Your Treatment Options for Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes thick, scaly patches of skin. If you have psoriasis, you know how itchy those scaly patches of skin get, especially when left untreated. 

At Associated Skin Care Specialists, our board-certified dermatologists specialize in treating psoriasis. We offer many innovative treatment options to manage symptoms during a flare-up, as well as treatments to prevent future flare-ups. 

Here, we want to share with you your treatment options for psoriasis. 

About psoriasis

Psoriasis is a life-long skin condition that affects people of all ages. It most often first appears during the early adult years but can occur at any age. And the severity of the skin condition can vary throughout your life.

The skin condition occurs because of problems with the immune system that triggers an increase in the rate of new skin cell production. Normally, new skin cells grow and replace old skin cells every 28-30 days. 

With psoriasis, your skin generates new skin cells every three to four days. These new skin cells move to the surface of your skin, building up over time, creating the thick, scaly patches of skin known as plaque. 

Though there are many types of psoriasis, 80-90% of people with the skin condition have plaque psoriasis. 

Treatment options for psoriasis

When it comes to psoriasis treatment, there is no one-size-fits-all. However, the goal of treatment is to slow down skin cell production, ease symptoms, and reduce flare-ups.

Treatment options for psoriasis include:

Topical therapy

Topical therapy includes medications you apply directly to the skin. We usually recommend topical therapy for our newly diagnosed patients. 

Some topical medications ease symptoms, like corticosteroids, salicylic acid, and coal tar, while others help decrease skin cell production, like vitamin D analogs and anthralin.

Light therapy

If you have moderate to severe psoriasis, we may recommend light therapy by itself or in combination with topical therapy.

We offer two light therapy options for psoriasis:

Narrowband UVB

With narrowband UVB, also known as phototherapy, we apply specific wavelengths of light to your skin to decrease inflammation and slow down the growth of skin cells. 

Excimer 308 nm laser

The excimer 308 nm laser is similar to the narrowband UV therapy, however, we use a handheld device to deliver the wavelength of energy directly to the affected areas of your skin. 

Biologic treatment

Biologic treatment includes medications that alter your immune system response to stop the overproduction of skin cells. We provide this treatment by injection. 

What treatments can help me

Our experienced board-certified dermatologists work closely with you to develop a treatment plan that helps you keep your psoriasis in remission. The treatments that can help you depend on the type of psoriasis you have and the severity of your symptoms.

In addition to our medical treatment options, we also encourage lifestyle changes to reduce flare-ups, such as regularly applying moisturizer to your skin, avoiding harsh soaps, and finding healthy outlets to manage stress.

We’re always looking for new, more effective ways to help our patients manage their psoriasis. Currently, we’re participating in clinical studies for body and scalp psoriasis. 

Don’t let your psoriasis keep you from living your life. Let us help you design an effective treatment plan to ease your symptoms and prevent flare-ups. 

We provide dermatology care at our offices in Blaine, Eden Prairie, Maple Grove, and Coon Rapids, Minnesota. Make an appointment using our convenient online scheduling tool by following the above links or by calling our office today. To sign up for one of our psoriasis clinical studies, complete the online form or leave a message on our Study Line.