"The heartbreak of psoriasis" is the phrase that is often said to describe the disease of psoriasis. It has both serious and ironical meanings. Though there is little irony in the disease that changes a person’s life quality causing a lot of physical and emotional discomfort, pain or even isolation.
Our ancestors were ready to apply cat faeces, onions, urine or goose oil to their sores and lesions. Even though the primary cause of psoriasis is not fully understood and there is no a single cure for the disease there are many treatment options that can help to control and to live with the condition.
Several approaches to treating of psoriasis are singled out in today’s medicine. Certainly they may vary from patient to patient and depend to great extent on the type of the disease, its duration, cause, severity and location. The doctors can prescribe their patients different medications and try various approaches looking for the best and the most appropriate treatment for the particular person.
The treatment usually begins with medicated ointments, creams, solutions and moisturizers that are applied directly to the skin. This approach is called topical treatment. The most often used medications are dithranol, corticosteroids, vitamin D3 analogues, retinoids and coal tar.
Topical treatment is the mildest therapy for psoriasis but nevertheless it has own drawbacks and is not always effective. Topical agents can often irritate skin, have strong unpleasant fragrances and if used for too long cause the frequent recurrence of the condition. Topical corticosteroids, medicine that is commonly prescribed for the disease, can have for example such side effects as cutaneous atrophy, telangiectasia or acne eruption.
Topical agents are good for reducing of inflammation, itching and dryness of the skin, removing of built-up scale and clearing of the lesions. But often they are not sufficient to manage the condition and are used in combination with other therapies, especially phototherapy.
Phototherapy is the exposure of the skin sore areas to the particular wavelengths of light. There are several types of phototherapy: excimer laser, psoralen + ultraviolet light A (PUVA) and ultraviolet light B (UVB) phototherapy. All these methods are rather effective, well-tolerated and good for prevention of flare-ups of the condition on the maintenance stage.
To the main drawbacks of phototherapy can be ascribed numerous visits to the clinic (from 2 to 5 visits a week), possible skin aging, freckling and risk of developing skin cancer if treatment lasts for too long.
Topical treatment and phototherapy are mostly prescribed for mild and moderate psoriasis. Severe cases of psoriasis are treated by means of medications that are either taken orally or given as injections. This is so called systematic treatment.
The main systematic medications that are approved by FDA are: methotrexate, cyclosporine, retinoids which are synthetic forms of vitamin A and biologics. All of them are highly effective in treating of plaque psoriasis, psoriasis of the nails, erythrodermic and pustular psoriasis but are also known to have significant side effects.
Side effects include reduction of white blood cells, anemia, severe headaches, liver and kidney damage, hair loss, fatigue and musculoskeletal pain. Immunosuppressive mechanism of cyclosporine can make the person prone to all kinds of infections. Methotrexate is known to cause birth defects, so it mustn’t be taken during pregnancy or while trying to conceive a child. Patients taken all these medications must be closely monitored during the whole period of therapy.
More and more people nowadays try alternative therapy for treating of psoriasis. Some widely spread alternative approaches are:
- Climatotherapy that is treating of a disease living in a certain climate. The Dead Sea region is the most popular site for psoriasis patients due to its high salt and mineral content.
- Balneotherapy is a general term for treatment of the disease by bathing; the balneotherapy involves water from natural thermal springs, hot springs or seawater that is rich in particular minerals which help to cure psoriasis.
- Herbology or phytotherapy is treatment of psoriasis with the help of plants and plants extracts.
There are also other alternative methods and treatments but they are not researched and tested to the same extent as traditional medications. That is why psoriasis patients should be very careful and not start any treatment without prior consultation with the doctor.
Some people believe that symptoms of psoriasis can become milder or disappear thanks to the healthy lifestyle. There is no scientific research to support this idea. But there is certainly no harm in minimizing stress, starting a healthy diet, having more rest and enjoying sunbathing and swimming in saltwater.
Lyudmyla
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External Resources
www.psoriasis.org/treatment/psoriasis en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psoriasis www.aafp.org/afp/20000201/725.html www.dermatology.co.uk/psoriasis/treatment/index.asp
Read more in Psoriasis References
