How to Treat PsoriasisPsoriasis Treatments: How To Get Rid of Psoriasis

There’s no cure for psoriasis. But treatment can help you feel better. You may need topical, oral, or body-wide (systemic) treatments.

Treatment for Psoriatic Disease

There are two main types of psoriatic disease: psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Living with either disease can be painful and sometimes embarrassing, but the right treatments can greatly improve symptoms.

Choosing a Treatment for Psoriasis

There isn't a cure for psoriasis, and there isn't a perfect treatment either. Before treatment, you should make sure that your doctor is comfortable prescribing systemic and biologic medications when they're necessary.

Solutions for Mild Psoriasis

Mild to moderate psoriasis means that the red, scaly patches ("plaques") cover less than 10% of your body. But just because your psoriasis is called "mild" doesn't mean it's easy to live with.

Treating Moderate to Severe Psoriasis

Moderate to severe psoriasis describes how much of your body is covered in red, scaly psoriasis patches. Moderate psoriasis covers 3% to 10% of your body. Severe psoriasis covers more than 10% of your body or is on sensitive areas like your face, palms, soles, or skin folds.

What to Ask Your Doctor About Severe Psoriasis Meds

Many people with mild psoriasis can control their symptoms with mild treatments, like skin creams and light therapy. But if you have severe psoriasis, your doctor may recommend you take medication.

Side Effects of Psoriasis Treatments

Treatments for psoriasis include topical treatments you put on your skin, light therapy, pills, shots, and infusions. Each comes with its own possible side effects.

Manage the Side Effects of Joint and Skin Treatments

How do you deal with side effects from your treatments for psoriasis? Medications or natural treatments for your skin plaques may cause side effects that you might not expect.

Psoriasis Treatment When You Have Other Conditions

People who have psoriasis seem likely to have other conditions linked to inflammation like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and metabolic syndrome.

Are You Satisfied With Your Psoriasis Treatment?

Your doctor won’t know psoriasis is a problem for you unless you speak up. Psoriasis isn’t curable, but chances are good that there’s a psoriasis treatment you and your doctor haven’t tried.

Why You May Need to Switch Your Psoriasis Treatment

As with many autoimmune diseases, finding the right treatment for psoriasis can take time and trial and error. Even therapies that helped you once may stop working.

The Cost of Psoriasis

One study tallied the average lifetime cost to treat psoriasis symptoms and related emotional health at $11,498. And that price tag likely doesn’t include biologics, one of the most expensive treatments for severe psoriasis.

The Latest in Psoriasis Treatment

Research on psoriasis touches every aspect of the disease, including the role of nutrition, weight loss, the body’s microbiome, and treatments.

Topical TreatmentCoal Tar and Psoriasis

If you have psoriasis, there are many over-the-counter (OTC) topical treatments you can use to find relief. They come in many different options, like lotions, foams, bath solutions, and shampoos. One common ingredient is coal tar.

Topical Retinoids for Psoriasis

Topical retinoids are a group of vitamin A-based medications for various skin diseases and problems.

Topical Corticosteroids for Psoriasis

If you're trying to fight off the itchy patches that come with psoriasis, you're probably no stranger to creams, gels, and ointments. One of the strongest weapons in your arsenal is a topical corticosteroid.

Steroid Cream Withdrawal

Steroid cream withdrawal is a side effect of stopping topical steroids. But taking too much or stopping the steroids too quickly can cause rebound symptoms like burning, redness, and itchy skin.

Vitamin D Analogues for Psoriasis

If you have mild or moderate psoriasis, your doctor may mention vitamin D analogue as a possible treatment option.

Goeckerman Therapy for Psoriasis

Goeckerman therapy is a well-established, very effective treatment for a certain type of psoriasis known as plaque psoriasis.

Treating Psoriasis Cracks and Bleeding

When you have psoriasis, you have patches of thick red skin. In severe cases, they can split open. This causes deep cracks, or “fissures.” There are ways you can ease the pain and treat the bleeding.

How to Ease Psoriasis Pain

Psoriasis can make your skin crawl. It itches. It burns. It hurts. So when a flare turns painful, you want relief -- ASAP.

Itch Relief for Psoriasis

If you have psoriasis, you probably know what it’s like to live with a constant urge to scratch. As many as 9 out of 10 people with this autoimmune condition get an itchy or burning feeling on their skin.

Systemic TreatmentOther Medications for Psoriasis

If you have moderate to severe psoriasis, your doctor may suggest a systemic drug -- medicine that affects your whole body.

Does XTRAC Laser Therapy Work for Psoriasis?

Excimer laser therapy is one type of treatment that helps get rid of the red patches by exposing them to targeted ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. The brand name of this treatment is XTRAC laser therapy.

Light Therapy for Your Skin

If the medicine you put on your skin isn't doing all that it needs to, your doctor may suggest adding phototherapy to your psoriasis treatment.

Immunomodulators for Psoriasis

Immunomodulators work systemically, or throughout your body, to change your immune response. They are also known as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

Methotrexate for Psoriasis

Methotrexate is a strong drug that could help clear up your psoriasis. It’s part of a class of medications called antimetabolites that stop cells from dividing and slow their growth.

PDE-4 Inhibitors for Psoriasis

Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4) inhibitors are specialty drugs doctors prescribe to treat mild to severe plaque psoriasis.

When Should You Consider a Biologic?

If your symptoms are severe and therapies you’ve tried haven’t given you enough relief, it may be time to check into biologics.

Combination Treatment for Severe Psoriasis

Combination therapy -- using two different psoriasis treatments at the same time -- can work very well for severe conditions.

What Are Psoralens?

Psoralens are medicines made from plants. They make your skin more sensitive to light. Methoxsalen is the most common psoralen drug.

Complementary & Alternative TreatmentAlternative Ways to Treat Psoriasis

When you have psoriasis, you have many options for treating it. Along with medications, you have some simple alternatives you can try to help fight flares and ease your symptoms.

Home Remedies for Psoriasis

If you have psoriasis, you may have noticed certain changes, like stress and cold temperatures worsening your skin. Managing these triggers can help keep your symptoms under control.

Does Ayurvedic Treatment Work for Psoriasis?

Some ayurvedic practices, like eating veggies and drinking plenty of water, are healthy for almost everyone. Others, like bloodletting, could be unsafe in the wrong hands.

Laser Treatment for Psoriasis

There is another option for treating psoriasis: excimer lasers, which deliver ultraviolet light to localized areas of the skin.

Is Tanning a Treatment for Psoriasis?

If you have psoriasis, you've probably heard that ultraviolet (UV) light from phototherapy can help make it better. Should you try tanning to get the same benefit? Not so fast, doctors warn.

Climatotherapy for Psoriasis

Also called climate therapy, this means traveling to a place with an environment that might help you.

Psoriasis Baths Dos and Don'ts

Though baths can’t cure your psoriasis, they're a good way to relax. They might help ease stress that can trigger a flare. They can also soften your scales and add water to your skin.

Can Coconut Oil Help Psoriasis Symptoms?

If you're looking for a natural remedy to add to your psoriasis treatment plan, coconut oil gets a lot of buzz.

Can Goat’s Milk Help With Your Psoriasis?

You may have heard that soap or lotion made with goat's milk can ease psoriasis symptoms. There's no clear scientific evidence that either helps with psoriasis.

Does Witch Hazel Help for Psoriasis?

A number of common household products are touted as home remedies for psoriasis, and one of them witch hazel. But can it actually do anything to help psoriasis?

Can Listerine Relieve Psoriasis Patches?

Some people think the ingredients in Listerine specifically, not any antiseptic mouthwash, can help with psoriasis patches. Does it help with the itchy and sore patches that come with psoriasis?

Vitamins & Supplements for Psoriasis

Vitamins and supplements are often a staple complementary therapy. Of course, you should talk with your dermatologist before you take any vitamin or supplement for your psoriasis.

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