Cures For Psoriasis: Conventional Treatment Options

What is Psoriasis? It is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the skin. The cause? Increase in the growth cycle of skin cells due to faulty signals from the body immune system. Psoriasis is not contagious.

Plaque psoriasis is the most common of all five types of psoriasis. It appears raised with red patches covered with silvery white buildup of dead skin cells. Psoriasis has the chance of occurring in any part of the body.

So what are some of the available cures for psoriasis? The advancement in medical technology has led to the availability of a wide array of conventional treatment options.

The most famous first line of defense treatment is topical treatment, which is the use of medications applied to the skin. Excessive cell production is normalized followed by the reduction of inflammation associated with psoriasis. There are many effective topical treatments for psoriasis; some are over the counter meanwhile some are by prescription only. How does topical treatment work as cures for psoriasis?

The most common anti-inflammatory topical are known as Corticosteroids. They reduce the swelling and redness of lesions. Others used to control psoriasis lesions include Anthralin, synthetic Vitamin D3, and Vitamin A. Two active ingredients approved by FDA for psoriasis treatment includes salicylic acid and coal tar. Some products contain aloe vera, zinc pyrinthione and capsaicin, which moisturizes, soothes, removes scale and relieves itching.

Another common conventional treatment options for “cures for psoriasis” is phototherapy.

Phototherapy basically means light therapy. This involves using ultraviolet light on a regular basis by exposing it to the affected skin areas. Phototherapy is normally done under medical supervision in doctor’s office or psoriasis clinic or at home with a phototherapy unit. The usage of UVB (ultraviolet light B) is known to be effective in treating psoriasis. It penetrates the skin and slows the growth of affected skin cells.

Laser treatment is also receiving much attention lately. Excimer laser approved by the FDA for treating chronic and localized psoriasis plaques functions by emitting a high-intensity UVB beam. By targeting at selected skin areas affected by mild to moderate psoriasis, it can take an average of four to ten sessions before seeing the results depending on particular cases of psoriasis.

With all the cures for psoriasis advancement, traditional prescription medication still plays a role in treating psoriasis. This might be the most conventional treatment option for psoriasis.

These are known as systemic medication. They work throughout the body and is used for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis and psoriasis arthritis. Systemic medications are also used for patients who are not responsive or unable to take topical medications or UV treatments.

The systemic medications are taken in liquid or by injection. Acitretin, Cyclosporine and Methotrexate are some of the most common prescriptions prescribed to patients.

These are some of the most prominent conventional treatment options in finding “cures for psoriasis” These are viable options to consider treating psoriasis. Finding the right provider, keeping up with doctor’s visits and consistency, counts in achieving the treatment results expected.