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While psoriasis is a relatively common skin condition, everyone afflicted seems to suffer differently. Some people only experience plaque psoriasis on a certain area of the body while others have it all over, including the scalp. These are several different manifestations of psoriasis, each with its own unique set of challenges. This is why compounded psoriasis creams specifically tailored to your needs may be exactly what the doctor ordered.
What is Psoriasis?
Simply put, psoriasis is a skin condition that causes the life cycle of your body’s skin cells to speed up.
This causes dead skin cells to very quickly accumulate on the surface of your skin. The fast-forming cells create irritating red patches and scaly areas that are often painful and itchy.
Psoriasis is a chronic condition with no cure, but there are lifestyle measures you can take to manage the symptoms. And, of course, there are medications and creams you can use.
That said, it is important to know what type of psoriasis you suffer from, because it can impact the way we treat it or the drugs we use in compounded psoriasis creams.
Common Types of Psoriasis
There are several forms of psoriasis, including but not limited to:
- Plaque Psoriasis – the most frequently seen and causes red, scaly plaques to form on the patient’s skin. These plaques can form anywhere on the body.
- Inverse psoriasis – causes inflamed skin around the genitals and groin areas, under your breasts, or under the armpits. This type of psoriasis is often irritated by the sweat and friction common in those areas. It can also be triggered by fungal infections.
- Pustular psoriasis – is not very common but can be very painful. This condition creates small blisters on the skin that contain clear fluid. Pustular psoriasis can also cause diarrhea, fever, and chills.
- Nail psoriasis – This condition, as you might expect, affects your finger and toenails. It causes nails to grow abnormally, sometimes causing them to crumble or separate from the nail bed itself.
- Guttate psoriasis – This condition predominately impacts children and younger adults. It is commonly triggered by bacterial infections, such as staph infection or bronchitis. Guttate psoriasis can also be idiopathic and limited to a single outbreak.
- Psoriatic arthritis – is a form of psoriasis that not only causes skin issues but also causes your joints to become painful and swollen. The condition can range from mild to severe and can impact any joint.
While the causes of psoriasis aren’t very well understood, researchers believe it may be an autoimmune condition connected with the functioning of the T-cells and neutrophils within your body.
The T-cells become overactive and cause the overproduction of the skin cells while the dilation of blood vessels causes the redness and irritation.
Common Treatments for Psoriasis
There are a variety of common treatments to treat psoriasis.
While there are some oral medications, and light therapy is useful in some cases, the majority of the most effective treatments are topical psoriasis creams.
Your doctor may prescribe one or more medications, depending on the severity of your condition.
The most common include:
- Topical retinoids, or vitamin A derivatives, to reduce inflammation and irritation.
- Calcineurin inhibitors to slow plaque buildup and inflammation.
- Corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and relieve itching.
- Vitamin D analogues to slow the growth of the excess skin cells.
- Moisturizers to reduce itchiness and dryness.
- Salicylic acid to help remove dead skin cells.
- Anthralin, also to slow the growth of skin cells.
- Coal tar, also to reduce inflammation and scaling.
Unfortunately, just about all of these topical medications come with side effects.
Always follow the instructions given by your doctor and make sure your physician knows if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as you may be unable to use certain formulas safely.
Compounded Psoriasis Creams
Treating psoriasis is a bit “trial and error.”
What works for one patient may have no effect on another. A remedy that you have no side effects from may irritate another patient’s skin or even cause worsening symptoms.
It’s very important to work closely with your doctor and to completely disclose any concerns, issues, or side-effects you do have so that they can make the appropriate adjustments.
Working with a compounding pharmacist is especially helpful when treating many different dermatological conditions.
A good compounding pharmacist can help you to assess your symptoms and previous reactions to medications.
Then, they will come up with a combination of medications (as well as delivery methods) that minimize side effects while enhancing effectiveness.
For example, you may receive customized psoriasis creams including corticosteroids combined with a soothing lotion to avoid skin irritation.
A vitamin B12 cream might be combined with an avocado oil base for easier distribution on the surface of your skin.
Your compounding pharmacist can combine more than one medication, at different percentage levels. From this, you get both healing and soothing benefits.
Compounding with Prescription Medications
A compounding pharmacist may also be able to help you take a commonly oral drug and compound it into a topical form.
Methotrexate, for example, has been a common oral treatment for psoriasis for decades. It also causes some notable side effects, such as flu-like symptoms, bruising, nausea, and stomach pain.
Compounded into topical psoriasis creams, though, methotrexate has been proven to be very well tolerated with very few related side effects at all.
Your compounding pharmacist may also be able to work with your doctor to more precisely adjust the potency of each of the medications in your topical psoriasis creams – a luxury that isn’t as readily available with oral drugs that only come in specific dosage amounts.
They will also make sure that the medications you do receive do not lose potency.
For example, a customized lotion or gel may only be dispensed in a 2-week supply to ensure the product remains as effective as possible for you.
Do not try to hoard or save customized topical medications as they will lose potency relatively fast.
In some cases, may even become dangerous to use after a few months. Use them as prescribed.
Psoriasis is a tricky condition to treat but working carefully with both your doctor and a talented compounding pharmacist to create customized psoriasis creams may prove the solution you’ve been waiting for.
Don’t be afraid to speak up about your symptoms. The more your medical team knows, the easier it will be for them to find a custom solution for your unique needs.