Treatment-for-Psoriasis.com

Scratching the Itch

"I am just newly diagnosed and had no clue this itching could be so severe," aPsoriasis Foundation member wrote recently. No question, itching is one of the most vexing aspects of psoriasis. It can disrupt sleep and cause people to scratch incessantly, providing brief relief at best. 

Many people with psoriasis are painfully aware that scratching can make itching worse, irritate the skin and even trigger the Koebner phenomenon, in which psoriasis lesions develop at the site of a skin trauma. 

The most common recommendation to control itch associated with psoriasis is to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. 

Keep your skin lubricated and follow these tips to curb the urge to scratch. 

Moisturizers contain ingredients that bind water to the skin and trap it there. Best choices are heavy, oil-based products that will keep moisture in the skin. Experts say greasier ointments work well because they contain less water and more water-retaining agents, but can stain clothes or bedding. Heavy creams also trap moisture, while lotions may be too lightweight to be long-lasting.

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Avoid products that contain alcohol or any alcohol variation, which actually cause skin to dry out.

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Apply moisturizers right after a bath to keep skin hydrated. Pat yourself dry, then immediately slather on the moisturizer.

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Moisturizers don't have to be expensive. Psoriasis patients have reported great results with Vaseline and other petroleum jellies; olive, coconut and other oils; and even vegetable shortening.

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Simply pressing a cold compress against the itchy spot for a few minutes can bring relief.

Other methods that may relieve itch include taking warm, not hot, baths or showers; using antihistamines, steroids, capsaicin (derived from chili peppers), topical anesthetics or over-the-counter anti-itch products. Talk to your doctor about prescription treatments that may help with itching, as well as any alternative treatments you may be considering using. 

(GCS) GotClearSkin.com

Kim Kardashian has psoriasis

July 22,2011

In a video on the "Keeping up with the Kardashians" website, star Kim Kardashian reveals she has psoriasis. In Kardashians: Don't be rash, Kardashian talks with dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer about the "rash" on her body, which, her sister Khloe Kardashian, says is ringworm. Dr. Lancer examines the spots on her legs and tells Kardashian she has psoriasis—a chronic, genetic disease of the immune system that appears on the skin, often as red, scaly patches that itch and bleed.

Psoriasis is often misdiagnosed as a rash, ringworm or other skin irritation, such as eczema. However, psoriasis is the most common autoimmune disease in the country, affecting as many as 7.5 million Americans, including Kim Kardashian. Psoriasis occurs when the immune system sends out faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle of skin cells. Psoriasis is not contagious.

Like many celebrities with psoriasis, Kardashian is shocked and worried about the diagnosis because she faces so much scrutiny about her appearance. She even asks Dr. Lancer if it will appear on her face. Psoriasis most commonly occurs on the scalp, knees, elbows and torso, but it can develop anywhere. It very infrequently appears on the face.

"I'd heard of psoriasis before because my mom has always had it, but she didn't have red flaky dots all over her," says Kim, 30, about her psoriasis. There are five types of psoriasis: plaque, guttate, inverse, pustular and erythrodermic. Nearly 80 percent of people with the disease have plaque psoriasis—the most common form—which appears as red, raised patches.

Mom Kris Jenner was also diagnosed with psoriasis at age 30. The disease most frequently occurs between the ages of 15 and 35, but can appear at any time. While the exact cause of psoriasis is unknown, it is known that genetics and the immune system play a large role in developing the disease.

Kim appears equally shocked to learn there is no cure for psoriasis. Although the disease cannot be cured, a variety of treatments ranging from topical (on the skin) to systemic (throughout the body) can clear psoriasis, often for long periods of time.

Like millions of other Americans with psoriasis, Kim Kardashian is at increased risk for other serious health conditions associated with the disease, including heart disease, heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and depression. Up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis, which causes painful swelling of the joints.

Dr. Lancer recommends that Kardashian try slowing down her lifestyle, as stress is a known trigger of psoriasis. Other triggers include external lifestyle factors, certain medications and injury to the skin, such as a cut or scrape. However, what triggers one person's psoriasis may not make it appear on someone else.

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Essential Oils For Eczema

Oils are excellent for eczema patients as they replenish the skin with the natural moisture it both needs and craves. The best form of oil for eczema is an emollient. Emollient oil can be used in the bathtub to form a skin of natural moisture for the skin. This helps skin from being dry, scratchy, inflamed and terribly uncomfortable.

Always apply a liberal amount of emollient oil under running water when you take a bath. Bear in mind that you cannot “overdo” your use of an oil, however common sense should always dictate your behavior. Emollient oils do not have any “active chemicals or drugs” in them therefore you are getting only the most natural of ingredients that will help skin from the outside in. Of course it is a good idea to always carefully read labels and experiment with different oils and see which suits you better.

Some people like to go with one type of oil when their eczema is at its worse and then switch to another when their condition is more manageable. The important thing is to never ease up on your use of moisturizing oils, regardless of the state of your condition. A committed regimen of moisturizing your skin is the single best way to keep eczema flare-ups from hindering your day-to-day life. However never tug or pull on the skin when you are cleansing or moisturizing it and this can cause damage to the sensitive layers of the skin and in some cases can encourage itching to start.

One of the mildest oils around is Emu oil. Emu oil has received the illustrious honor of being dubbed “one of the most effective emollients in nature.” Emu oil is excellent for both moisturizing eczema prone skin as well as cutting down on the redness and swelling that often accompany this skin problem. Emu oil is hypoallergenic as well as non-comedogenic (which means it will not clog pores) and it contains a healthy mixture of both skin softening agents as well as natural antioxidants. Emu oil absorbs quickly into the skin of eczema sufferers and it leaves no oily residue behind whatsoever. It also helps to cut down on the flakiness involved with eczema skin and it provides long-lasting relief. Emu oil is antibacterial and using it frequently helps tremendously in decreasing the chance that any viral or bacterial infections will invade the skin. 

Emu oil encourages the rapid healing of skin as well as the regeneration of cells. Cuts and cracks in the skin are effortlessly repaired back to their normal condition as quickly as possible and there is often a minimal amount of scarring involved. The level of discomfort that eczema sufferers often experience in terms of dry, flaky, tight, sore, red and inflamed skin is greatly reduced when Emu oil is consistently applied to the skin. This topical preparation can be used both when the patient is suffering a flare-up as well as for protection from problems when eczema is at a controllable level. Always keep moisturizing oils at the top of your priority list for eczema skin.

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Natural Solutions For Eczema

Chemcials and medications aren't the only way to treat eczema. Here are some great natural solutions for eczema that will have your skin smooth and healed in no time - naturally.

No one understands an itch like a person who suffers from eczema. There are many products available from a grocery store or pharmacy that you can purchase to help relieve the stinging itch of eczema. As well there are stronger products that will fight the eczema itch but these cannot be obtained without a doctor’s prescription. The good news in all of this is that there are many natural remedies that can be made right at home or purchased from an alternative health store that can bring you some relief. Let’s take a closer look at some of these natural alternatives for that awful (ouch!) itch.

First of all remember that eczema is less likely to flare up and be intolerably itchy if you keep it well hydrated. This means moisturize your skin faithfully twice a day, morning and night, and more often if you feel the need is there. The best type of moisturizer for an eczema sufferer is an emollient. An emollient is simply a moisturizer that is oilier in its consistency than a regular moisturizing cream or lotion. Emollient can also come in the form of emollient oils that can be added to a bath or applied to the body while you are in the shower. In the summertime store your emollient in the refrigerator so it is extremely cooling to the skin when you put it on.  

One natural remedy to use in the bathtub that is very soothing to itchy skin is to soak in an oatmeal bath. It may sound strange but oatmeal is excellent for calming inflamed skin that you just want to scratch off your body. You can simply buy porridge oats from the grocery store (such as Quaker Oats) and add them to a lukewarm bath. A cup or two should be fine. The itchier you are the more water and oats you should add. If you don’t want to make your own oatmeal bath, Aveeno sells one that is excellent for managing that eczema itch.

Try a natural remedy skin wash to control the itch of eczema. Mix these ingredients together in a bowl- one-teaspoon of comfrey root, one-teaspoon of white oak bark, one-teaspoon of slippery elm bark and two cups of water. Then boil the concoction for thirty-five minutes, allow it to cool and then wash the affected areas of your skin with it. While it might not completely get rid of the itch it should go along way in improving it.

Lotions that are made out of blueberry leaves are very good at relieving the inflammation of eczema and at improving the irritation that accompanies itching. Taking zinc pills orally as well as applying them directly to your itchy skin should help a lot, as should taking shark cartilage tablets or capsules on a regular basis. Vitamin E has been proven to be one of the best vitamins for fighting eczema itch, as it is very soothing to the affected area. However always read labels carefully and never buy synthetic vitamin E and the body cannot process the artificial form. In order to know the difference on labels, synthetic vitamin E always has a “dl” instead of a “d” before its description. For example, synthetic vitamin E would look like this: dl-alpha tocopherol while genuine vitamin E would look like this: d-alpha tocopherol.

 

Wrap Therapy For Eczema

A wet wrap therapy treatment can be great way to reduce or eliminate the painful skin irritations that are caused by eczema. Learn more bout this type of wrap therapy for eczema.

When nothing else seems to bring relief and your eczema prone skin is red, swollen, terribly itchy and cracked then perhaps it is time to discuss wet-wrap therapy as a source of relief with your doctor. Research into this kind of therapy has proven that it does indeed bring relief as well as soothe and re-moisturize the sore skin. One study that looked at the effectiveness of wet wraps on children suffering from severe atopic dermatitis yielded successful results. In the span of one week a seventy-four percent decrease was found in itching habits of the children. As well they were also able to experience more fitful sleeps. Even after the two week wet-wrap therapy ended, improvements continued to be noted. This kind of therapy has also shown significant improvement in those suffering from moderate to severe hand dermatitis.

Wet wraps make use of wet bandages that are “wrapped” as the name suggests, around the sore skin. In order to prepare for the wet wrap, the eczema sufferer must first soak in a bath that includes an emollient oil. After the bath is completed, moisturizer is used on the skin. In cases where the eczema is severe, meds such as steroid or anti-itch creams can be applied to the affected skin. The bandages used in the wet-wrap therapy are made wet by allowing them to soak in either a special moisturizer or warm water. After they are significantly wet, the bandages are wrapped carefully on the area of the body suffering from eczema.  A wet wrap can be used on every spot of the body where there is eczema and this includes the sufferer’s face. In order to keep the moisture in even more, dry bandages are put over the wet bandages.

There are a number of advantages to wet-wrap therapy. These include the rehydration of the damaged skin, more fitful night’s sleeps, less severe itching less often, a decreased incidence of redness and swelling and a lesser chance that the staph (staphylolcoccus aureus) bacteria which is on the skin in small quantities will develop into an infection.  

Wet-wrap therapy however does have its negative side. It can take a great deal of time to do from start to finish and children often have a hard time sitting still t for the entire procedure. As well many children and adults alike find it difficult to be wrapped in wet bandages and cannot sit for a long enough period of time to allow the wet wraps to do their job. Sometimes moistened pajamas or another piece of clothing is used to treat babies or children in place of bandages. It is essential to always make sure that the temperature in the room where the wet-wrap therapy is taking place is such that the patient will not get cold.

Wet-wrap therapy is done over the span of a week or two, and generally no more. It is important to hydrate the skin a number of times throughout the day with an appropriate moisturizer after the wet wrap have been completed. Also other methods for decreasing flare-ups must continue to be utilized, such as avoiding allergens and irritants as well as using steroid creams or other forms of medications. 

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Non-steroidal prescription topical treatments

Source: http://www.Psoriasis.org

 

 

Mild psoriasis: non-steroidal prescription topical treatments

Prescription "topicals"—medications applied to the skin—are usually the first line of defense in treating psoriasis. Prescription topicals slow down or normalize excessive cell growth and reduce inflammation associated with psoriasis. They may or may not include steroids.

Many psoriasis treatments require special precautions before and during pregnancy. It is important to consult with your doctor to verify your psoriasis treatments are safe for pregnancy and nursing.

Dovonex (calcipotriene)

Calcipotriene is a form of synthetic vitamin D3 that is formulated to slow skin cell growth, flatten lesions and remove scale. It also can be used to treat psoriasis on the scalp and nails.

The most common side effect of calcipotriene is skin irritation, stinging and burning. Less common side effects include dry skin, peeling, rash, dermatitis and worsening of psoriasis.

Taclonex (calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate)

Calcipotriene combined with the steroid betamethasone dipropionate, slows skin cell growth, flattens lesions, removes scale and reduces itch and inflammation. Taclonex should not be applied to the face, armpits, groin or other skin folds, because of the sensitivity of skin on these parts of the body.

Common side effects include itching, rash, skin thinning and burning. Less common side effects include redness of the skin, folliculitis, skin irritation, worsening of psoriasis, skin color changes and swollen fine blood vessels at the application site.

Tazorec (tazarotene)

Tazarotene is a vitamin A derivative, topical retinoid used to slow skin cell growth. It is normal for psoriasis plaques to become very red before clearing when using tazarotene. The redness is often intense in color, but it is generally not painful. 

The most common side effects are skin irritation and dry skin and increased susceptibility to sunburn. Use a sunscreen and wear sun-protective clothing when using tazarotene. If you experience discomfort, burning, itching or stinging, check with your doctor.

Vectical (calcitriol)

Calcitriol is a naturally occurring active form of Vitamin D3.  It has shown in studies to help control excessive skin cell production.  Calcitriol can be applied to most places on the body except for the face, lips and eyes.

 

The most common side effects are excessive calcium in urine, itching and skin discomfort.  There is an increased chance of skin tumors due to sensitivity to light.  A less common side effect is that changes in the limits of calcium metabolism may occur.  However, this side effect is extremely uncommon. Treatment should be stopped until the levels of calcium return to normal.

Zithranol-RR (anthralin)

Anthralin is the synthetic substitute for chrysarobin, a substance found in Goa powder made from the bark of the South American araroba tree. Anthralin is used to reduce the rapid growth of skin cells associated with plaque psoriasis. 

There are no known long-term side effects to using anthralin. It may cause skin irritation and can stain light-colored hair as well as unaffected skin, clothing and bed linens.

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What is the difference between eczema and psoriasis?

If you're confused about the difference between psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis, I'm not surprised. Even dermatologists sometimes have trouble identifying these skin problems. Actually, both eczema and psoriasis are types of dermatitis, which simply means "inflammation of the skin." Eczema is considered more of a symptom than an actual disease, and is best treated by dealing with the underlying cause. Psoriasis can be controlled by prescription drugs, but these are hard on the liver and therefore must be carefully administered, especially considering that impaired liver function is thought to contribute to psoriasis. 

Most types of dermatitis result in inflamed, red skin that is often itchy and may develop into lesions. Eczema can include crusty sores, scabs, thickened skin, pimple like eruptions and some-times even lesions. The skin can be either oozing or crusty and easily becomes infected. Psoriasis produces reddish lesions with a characteristic silvery scaling that flakes off, causing the skin underneath to bleed. These scales are actually excess skin generated when certain substances in the body that are responsible for directing skin cell growth go out of control and make the cells grow too quickly-sometimes 1,000 times faster than the normal rate of growth. 

The exact cause of these skin conditions is often difficult to determine. We do know that you are more prone to get them if you have thin, dry skin. According to researchers, dermatitis is often caused by allergies and sensitivities to particular foods. Eliminating the foods most likely to cause allergies often decreases eczema. 

Most people with eczema test positive to some type of allergy, have elevated levels of antibodies in their blood (a sign of an allergic reaction) and often do not have enough stomach acid, a common cause of food sensitivities. People with psoriasis usually have high levels of polyamine, an undesirable, toxic type of amino acid that is formed during poor protein digestion, another cause of food sensitivities.

To combat psoriasis and eczema, first try the Cleanser for Dry Complexion. Do not use soap (unless it is made for eczema or psoriasis, there is a Repcillin soap now available in the US and worldwide), because it can irritate your skin. Another natural way to treat psoriasis is by exposure to direct sunlight and heat. Secondary skin infections, which often occur with eczema, need to be treated with natural products like Repcillin from Africa. Repcillin contains Crocodile Fat which in turn contains peptides that not only heal the skin but also sooth the itching, stopping you from scratching the infected area. 
After washing the area with the soap, apply the skin balm on within 3 minutes of drying the skin, the secret is to trap the moisture in the skin after washing.

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Psoriasis severity

Source: NPF | Psoriasis.org

Psoriasis severity

Psoriasis can be mild, moderate or severe.

People with psoriasis on less than two percent of their body are considered to have a mild case. Those with three to 10 percent of the body affected by psoriasis are considered a moderate case. More than 10 percent is considered severe. (The palm of the hand equals about one percent of the skin.)

About four out of five people with psoriasis have what is considered mild psoriasis, and about one out of five have moderate to severe psoriasis. These categories are useful for selecting which treatments may be most appropriate for each individual.

However, the severity of psoriasis is also measured by how psoriasis affects a person's quality of life. For example, psoriasis can have a serious impact on one’s daily activities even if it involves a small area, such as the palms of the hands or soles of the feet.

Generally, for those people who have mild psoriasis—isolated patches on the knees, elbows, scalp and hands and feet—topical treatments, including moisturizers, and over-the-counter and prescription creams, ointments and shampoos are usually sufficient to control the plaques.
 
Many successful psoriasis alternative therapies are also available and widely used with beneficial effects by people with mild psoriasis. Find out as much as you can about all the options available to you, and then learn what works best for your own mild psoriasis.

Treating moderate to severe psoriasis usually involves a combination of treatment strategies. Besides topical treatments, your doctor may prescribe phototherapy (also known as light therapy) and/or systemic medications, including biologic drugs. Phototherapy involves regularly exposing the skin to light, and systemic medications are prescription drugs administered orally or by injection that work throughout the body.

 

What is Eczema?

What Exactly is Eczema?

Eczema (also known as dermatitis) is a skin condition that affects both men and women. Age also doesn't seem to make a difference, since this skin condition appears in anyone from babies to the elderly. About one fifth of all children suffer from eczema and about one in every twelve adults has eczema. Eczema can range from mild to severe. Mild eczema symptoms include red, dry and itchy skin. In moderate to severe cases it can be very inflamed, very itchy, cracked, crusty, scaly, raw, and in more severe cases you may also see bleeding or clear fluid leaking - this is also known as wet eczema.

What Causes Eczema? 

Eczema is not caused by any one thing. The causes are many and it is not the same for all individuals. There are allergenic forms of eczema and non-allergenic forms. The most widespread form of eczema is atopic eczema and this type is believed to have a hereditary condition and to be connected with sensitivity to allergens that don’t bother people in the general population. Plenty of people with atopic dermatitis also suffer from other allergy related problems such as hay fever and asthma. Other types of eczema are believed to be connected to irritants such as harsh detergents, chemicals, dust, sand, cigarette smoke, scratchy natural material such as wool, nickel, etc.

What Are The Different Types Of Eczema?

There are a number of types of eczema. There is atopic eczema (the most common type), allergic contact dermatitis, irritant contact dermatitis, infantile seborrhoeic eczema (cradle cap), adult seborrhoeic eczema (such as dandruff that can spread to other areas of the body, most commonly seen in adults between the age of twenty and forty), varicose eczema (found in elderly people) and discoid eczema (tends to appear in middle age).
 
It is necessary to visit your doctor in order for him or her to come up with a proper diagnosis of your condition. This might you to have to undergo a series of tests.

Is There An Eczema Cure?

Presently there is no cure for eczema. Instead the focus is on finding ways to manage or control how often the eczema flares up.

Treatment Options For Eczema?

There are a variety of ways that eczema can be kept under control. Your doctor will help you determine based on the severity of your condition which type of treatment is best for you. Currently the treatment options for eczema include emollients to help lock in moisture to the skin, topical steroid creams, oral steroids (these are not the kind that athletes take), topical immunomodulators, antihistamines, ultraviolet light treatment and a variety of alternative health therapies such as allergy testing, aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), chiropractic and homeopathy.

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UV Treatment For Eczema

Research into UV (ultraviolet radiation) phototherapy has yielded positive results for those who suffer from eczema (in particular atopic dermatitis). Phototherapy has also been used successfully to treat seborrhoeic eczema and psoriasis. An eczema patient is exposed to the UV phototherapy for a predetermined length of time. UV phototherapy is not the treatment option for everyone. Children are generally not administered it and either are those who have a sun-induced reaction or those whose eczema gets worse when it is exposed to a substantial amount of the sun’s rays. When phototherapy is put into play it is usually only one part of the overall therapy. Other aspects of the therapy include topical medications and lifestyle adjustments (such as diet, exercise, less contact with irritants, etc.).

There are two types of phototherapy that are used. These include UV light therapy and psoralen plus UVA exposure (also known as chemophototherapy or PUVA). UV light therapy can be used by itself or with a topical substance, usually coal tar. In this case ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) are used or a combination of UVA and UVB is taken advantage of. Protective goggles must be worn during the light therapy which usually takes place at a doctor or dermatologist’s office. The eczema skin of the patient is exposed to the ultraviolet light under a controlled set of circumstances. The doctor carefully monitors the entire procedure.

UVB phototherapy is broken down into broadband and narrowband. Broadband is the oldest therapy of the two, having been in use for over a period of eighty years. Broadband has a high success rate but is very time consuming. The eczema patient must go for treatments three to five times a week. Another major disadvantage is that the light of broadband is not able to reach any skin folds on the body or the scalp either. Narrowband is a newer, more modern form of therapy that only requires patients to commit to two to three treatments per week. It is called “narrowband” because the UVB wavelengths it gives off are indeed narrower. So far narrowband is showing to have an even higher success rate than broadband. Unfortunately, if not done properly or if left on the skin too long, narrowband can cause terrible burns on the skin. It is not known yet if either of these light therapies could contribute to a greater likelihood of developing skin cancer in the future.   

PUVA demands that an eczema sufferer either consume, bathe in or have topically applied to the skin a substance known as psoralen. Psoralen must be administered before the patient’s skin is exposed to the rays of the UVA. Psoralen prepares the skin for the rays and makes it more malleable and sensitive to the correct response. After each individual treatment a patient is required to wear sunglasses that block UVA rays for the remainder of the day. The reason for this is that psoralen stays in the eyes for a few hours afterwards. Unfortunately PUVA has a number of adverse side effects including the potential for fatigue, headaches, nausea, itching, the chance that skin could get burnt and also skin pigmentation can become irregular. POUVA is only used on patients whom doctors are convinced it will be successful on. PUVA therapy generally takes up to a period of six months and often works at its maximum best when it is done in combination with topical preparations such as corticosteroids

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Dr. Crowley : Board-Certified Dermatologist - Management of Psoriasis

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Meet Dr Crowley

I’m Jeffrey Crowley. I’m a board-certified dermatologist in private practice in Bakersfield, California. I’ve been involved in the treatment of psoriasis patients for many, many years.

Diagnosing psoriasis

To establish a diagnosis of psoriasis, we examine the entire patient’s skin. That includes the scalp and the entire body. Psoriasis can sometimes hide in certain places, like, people can have it just on the scalp or just on the hands or just on the feet. Sometimes psoriasis can even involve areas that aren’t seen... in the underarm or in the groin area.

So we generally examine the entire skin, but before we examine the skin, we talk to the patient, and it’s important to understand what they’re concerned about. Are there rashes that they’re concerned about? What has been going on with their skin? Do they have itching? Do they have a family history of psoriasis? Do they have any symptoms of arthritis? And that’s very important. Are they having some morning stiffness in their hands? Are they having back problems? Problems in their joints? And so, really, it’s a very comprehensive exam in terms of, determining whether a patient has psoriasis, and then what type of psoriasis and how severe the psoriasis is. And then, of course, how much the psoriasis is affecting the patient’s daily activities and life.

Importance of seeing a dermatologist

So in our healthcare system now, you often have to see a primary care provider, whether that’s a physician, a physician’s assistant, or a nurse practitioner. And that may be the first place that you seek care for your skin. And that may be all you need, you know, if you just need a topical treatment. But it really is important to get an expert opinion, and an expert opinion comes from a dermatologist, and especially a dermatologist that’s interested and treats a lot of patients with psoriasis.

Preparing for your dermatologist appointment

When you go and see your dermatologist—when you set your appointment—that is your time, and you need to really set the agenda for what you want to get out of that visit with your doctor. And I would recommend really making a list. What are your concerns for your psoriasis? What are the issues that you’re concerned about? What do you want to achieve with your psoriasis? Are there certain areas that you’re more concerned with? Do you have joint involvement? Do you have arthritis? Those are all things that you want to address with the dermatologist because the dermatology practice is very busy, just like all doctors are—just like we all are—and so they may not address all your issues without you specifically asking the questions. So I recommend being prepared for your visit, especially your initial visit with your dermatologist.

Doing some research on your own, I think, is an outstanding idea. The National Psoriasis Foundation has an excellent Web site, which can provide you with background information. There are other Web sites that are available as well, which can give you information on psoriasis. They can tell you not only the types of psoriasis, but the different types of treatments available, too, and if you are armed with that knowledge going into the appointment, you’re going to get a lot more out of that visit.

Sharing all the ways psoriasis affects you

So psoriasis can affect you both in terms of how you look and how your skin feels—itch, things like that—discomfort, trouble sitting… all sorts of different physical symptoms can occur with psoriasis. And then, of course, there’s the emotional aspects of psoriasis, and this really varies dramatically by patients, and some patients with even fairly small amounts of disease may be very troubled emotionally by their psoriasis. I have patients who basically are recluses in their home. Now we have treatments that can help these people, and we’d like to see more of those patients in our practices and be able to help them.

Don’t be afraid to tell the doctor what is bothering you. Don’t hold back, you know, if the psoriasis is keeping you from having the social life that you want, keeping you from doing the things that you want to do, the fact that you can’t wear shorts because you have these ugly plaques on your legs—those are the kind of things you need to communicate with your doctor. You need to tell him the emotional toll that it’s taking on you. Is it affecting other people in the family as well? Is this affecting relationships? Those are all important things to convey.

Psoriasis treatment options

There are a wide range of treatments for psoriasis, and more than one treatment may be appropriate for you. There’s phototherapy, which is usually done in-office, but sometimes can be done at home with a home phototherapy unit. This can be very effective, even for fairly widespread psoriasis. There are topical therapies. These usually work better for patients with smaller amounts of disease because it’s very difficult to put topical medications on large areas of your skin.

And then there are more systemic-type therapies; there are therapies that have pills that you can take, such as methotrexate and cyclosporine, which have been used for psoriasis for many years. And then we have the biologic therapies, and there’s a whole host of different agents available.

Finding the treatment that’s right for you

One of the most important things that I look at every time a patient comes in the office—are they happy with their current treatment, and that is the most important question. Are you happy with how things are going? And this is, of course, on a follow-up visit. You know, sit down, how is it going? How is the current treatment going? And if it’s not going well, if there’s not a good degree of satisfaction, then something else should be done, and at that point, we discuss the options. That may include changing to another medication.

If you have a question about how to use your medication, if you didn’t understand what the dermatologist was telling you or they didn’t even communicate it to you effectively, you need to ask. You need to call, you need to ask.

Taking control

You may be very frustrated with the attempts you’ve made to improve your psoriasis, with the treatments that you’ve tried, with the healthcare professionals that you’ve seen. You need to know that there are other options, and that you haven’t had every treatment available. And you need to find someone—a healthcare provider, preferably a dermatologist—who you can work with to make your psoriasis better.

So if you’re sitting there at home and you have psoriasis, you’re frustrated, you’ve been checking on the Internet trying to see what’s out there, but you haven’t been happy with the experience that you’ve had with physicians in the past or with the healthcare system in the past, you really need to give it another chance. And I would do some research. I would ask friends, check on the Web sites for the National Psoriasis Foundation—find doctors who are treating psoriasis, find dermatologists who are interested in treating psoriasis, and give them a chance.

Living well

One of the most important things in managing your psoriasis is taking care of your overall health—eating healthy, being healthy, exercising. There are a lot of things that contribute to making psoriasis much more difficult to treat. These include being overweight, they include not eating well, drinking alcohol to excess… all of these can be factors that can make your psoriasis more difficult to control.

One of the wonderful things is having a patient back who’s used a therapy and is pleased. And, it’s changed their lives, you know, and it really can change your life. Now you may not even realize how much improving your psoriasis may change the way you feel, the way you see yourself, the way others see you.

http://www.therealyou.com/ManagingYourPsoriasis/Default.aspx

(GCS) GotClearSkin

http://www.GotClearSkin.com