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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
DiagnosisYour health care provider will ask questions about your health and examine your skin, scalp and nails. Your health care provider then might take a small sample of skin (biopsy) for examination under a microscope. This helps determine the type of psoriasis and rule out other disorders. TreatmentPsoriasis treatments aim to stop skin cells from growing so quickly and to remove scales. Options include creams and ointments (topical therapy), light therapy (phototherapy), and oral or injected medications.Which treatments you use depends on how severe the psoriasis is and how responsive it has been to previous treatment and self-care measures. You might need to try different drugs or a combination of treatments before you find an approach that works. Even with successful treatment, usually the disease returns. Topical therapy Corticosteroids. These drugs are the most frequently prescribed medications for treating mild to moderate psoriasis. They are available as oils, ointments, creams, lotions, gels, foams, sprays and shampoos. Mild corticosteroid ointments (hydrocortisone) are usually recommended for sensitive areas, such as the face or skin folds, and for treating widespread patches. Topical corticosteroids might be applied once a day during flares, and on alternate days or weekends during remission. Your health care provider may prescribe a stronger corticosteroid cream or ointment — triamcinolone (Trianex) or clobetasol (Cormax, Temovate, others) — for smaller, less-sensitive or tougher-to-treat areas. Long-term use or overuse of strong corticosteroids can thin the skin. Over time, topical corticosteroids may stop working. Vitamin D analogues. Synthetic forms of vitamin D — such as calcipotriene (Dovonex, Sorilux) and calcitriol (Vectical) — slow skin cell growth. This type of drug may be used alone or with topical corticosteroids. Calcitriol may cause less irritation in sensitive areas. Calcipotriene and calcitriol are usually more expensive than topical corticosteroids. Retinoids. Tazarotene (Tazorac, Avage, others) is available as a gel or cream. It's applied once or twice daily. The most common side effects are skin irritation and increased sensitivity to light. Tazarotene isn't recommended when you're pregnant or breastfeeding or if you intend to become pregnant. Calcineurin inhibitors. Calcineurin inhibitors — such as tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus
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