Topical Retinoids: Vitamin A Derivatives
Tazarotene is a vitamin A derivative that affects epidermal cell growth in psoriasis and exhibits some anti-inflammatory action. It is also available as a generic option.
- Tazarotene comes in a cream or gel and is used primarily for mild to moderate psoriasis. Tazorac is also approved for acne treatment.
- Other brands of tazarotene, approved for other uses, include Arazlo , Fabior and Avage
- In 2019, a combination of halobetasol, a topical corticosteroid, and tazarotene from Bausch Health was FDA-approved for plaque psoriasis.
Acitretin is an oral retinoid, also a form of vitamin A, that comes as a capsule .
- It is used for severe forms of psoriasis that do not respond to other treatments. Acitretin is not a cure for psoriasis, and your psoriasis may come back after you stop taking this medication.
- It is also available as a generic option.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Warnings
Important: View the patient counseling information for Tazorac or Soriatane to learn more about the Contraindications and Warnings for Use in pregnancy and breastfeeding and discuss this information with your doctor.
In addition, you must NOT become pregnant while taking acitretin and for at least 3 YEARS after stopping acitretin, so that the drug can be eliminated to below a blood concentration that would be associated with an increased incidence of birth defects.
Do I Need To Use A Special Sunscreen If I Have Psoriasis
You dont necessarily need to use special sunscreen but wearing sun protection is important. Long sleeves and clothing with a UPF protection rating can come in handy.
If you have a flare-up or actively inflamed skin, sunscreen may irritate your skin further. In these instances, it may be best to avoid sun exposure or to wear clothing that protects your skin from the suns rays.
When flare-ups are managed, a sun blocker that contains zinc oxide or titanium dioxide may be your safest bet. Always use a sunscreen that has at least SPF 30.
If you take a medication for psoriasis, such as methotrexate or acitretin, you may have heightened sensitivity to the sun, increasing your need for protection.
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Get Psoriasis Advice Today
Everyone’s experience with psoriasis is different, so if you’ve got any tips to share or questions to ask us, please leave a comment below. We always love to hear from you.
And if you’re looking for professional medical advice on dealing with psoriasis this summer, hit the button below to connect with a UK-based GP at a time and place to suit you.
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Does Sun Help Psoriasis
How often should you wash your hair if you have folliculitis?Folliculitis Treatments Clean the infected area: Wash twice a day with warm water and antibacterial soap. Be sure to use a fresh cloth and towel each time. Use salt: Put warm saltwater 1 teaspoon table salt mixed with 2 cups of water on a washcloth and place it on your skin. You can also try white vinegar.
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Dont Forget To Moisturise
The biggest mistake when it comes to skincare during summer is ditching the moisturiser. Many aspects of summer, including air-conditioning and chlorine, can dry out the skin and cause a flare up. Make sure to cleanse the body with the Intensive Therapy Body Wash, then apply the Grahams Body and Bath Oil and Psoriasis Cream at least twice a day, particularly after youve been in contact with water or chlorine.
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The Role Of Sunlight: How Can It Help Psoriasis
Most people who have psoriasis find that the sun helps to improve their skins appearance. For some the change is dramatic, with red scaly patches almost disappearing altogether during summer months in a warm climate.
In order to help clear psoriasis, sun exposure needs to be spread over time. A week on a sunny holiday may help but rarely completely clears psoriasis, and if the skin is exposed too soon for too long, sunburn can result, which could cause injury to the skin. In some people with psoriasis such injury can start a new plaque of psoriasis at the site of the injury. This is known as Koebnerisation, after the German dermatologist Heinrich Koebner. Therefore it is important to increase exposure to the sun gradually, to allow your skin to adapt to the sun without burning.
Because ultraviolet light is so effective for many with psoriasis, it is often used in various artificial forms. Ultraviolet phototherapy is a highly effective set of treatments for psoriasis given by hospital dermatology departments and specialist phototherapy centres. UV phototherapy is used in one of two forms: UVB or PUVA. UVB uses short-wave UVB light while PUVA uses a plant-derived photosensitiser with long-wave UVA light. If you need these treatments, your GP or healthcare provider can refer you to a dermatologist who will discuss the most suitable treatment for your psoriasis, including phototherapy.
How Is Psoriasis Diagnosed
Since psoriasis is caused by an immune system response, it is easiest to diagnose when the rash is occurring. While the specific symptoms will vary by the type of psoriasis you have, the most commonly occurring symptoms are red, inflamed skin covered in patches of scaly, silver-colored skin. These patches will be itchy or painful and the scaly skin may even crack and bleed. The scales can occur anywhere. Sometimes they are even found on or near the scalp. Fingernail or toenail issues can also happen as a result of psoriasis, causing discoloration, crumbling, or complete detachment from the nail bed itself.
A primary care physician or dermatological specialist can perform an examination to diagnose psoriasis. Although there are not any blood tests or other tool-based tests for diagnosing psoriasis, a biopsy on the skin may be performed. Some cases of psoriasis can resemble other skin conditions like eczema, which can cause the doctor to biopsy the skin for further examination under a microscope.
Before the appointment with your dermatologist, you may want to look into your familys history as one-third of people with psoriasis have a family member with the disease.
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What Is Light Therapy For Psoriasis
For millennia, people have been trying to find better ways to clear up psoriasis, and currently, there are a range of powerful drugs on the market that have proven helpful. But one relatively low-tech treatment thats actually been around for over 100 years may be just as effective as the fancy biologic drugs when used by the right patients. Light therapy uses controlled and directed beams of certain bandwidths of light to penetrate the plaques and reduce the inflammation, which helps the body clear the plaques.
People being treated for psoriasis with light therapy may recognize the equipment as being similar to that of a tanning booth. Dr. Joel M. Gelfand, professor of dermatology and epidemiology and director of the psoriasis and phototherapy treatment center at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, says in many cases, patients will go to their dermatologists office three times a week and step into a machine that encircles them with ultraviolet light bulbs.
When these bulbs are turned on for the right length of time, they can cause big improvements in symptoms. This is because light therapy for psoriasis down regulates the immunological response in the skin, Gelfand says. This means that it slows the proliferation of cells and the inflammatory response in the skin.
How Can I Treat Psoriasis Naturally
If youre looking for organic remedies to use in addition to medications, there are many different natural treatments out there for psoriasis.
There are a few different things that may be triggering your psoriasis, which is a great place to start with natural treatment. Identifying and avoiding these triggers can help prevent a flare-up from occurring in the first place and increase quality of life. Triggers for psoriasis can include illness, stress, smoking, and injuries to the skin.
Aside from avoiding triggers, there are many other natural methods for the management of psoriasis. Below are a few different home remedies for psoriasis. Make sure to consult a doctor before trying any of the following remedies.
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How A Dermatologist Can Help
With so many products, it can be difficult to know what to use. If you dont see the results you like with OTC treatment for psoriasis, you may want to see dermatologist. Dermatologists are the skin disease experts. They know how to tailor psoriasis treatment to the type of psoriasis you have. Sometimes, this requires combining treatments. You may also need one treatment plan to gain control over your psoriasis and another to maintain the results.
ImagesGetty Images
ReferencesMenter A, Korman NJ, et al. Guidelines of care for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Section 3: Guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with topical therapies. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009 60:64359.
Paghdal KV, Schwartz RA. Coal tar: Back to the future. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009 Aug 61:294-302.
All content solely developed by the American Academy of Dermatology
The American Academy of Dermatology gratefully acknowledges the support from Amgen and .
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Does The Sun Help Acne
Acne is a common skin condition thats caused by an excess of sebum the oily liquid produced by the sebaceous glands to keep the skin and hair lubricated. In people with acne, excess sebum mixes with dead skin cells and plugs the hair follicles in the skin, creating spots.
There are various treatments available. These generally work by killing bacteria on the skin, getting rid of dead skin, and reducing inflammation.
Some people find that spending time in the sun during the summer months also helps to improve their skin. This may be because the anti-inflammatory effects of UV light help to reduce swelling and redness.
However, even if you find that your acne improves in the summer, its still not recommended that you go without sunscreen.
Many acne treatments, including benzoyl peroxide, retinoids, and antibiotics, make the skin much more sensitive to sunlight, so its really important to take extra care if youre currently using these kinds of products check with your GP or pharmacist first if you arent sure.
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Soaking Up The Summer Sun Without Psoriasis
The range of treatments currently available for psoriasis means it is possible to get your skin rash under control before summer, and enjoy the sun and surf. The combination of sun, salt water and recreation all have positive effects on psoriatic skin rash. If you experience psoriasis and need treatment, see your doctor well before the start of summer and before you start feeling embarrassed or stressed about needing to expose your skin. Instead of strategising to avoid exposing your skin, get the support and advice you need to confidently show off your skin and soak up the summer sun.
Psoriasis Tips: Sunbathing And Swimming
Summer is a season that many psoriasis patients look forward to, as most people show significant improvement in their psoriasis during the summer. The most important reason for the improvement is increased sun exposure, which is demonstrated to improve psoriasis. Phototherapy is a proven treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis, and summer sunlight provides similar benefits.
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What Are The Side Effects Of Light Therapy For Psoriasis
Because light therapy doesnt involve any kind of surgical procedure or ingesting medications, its considered very safe with few side effects. Light therapy can be a good option for pregnant women, who cant take systemic treatments, such as methotrexate or biologic medications, Kaffenberger says. This is because some of the systemic treatments can cause serious side effects that could harm the fetus. But with light therapy, the side effects are fewer and limited to the skin.
But there are some drawbacks. Gelfand says light therapy tends to work best on guttate and plaque psoriasis, but it doesnt usually help much when dealing with psoriasis lesions on certain parts of the body, and its not the right answer for all patients. It doesnt work well in the scalp because its covered by hair, making it difficult for the light rays to penetrate. And if you have psoriasis in the genital area, that can be a tricky area to treat. You have to protect the genitals because theyre sensitive to burns and skin cancers, Gelfand says. Therefore, the ideal candidate is someone who has plaque or guttate psoriasis on the arms, legs and trunk. Kaffenberger adds that in some patients, it can actually worsen psoriasis, and theres no easy way to discern ahead of time who will see a worsening of symptoms or an improvement.
Why Does The Sun Help Psoriasis And How Can I Take Advantage
Most psoriasis patients have heard about UV therapy. UV light helps to suppress the immune response which is overactive in psoriasis patients, which is the cause of the plaques, which is dead skin that is being produced too quickly and prematurely. Sunlight helps slow down this process and many patients will find that their plaques go away or are significantly reduced during the summer. Sunbathing in moderation can help improve your psoriasis as long as you protect your skin properly. Use sunscreen on areas of the skin that are unaffected by psoriasis, and don’t stay in the sun long enough to cause a sunburn. Excessive exposure is both bad for your skin in the long-term, and can actually cause your psoriasis to flare.
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How To Treat Psoriasis And The 11 Foods That Can Help Soothe Flare Ups
- Vanessa Chalmers, Digital Health Reporter
- 17:05, 28 Oct 2021
PEOPLE with psoriasis know the struggle of finding a treatment that works for them, all too well.
The condition causes red and crusty patches with silvery scales to flare-up on the skin.
In more serious cases it can have a crushing impact on a sufferers life.
Roughly two per cent of the population – both men and women – are affected by psoriasis.
Prominent figures that deal with the skin problem are model Cara Delevingne and singer Cyndi Lauper.
TV personality Kim Kardashian has also described psoriasis as her big flaw, always hoping for a cure.
Sadly, there is no cure for psoriasis.
Patients have to learn to deal with the condition by finding a treatment that works for them.
But some have also found that modifying their diet helps.
The NHS does not make specific diet recommendations for people with psoriasis, other than advising a balanced, healthy diet with regular exercise which it would recommend for everyone. It says this can also relieve stress, which may improve psoriasis symptoms.
The Psoriasis Association in the UK says there is not a definite link with food or a diet that works for everybody.
Ingredients To Look For
The following ingredients can help reduce itchiness and flakes, as well as gently soften and remove thick scale.
- Hydrocortisone is a mild corticosteroid that can decrease itching and inflammation.
- Coal tar decreases skin cell growth and helps the scalp shed dead skin cells.
- Salicylic acid is a âkeratolytic,â or peeling agent, that helps soften and remove thick scale. Once scale is removed, other medications will be able to penetrate the skin more easily, potentially increasing effectiveness.
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Potential Risks Of Vitamin D Supplementation
Vitamin D supplementation is generally safe when taking 400-800 international units per day, depending on age. However, it has been shown to be harmful in large doses, causing nausea, constipation, and other ailments, such as harm to the kidneys.
Taking vitamin D supplements can also interfere with some medications. Vitamin D supplements may lead to risky health effects when taken in combination with:
- Certain steroid medications
- Heart medications
- Psoriasis treatments like Dovonex
If youre thinking of adding vitamin D supplements to your diet, remember to consult with your dermatologist and discuss any medications you may be taking.
How Does Light Therapy Work For Psoriasis
Light therapy, also known as phototherapy, is a treatment that focuses specific types of light onto the skin.
Your doctor may suggest one or more of the following phototherapy or combination therapy approaches:
Ultraviolet B This is an effective choice and can be delivered as either broadband UVB or narrowband UVB . UVB phototherapy is a good course of treatment for people with moderate to severe cases of psoriasis, patients with plaque psoriasis, those with thin plaques, and people who are generally responsive to natural sunlight.
PUVA For advanced cases of psoriasis, a physician might suggest combining exposure to ultraviolet A light with prescribing psoralen, a light-sensitizing medication that is most commonly administered orally. Taken shortly before light treatment, psoralen seems to boost the therapeutic effect of light on the immune system. People with moderate to severe cases of plaque psoriasis, guttate psoriasis, and psoriasis of the palms and soles are good candidates for PUVA.
The therapy is done in a doctors office, psoriasis clinic, or at home with a phototherapy unit. The FDA regulates medical devices used in the application of phototherapy. Laser treatments, using a device known as an excimer laser, can administer highly targeted beams of ultraviolet light to treat select areas of affected skin.
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How To Get Rid Of Psoriasis This Summer: 5 Tips From Our Doctors
Do you suffer from psoriasis? Are you worried about how to look after your skin this summer? Then this is the guide for you!
For the two million people in the UK who have psoriasis, summer can be a challenging time.
While sunlight and humidity can keep the worst of their symptoms at bay, there are other aspects of summer than can cause psoriasis to flare up. We’ve teamed up with our smart network of doctors to help you manage your symptoms effectively.