Whether you have a new diagnosis of psoriasis or you have been dealing with it for years, you understand that psoriasis can negatively impact someone’s life when active and flared. Psoriasis is more common than people may think. I have been treating patients with psoriasis for the past several years. Thanks to modern medicine, I have been able to help many patients who struggle with this skin condition. It can be a tough condition to live with, but the good news is I have seen amazing results when patients follow consistent treatment regimens. Due to the large number of people affected by this medical condition, there is a lot of money that goes into creating new and better medications for these patients.
After reading this article, I hope to give someone newly diagnosed with psoriasis a clear understanding of what their diagnosis entails. As well as, what treatment options are available to them either now or in the future. This article discusses important things to be aware of such as the risk of joint involvement. Also, there are things you can be doing at home to help improve your condition that don’t involve taking medications. Let’s dive into the 4 important things to know if you have a new diagnosis of psoriasis.
Recommended: How to Combat a Dry Flaky Itchy Scalp
It is a chronic autoimmune condition
The unfortunate truth is that currently psoriasis is considered a chronic condition. This means there is no known cure for psoriasis. Before you get alarmed and think you are going to be dealing with this new full-body rash for the rest of your life, know that there are amazing medications these days that can get people close to completely clear if not completely clear.
Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition. This may mean that you have a family member with an autoimmune condition as this tends to run in families. It may also mean that you may develop another autoimmune condition at some point. I have a lot of psoriasis patients that have more than one autoimmune disorder.
There are effective treatments available
As I mentioned previously, there are a lot of great medications to choose from these days. They run anywhere from topical steroids all the way to injectable medications that suppress your immune system. Depending on the severity of your psoriasis, some medical providers will recommend one treatment regimen over another.
If your psoriasis is mild, or localized to a small body surface area then your medical provider may recommend topical medications. This can include medications such as topical steroids, vitamin D analogs, or other psoriasis-specific medications to manage your condition. The upside to this treatment regimen is that you do not need to worry about systemic treatment side effects such as a lowered immune system. The downside is that it is not always as effective as systemic medications.
Biologics come into play when someone has moderate to severe psoriasis. Some examples of injectable biologic medications include Humira, Enbrel, Cosentyx, Skyrizi, Taltz, and Tremfya. I am sure you have seen commercials for a few if not all of them. There are also oral medications such as Methotrexate, Otezla, and Sotyktu that are also commonly prescribed to control psoriasis. These systemic medications all have their unique mechanisms of action as well as potential side effects. In my opinion, there isn’t one that is considered “the best” biologic. Every patient responds differently to different medications. Sometimes it takes trying a few different medications for a few months at a time before you find the right one for you.
Most of the time the medical provider will be limited to what the patient’s insurance will cover. These medications can be costly. Some injections are several thousand dollars PER injection. While each biologic has its own dosing schedule, you will require one fairly regularly for an extended period of time. The cost can add up fairly quickly. The good news is that insurance typically will cover some of these medications. If they don’t, there are patient assistant programs available to help cover the costs.
Specific lifestyle changes can help
You may be thinking, are my two choices to apply a cream or take medication for the rest of my life? Not necessarily. Depending on your current lifestyle, if you make some changes at home, it is quite possible to improve your psoriasis without the need for these strong medications. In fact, natural sun exposure in short increments (while minimizing your risk of getting sunburnt) can help treat your psoriasis. Other ways to help are by focusing on factors in your control.
Factors that we know contribute to flares in psoriasis include the following: being overweight, smoking, and stress. If you fall into all three of these categories then start making some changes at home. After a few months or maybe even weeks, you should expect to see some degree of improvement in your condition and your health in general.
So what does this look like? If you can cut back on your smoking and start living a healthy lifestyle that involves exercise, healthy eating, drinking enough water, getting around 8 hours of sleep a night, and decreasing any external stressors, you will be decreasing your body’s inflammatory levels. Since psoriasis is an inflammatory condition you should see visual improvement.
Be aware of the risk of psoriatic arthritis
One thing that unfortunately may not reverse if you start living a healthy lifestyle is psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis is a possibility for anyone who has a diagnosis of psoriasis. Not everyone with psoriasis experiences joint involvement but for those who do, it can cause irreversible joint damage if not treated.
The classic symptom of psoriatic arthritis is joint pain or stiffness that is worse in the morning time or after long periods of rest. This joint pain or stiffness will then get better as the day goes on and you are able to move your joints more. This would be the opposite of someone that has osteoarthritis or normal “wear and tear” of the joints. Psoriatic arthritis can also present as swelling in the fingers or toes. If you are someone with psoriasis who used not to have problems removing your rings in the morning and now you do, that may be a sign of psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriatic arthritis is treatable. In fact, those same injectable medications that were discussed earlier in this article can also treat psoriatic arthritis. This is an example of a case where someone with mild psoriasis may still be a good candidate for a biologic.
If you or a family member or friend has a new diagnosis of psoriasis, please comment below with any questions you may have about the disorder!
*Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer. Information on this website is for education and entertainment purposes only. Content is my opinion. It is not substituted for your own doctor’s medical care or advice. One should not make any health or medical-related decisions based in whole or in part on any content on this site. Content is not intended to replace the services of a licensed, trained health professional. Content may not apply to you as an individual. Although I will update my website with current information, this website is not a definitive guide to dermatology.
View comments
+ Leave a comment