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HealthInfo Aoraki South Canterbury

Treating psoriasis

Te whakarauora i te mate tongatonga uri

psoriasis-earAlthough there is no cure for your psoriasis, there are many effective treatments that can keep your psoriasis under control.

You often need to try different treatments to see what works for you. Many psoriasis treatments are only available on prescription from your doctor, some are only available through a skin specialist (a dermatologist).

As well as self-care, treatments depend on your symptoms and include the following:

Topical treatments

Topical treatments are products you put on your skin, such as:

Treatments for psoriasis on your scalp

You can buy tar shampoos from the supermarket or pharmacy to help with psoriasis on your scalp. If this isn't working, your doctor may suggest you try a product containing betamethasone valerate (Beta Scalp). This is a steroid medication and is only available on prescription. You can also get a calcipotriol scalp lotion.

For thicker scaling, a product called Coco-scalp may help. Use as directed on the packaging.

Other treatments for psoriasis

If your psoriasis is very bad and not getting better with topical treatment, your doctor may refer you to see a specialist skin doctor (a dermatologist).

Treatment may then include:

You can read more about treatment for psoriasis here.

Unfortunately, there is limited access to specialist skin doctors (dermatologists) in the public health system.

If you prefer, you can pay to see a private dermatologist. You can find a private dermatologist on Healthpoint.

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Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed August 2021.

Sources

See also:

Immunosuppression

Page reference: 37442

Review key: HIPSO-20776