Psoriasis is defined as a chronic skin disorder that commonly affects 1% to 3% of the world s population. Psoriasis is characterized by periodic flare-ups of red patched covered by a silvery and flaked scale typically on the scalp. There are several variations of psoriasis, but the most common is plaque psoriasis. The exact cause of psoriasis is unknown. It is believed that a combination of several factors contribute to the development of psoriasis. There is currently no cure for psoriasis and the existing treatments available are aimed at controlling the symptoms of the disease as opposed to curing it. Treatment options available for psoriasis range from topical therapies to photo therapy and systemic therapy for the more severe cases of the disease. All of these treatment options are considered by psoriasis patients to have several drawbacks in terms of convenience, safety, or effectiveness. The advent of new biological therapies may potentially offer patients suffering from psoriasis hope of long term treatment which is safer than the current available options. Topical therapies have remained the mainstay of treatment for many patients suffering with mild psoriasis. Topical treatments work relatively quickly at clearing lesions and are typically well tolerated by the majority of psoriasis sufferers. However, topical treatments must be used repeatedly to remain effective and are often not able to maintain remission of an outbreak. Dithranol is a topical therapy which has been used often to treat psoriasis. It can be effective for mild to moderate psoriasis and is often…
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Treatments, Causes, and Symptoms for Psorasis
Treatment Choices for Psoriasis
There are three main treatment categories for the skin condition, psoriasis. Doctors typically will prescribe medications (oral, topical), Photo therapy (light therapy), or if other treatments fail to bring relief they may turn to systemic treatments. Medications and other topical preparations: Topical medications are applied directly to the skin’s surface. In the event you are going to apply moisturizer too, then you need to wait until your topical medication has dried first, before applying the moisturizer. Most doctors have noted that their patients do well with sunlight, steroid ointments, topical medications made from vitamin D3, coal tar and also anthralin. They may also recommend to their patients to try using bath solutions and moisturizers as these provide some soothing relief. Regular, short doses of sunlight without burning the skin is beneficial in clearing up psoriasis. It is not recommended however for those patients which are undergoing ultraviolet light treatments or when using certain topical treatments that can react to sunlight, such as coal tar because it makes skin sensitive to the sun’s rays. Corticosteroids such as cortisone is applied to the skin twice a day and come in different strengths. This really is usually a short-term treatment. Coal tar is applied directly on the skin, used in a bath, or used, as a shampoo is the psoriasis is on the scalp. It also is available in different strengths. If used with steroids it tends to have fewer side effects to ultraviolet light (UV). Coal tar tends to be messy and…
Scalp Psoriasis and Psoriasis: Are Are They The Same
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease in which skin cells replicate at an extremely rapid rate. New skin cells are produced about eight times faster than normal which causes cells to build up on the skin’s surface. This causes thick patches or plaques to form causing red sores covered with flaky, silvery-white dead skin cells. Psoriasis at its mildest can easily be itchy and sore, but at its worst it is painful, debilitating, disfiguring. Psoriasis can affect people at any age, but it most often strikes those between the ages of 15 and 35. There are five forms of psoriasis, all of which occur most frequently on the scalp, among other places including the elbows, knees, back, face, palms, and soles of the feet. Psoriasis may also affect the fingernails and toenails, causing pitting, discoloration, or tissue buildup around the nails. Scalp psoriasis is a skin disease that may cause itchy, red skin with silvery or powdery dry scales. It can range from mild, with only light scaling to severe, with thick and crusted scales covering the entire scalp. Scalp psoriasis can appear in small patches on the scalp or move down along the hairline from the forehead to the back of the neck. It can also appear around the ears. Psoriasis often first appears when a person is between the ages of 15 and 35 years of age. Psoriasis is not contagious or life threatening, but it can be uncomfortable and make the sufferer feel self conscious about their…