Psoriasis Treatments
By Dean Goodless, M.D., About.com Guide to Psoriasis
What treatment your doctor will recommend for you depends on the severity of your psoriasis, other health conditions you have, and how big of an impact psoriasis has (or will have) on your daily life. Not every treatment is suitable for every patient.
Treating an Area of the Body
Topical medications -- creams, lotions, gels and foams -- are usually recommended when only a small area of your body needs to be treated. Specific ingredients reduce inflammation, normalize skin cell growth and help exfoliate skin scales.
Treating the Whole Body
When more than 10% of the body's surface is affected by psoriasis, whole-body treatment may be warranted. Pills, shots and light treatments can treat large areas of the body at one time -- something that's just too difficult to do with creams or other topical medications.
Self-Treatment
Many mild cases of psoriasis respond to self-treatment with moisturizers, sunlight and over-the-counter medications.
