Psoriasis

Topical Treatment and Light Therapy

The goals of psoriasis treatment are to change the course of the disease by interfering with the increased production of skin cells, and to remove scales and smooth rough skin.

There are many types of treatments. Many are medicines and other treatments your doctor will have to prescribe. But there are other types of treatments you can buy without a prescription or try on your own.

Some treatments for psoriasis are applied directly to the skin. Some use light to treat skin lesions. Others are taken by mouth or injected. This chapter focuses on treatments that are applied directly to the skin -- also called topical treatments or light therapy.

Topical Treatments

Here are some different types of topical treatments for psoriasis.

Salicylic acid

• helps soften and loosen skin scales
• comes as a cream, lotion, liquid, gel, ointment or shampoo.

Steroid-based creams

• reduce inflammation and slow the growth and build-up of skin cells
• are used in different strengths for different parts of the body.

Calcipotriene-containing topical ointment

• works by slowing the production of skin cells
• is often combined with a steroid for added effects
• may be used with UVB light.

Anthralin

• is used to treat long-term psoriasis and hard-to-treat plaques
• reduces inflammation
• slows down the growth of skin cells.

Coal-tar ointments and shampoos

• cause the skin to shed dead cells
• slow the growth of skin cells
• decrease itching.

Retinoid gels and creams (specifically Tazarotene is approved for psoriasis)

• are believed to work by reducing skin cell overgrowth
• decrease inflammation
• are often used with other treatments.

Vitamin D analogues

• slow down the growth of skin cells
• may be used with steroid creams for added effects.

Regardless of the topical medication your doctor prescribes, it is important to follow directions carefully. Some can be messy and stain your clothing and bedding. Others can have potentially dangerous side effects.

Light Therapy

Light therapy, also called phototherapy, uses ultraviolet light to treat skin lesions. Laser therapy delivers intense, focused doses of light to specific areas of the skin to clear lesions without harming surrounding tissues.

Here are some different kinds of light therapy.

UVB phototherapy

• penetrates the skin to slow the growth of affected cells
• is given at home or at the doctor’s office
• may be combined with topical treatments or injected or oral medicines to increase effectiveness.

Excimer laser

• targets select areas of skin with a beam of high-intensity UVB light
• is used to treat chronic, localized psoriasis plaques
• may take 4 to 10 sessions to see results .

Pulsed dye laser

• uses a dye and different wavelength of light from other skin treatments
• destroys tiny blood vessels that help psoriasis lesions form
• may take 4 to 6 sessions to clear treated lesions.