Cure For Psoriasis

Psoriasis flares typically occur on the arms, neck, and legs but they actually can appear anywhere on the body. “And that includes the scalp,” says Dina D. Strachan, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Manhattan and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at New York’s Columbia University. “While some people only have psoriasis on the scalp, most people with scalp psoriasis have it on other parts of their body, as well.”

At the onset, scalp psoriasis often is confused with seborrheic dermatitis (a.k.a. dandruff). “Dandruff tends to itch more, and it has a greasy-appearing yellow scale; in contrast, psoriasis — whether it’s on your scalp or any other body part — tends to have a thick, silvery scale,” Dr. Strachan explains. Adds Joy Alpert Levine, M.D., co-founder of Plastic Surgery & Dermatology of NYC, “Scalp psoriasis may itch and become easily irritated during a flare, however, and it also may affect your hairline or creep down onto your forehead, nape of your neck, or your ears.”

Scalp psoriasis treatments are similar to alternative ways of treating psoriasis on other parts of the body. Although psoriasis on the head can be more distressing than elsewhere because of the high visibility, it’s not usually any more of a problem finding a cure.

The only difference when treating psoriasis on a sufferers head, is that the usual ointments and creams aren’t really very suitable. They tend to be more messy and difficult to apply so are not best suited to applying to the head, neck or face. That’s probably why psoriasis scalp treatments tend to come in shampoo form, or as an oil, liquid, or foam application.

Many people who suffer from psoriasis of the scalp worry that their hair may fall out. While there may be a certain amount of hair loss, this will more likely be due to the constant scratching and rubbing. Pronounced hair loss isn’t usually associated with psoriasis.

One of the main reasons people search out a cure for scalp psoriasis is the awkwardness caused by the skin flaking. It can often get quite bad, forcing the sufferer to completely avoid dark clothes. Even in mild cases, where the flaking is very similar to dandruff, it can still make life difficult. With worse cases, the flaking can appear almost like scales, and obviously that presents more serious problems.

Telling the difference between scalp psoriasis and other causes of skin flaking is as simple as visiting your doctor and taking a physical examination. There are other tell tale signs of psoriasis that your health practitioner will spot, but even so there may be a need for further testing such as a skin biopsy before scalp psoriasis can be officially diagnosed.

One option for treating your scalp psoriasis is to resort to medication. There is no difference in the ingredients between scalp psoriasis and normal body psoriasis medications. Some of the more well known treatments for psoriasis are corticosteroids, keratolytics, anthralin, coal tar and dovonex. Your doctor may recommend one or more of these.

Scalp psoriasis is essentially the same as psoriasis on any other part of the body, and responds to treatment in exactly the same way. Be careful of paying for the same drug in two different forms, when in fact you can use the cheaper one for your scalp psoriasis. For example, if you have been prescribed corticosteroid medication in foam or gel form, you may be able to use the on your scalp as well as your body.