What are some available treatments for psoriasis?

What are some available treatments for psoriasis?

Rebecca Fitzgerald (Dermatologist) gives expert video advice on: How is psoriasis diagnosed by a dermatologist?; How can I prevent psoriasis flare-ups? and more...

There is as yet no known cure for psoriasis, but there are a lot of treatments that are used to control psoriasis. That treatment is sort of done on a tiered basis, the first tier being topical treatments, which are convenient because you can use them at home whenever you feel like it, but inconvenient because you have to rub a bunch of stuff on your body a couple times a day. The next tier of treatment is light therapy using phototherapy boxes in combination sometimes with medications that make you more sensitive to the light. There is actually a laser now called the eczema laser that also provides that light. The next tier of treatment are medications, systemic medications. These are immunosuppressant medications, chemotherapeutics, and a whole new group called the biologics. In the decision to use any kind of medication for any kind of disease that has to be made on something, on a risk / benefit, a favorable risk / benefit ratio. Those medicines for psoriasis are strong enough that they are reserved for people with body surface area covering 30% or more with psoriasis.