Remember hearing about the “heartbreak of psoriasis”? Well, there’s no need for your heart to break anymore, thanks to a wealth of dermatological treatments that can almost always successfully treat this unsightly skin condition. Dr. Todd Minars of Minars Dermatology in Hollywood, Florida, recommends lasers as perhaps the best way to treat psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a common skin disease that usually strikes between ages 15 to 35, but can appear at any time. It occurs when the skin’s cells regenerate too quickly and build up on the surface of the skin, creating red flaky lesions on various parts of the head, face and body. Some people are covered in these patches, some people have such a mild case of psoriasis they hardly know they have it.
We have always known that people who have psoriasis have some sort of defect in the immune system in the skin, which is why we use treatments that calm down or laser the immune system, like UV light or cortisone creams. UV light used to mean just getting the sun. Then as medicine progressed we put psoriasis patients in light boxes. The next generation of treatment was a narrow band UV with only one or two wavelengths instead of the whole band of UV. Now we prefer to use lasers.
Concentrated Sunlight
By definition, a laser is one specific wavelength of light, not a spectrum. The ones we use for psoriasis are 311 nanometers. There are several of these lasers. In this case, it is like concentrated sunlight, given in a small space at much higher energy.
The nice thing about lasers is that they are an alternative to creams, injections or pills. The disadvantage is that lasers are small, which means you cannot treat someone who has their entire body covered in patches of psoriasis, as you would be there all day.
Less of a Dose
Every treatment, of course, has its own side effects. The sun could increase your risk of skin cancer or accelerate the aging process. The nice thing about the laser is that you are only treating the psoriasis plaques. So in contrast to standing in a light box, you are sparing the normal skin and getting less of a dose. In effect, you are only exposing the specific plaques to the side effects, not the whole skin.
Laser treatment for psoriasis is only appropriate for specific situations, however. It is not practical for large areas as it is a little time-consuming. And it requires more than just one treatment so often patients will be coming in two or three times a week for a few weeks.
Also, laser treatment is like every treatment: Some people respond dramatically and some do not respond well at all. You don’t know ahead of time who will respond and who will not. But it’s a nice option as people with stubborn psoriasis who do not respond to some things do respond to lasers.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
