas of your skin. You may use one medicine or a combination of medicines to clear up the psoriasis patches. For mild psoriasis, you may be able to control psoriasis using an over-the-counter medicine.
Softening and removing psoriasis crusts and scales can help creams and other skin products be absorbed into the skin. Psoriasis crusts can be removed by gently rubbing cream into the crusts to soften them and then carefully peeling the crusted patches off. But this should be done with great care so that the skin is not irritated.
Autoimmune disease. A condition where your own immune system -- which normally fights infections and viruses -- mistakenly attacks normal, healthy tissue, creating inflammation. Biologic therapies. Biologic medicines, made from substances found in living organisms, block aspects of the immune system that are overactive in psoriasis. Calcipotriene. A synthetic form of vitamin D3 that can be applied to the skin to slow psoriasis cell growth, flatten lesions, and remove scales. Corticosteroid...
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For moderate to severe psoriasis, you may need to use a topical medicine prescribed by your doctor, such as a corticosteroid or a medicine related to vitamin D called calcipotriene. Other topical medicines include anthralin and tars.
Occlusion therapy uses moisturizers or medicated creams or gels applied to the skin. After the product is applied, the skin is wrapped with tape, fabric, or plastic. Occlusion keeps the area moist and can make the medicated creams work better. Steroid cream may be used with the occlusion treatment method for small areas, but not for more than a few days. Occlusion of large areas may cause side effects such as thinning of the skin. Talk to your doctor before using occlusion therapy, to make sure that you do it safely.
Creams and ointments may be used together with sunlight or ultraviolet light, such as ultraviolet A (UVA) or B (UVB), to treat moderate psoriasis. This is called phototherapy. Treatment of psoriasis with UVB and medicines spread on the skin, such as tar or calcipotriene, is safe and effective.6
UVA light therapy may be combined with a medicine (called a psoralen) that makes your skin more sensitive to the UVA light. This treatment is known as PUVA (psoralen and UVA). First, you use the psoralen. You may take it as a pill, spread it on your skin as a lotion, or use it as bath salts. Then you walk into a chamber where your skin is exposed to UVA light.
Medicines taken by mouth (oral medicines) also may be used to treat moderate to severe psoriasis. The most commonly used oral medicines include methotrexate, cyclosporine, and retinoids, which are medicines related to vitamin A. In rare cases, medicine may be injected directly into a psoriasis sore or patch.
Scalp and nail psoriasis can be difficult to treat. Both conditions are more likely to improve with oral medicine. Treatment for the scalp often includes tar shampoos, corticosteroid solutions, or zinc and selenium sulfide shampoos.
If you are taking topical or oral medicines for psoriasis, you will need regular follow-up visits with your doctor to check for possible side effects. You may take one medicine for a while, then switch to another to reduce the chance that a serious side effect will occur.
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