Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that abnormally speeds up the production of skin cells, which leaves you with scaly, thick, and unnatural white-silver skin. Many of our patients with psoriasis find them extremely uncomfortable to live with, alongside worrying about the other potential severe complications that it can turn into.
Given that psoriasis has no cure, it's important to find a treatment option that can mitigate your symptoms and prevent your condition from progressing to severe psoriasis. Getting medical intervention the moment you get psoriasis symptoms is the best way to ensure that you get started on a treatment plan immediately.
Psoriasis patients can experience symptoms that can vary greatly in severity and placement on the body. As an autoimmune disorder, a psoriasis patient can go through cycles of these symptoms, which can last anywhere from a few days to a few months. While relief can be found with topical treatments and other types of medication, medical and systemic treatment is still the best way to deal with psoriasis.
Psoriasis treatment aims at the best way at relieving the symptoms of this skin disease; and if possible, ensure that the patient is less likely to experience a flare-up of symptoms. By using systemic therapy to alleviate symptoms and reduce triggers, you're able to regain your quality of life and keep your psoriasis within remission.
At Dermatology & Skin Health, we offer world-class services done by award-winning doctors who have proven their knowledge and skills in this field. Start your journey towards achieving your best skin by contacting us today.
For people who don't experience too many psoriasis symptoms, this condition might seem like something they can manage on their own. But without the oversight of a healthcare provider, it's easy for even mild psoriasis to develop into more severe complications:
By far one of the most common and most debilitating complications from psoriatic disease is psoriatic arthritis. You can think of this as an escalation of psoriasis since you get the symptoms of psoriasis with the effects of arthritis. Without treating your malfunctioning immune system, it becomes easier for your symptoms to escalate.
Conditions like pinkeye are also far more common with psoriasis since the affected skin can occur almost anywhere in the body. With one of the most common symptoms of the disease being inflammation, moderate psoriasis on the face can easily spread to the eye.
The inflammation caused by psoriasis can also reach underneath the skin, affecting your blood vessels and circulatory health. Heart diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and atherosclerosis are all potential complications that can be caused by psoriasis interfering with your blood flow in the body.
With psoriasis taking a toll on your skin, it's far easier for inflammation to damage your hair and nails. Severe psoriasis (especially scalp psoriasis) can make your hair more brittle, your skin more prone to infection, and cause discoloration of your nails and hair follicles.
Psoriasis is caused by your immune system malfunctioning - and it's this same condition that can cause your immune system to fall to other diseases. You're at higher risk for conditions like alopecia, vitiligo, or even celiac disease. Because of your weakened immune system, even mild ailments may take you longer to recover from.
Autoimmune conditions like psoriasis frequently have symptoms that vary between patients, both in severity and type. These are the most common forms of psoriasis to watch out for:
Depending on the severity of your triggers, you can experience more than one type of psoriasis at a time. Left untreated, you can even go through different types of psoriasis over your lifetime.
At Dermatology & Skin Health, our excellent dermatology services are guaranteed to be safe and effective, performed by the top doctors in their respective fields. Treat your skin problems by contacting us today.
Psoriasis is a complex condition that can only be managed once your immune system has been brought under control. While there is no cure, the treatment options for this condition can drastically ease your symptoms.
For a patient who's experiencing moderate to severe psoriasis (or different types of psoriasis at a time) injections or oral medication can be great ways to manage your conditions. However, since these medications have strong effects, you should only use them as long as prescribed by your medical provider.
Using topical corticosteroids or other products can be effective treatments for mild cases of psoriasis. A topical corticosteroid reduces the inflammation on your skin, which can be useful for conditions like severe plaque psoriasis. Keep in mind that these are usually effective at alleviating psoriasis symptoms - they rarely have any effect on your immune system.
Using targeted UV light or UVB phototherapy can help destroy excess white blood cells, which can help minimize the number of healthy cells that they attack by mistake. This can also help manage excessive or abnormal growth of skin cells by killing the excess growths. These treatments are typically used for managing mild to moderate psoriasis symptoms.
Given that there are mild, moderate, and severe types of psoriasis, patients may be understandably worried about the right time to see a doctor. This can be particularly true for people who've had them for a long time, or ones who are used to handling them on their own.
The easy answer to this question is that you should always consult a medical professional once you experience psoriasis symptoms since they can escalate quickly without proper intervention. However, there are some questions you can ask yourself about the best time to consult a professional:
If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then you should consult your medical provider immediately.
DSH has plenty of experience with helping our patients with a variety of skin conditions, up to and including psoriasis. As experts in short and long-term care, we pride ourselves on creating a standard with our treatments that we always uphold. For chronic conditions like psoriasis, we must work towards a trusted relationship as your healthcare provider.
At Dermatology & Skin Health, we offer world-class services done by award-winning doctors who have proven their knowledge and skills in this field. Start your journey towards achieving your best skin by contacting us today.
With proper care and medical intervention, many psoriasis patients can live comfortably with their symptoms. Depending on the severity of their condition, DSH can help manage psoriasis patients short and long-term, helping them find relief and allowing them to find an acceptable quality of life.
What's more concerning is the many misconceptions that people have about psoriasis. Even though it's an autoimmune disease, many people still think that psoriasis is contagious, or that it's a simple skin condition that has a cure. For Dermatology and Skin Health, getting rid of these preconceptions is just as important as addressing the symptom itself.
As a long-trusted healthcare provider, DSH aims to help every psoriasis patient overcome the symptoms of their condition, and to live a fulfilling life despite this disease.
A: While there are topical products that you can use at home, treating psoriasis on your own should only be done on the advice of your dermatologist. A medication guide may be given to you if you have mild symptoms since the products that you'll be using are unlikely to have strong side effects. Otherwise, we highly encourage our patients to get treatments in-clinic.
A: Before you get started on your particular psoriasis treatment, it's important to have a thorough consultation and diagnosis of your condition. Psoriasis can sometimes be confused with other skin diseases, and your provider may use anything from physical examination to a skin biopsy before starting your treatment.
A: Treatment of your psoriasis will largely rely on the specific procedure your dermatologist deems fit for your symptoms. Medical intervention can drastically ease the severity of your symptoms, and make remission more likely for long-term treatments. DSH in particular can provide phototherapy and Excimer laser treatment for our patients.
A: With consistent treatment, you can lower the severity of your symptoms to the point where they can be treated on your own. Psoriasis has no cure, but it can be possible to minimize the triggers with good management of your lifestyle, regular checkups, and changes in your diet. Combined with medical oversight, this can manage any flare-ups long-term.
A: While psoriasis is an autoimmune condition, there are some caveats about how it can be covered by insurance companies, so it's best to check with your provider. Plans like Medicare can only cover medical procedures that are targeted for psoriasis treatments - so it's best to consult your provider about the paperwork required and the best way to get your treatments reimbursed.
If you have any questions about psoriasis treatments, psoriatic arthritis, or any other skin condition, schedule a consultation with us today. We have a variety of treatments and services that can help you look and feel like yourself again. To get started, schedule your consultation online, or give us a call at (603) 742-5556 (Dover & Newington), (978) 525-0100 (Peabody), (603) 965-3551 (Londonderry), (603) 742-5556 (Bedford).
At Dermatology & Skin Health, our excellent dermatology services are guaranteed to be safe and effective, performed by the top doctors in their respective fields. Treat your skin problems by contacting us today.
If your desired appointment type or preferred provider is unavailable online, kindly call (978) 525-0100 for Peabody, MA and (603) 742-5556 for all New Hampshire locations. Alternatively please feel free to send us your request via the patient portal, or via email at info@dermskinhealth.com
*For medical dermatology appointments in MA please dial (978) 525-0100 or fill out the appointment request form above.
