Bath Solutions
People with
psoriasis may find that adding oil when bathing, then applying a moisturizer, soothes their skin. Also, individuals can remove scales and reduce itching by soaking for 15 minutes in water containing a coal tar solution, oiled oatmeal, Epsom salts, or Dead Sea salts.
Moisturizers
When applied regularly over a long period, moisturizers have a soothing effect. Preparations that are thick and greasy usually work best because they seal water in the skin, reducing scaling and itching.
Systemic Treatment
For more severe forms of psoriasis, doctors sometimes prescribe psoriasis medications that are taken internally by pill or injection. This is called systemic
psoriasis treatment. Some psoriasis medications used in systemic psoriasis treatment can include:
- Methotrexate
- Retinoids
- Cyclosporine
- 6-Thioguanine
- Hydroxyurea
- Biologic response modifiers
- Antibiotics.
Methotrexate
Like cyclosporine, methotrexate slows cell turnover by suppressing the immune system. For psoriasis treatment, it can be taken by pill or injection. Patients taking methotrexate must be closely monitored because it can cause liver damage and/or decrease the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, infection-fighting white blood cells, and clot-enhancing platelets.
As a precaution, doctors do not prescribe this psoriasis medication in people who have had liver disease or anemia (an illness characterized by weakness or tiredness due to a reduction in the number or volume of red blood cells that carry oxygen to the tissues). It is sometimes combined with PUVA or UVB treatments. Methotrexate should not be used by pregnant women, or by women who are planning to get pregnant, because it may cause birth defects.
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