Types of Psoriasis Cream

Psoriasis is the most prevalent autoimmune diseases in the U.S. Today. Based on statistics, 7.5 million Americans are suffering; screaming for help with their psoriasis. Studies also suggest that 10-30% of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis over time. To add, patients with moderate to severe cases experience a great impact on their quality of life. The total direct and indirect health care costs of psoriasis are almost at $11.25 billion annually, and almost 60% of patients missed an average of 26 days of work a year! Psoriasi is also a chronic disease. And sad to say, medical science is still in the process of finding a cure. Though treatment for its symptoms are widely available, including the use of topical psoriasis cream.

Emollients are substances that soften and soothe the skin, as well as correct dryness and scaling. Emollients are key components of lipstick, lotions, creams and ointments. Creams are classified as “moderate” emollients, lotion being “light”, and ointments being “heavy”. - The classification is definitive to how long an emollient stays on the skin. As creams are under “moderate” they are ideally used as they stay on the skin long enough without being messy.

Psoriasis Creams

Creams that are used in treating psoriasis have various active ingredients. They could be natural creams, herbal creams or prescription/non-prescription corticosteroids. As psoriasis is hit-and-miss, finding the right cream to use can be difficult. A cream that works for you may not work for another person. Here are some types of creams that may help you in fighting with psoriasis:

Anthralin – This is used to treat plaque psoriasis. Anthralin works by reducing the rapid growth of skin cells associated with plaque psoriasis. It can be applied directly to the skin. Anthralin is very messy to use as it causes brown stains if it comes in contact with unaffected skin. The good thing about Anthralin is that it has no known side-effects.

Calcipotriene – It is a form of synthetic Vitamin D and is not the same as the vitamin D present in drugs or dietary supplements. Calcipotriene is formulated to slow skin cell growth, flatten lesions and remove scaling. It comes in 0.005% cream and is applied twice per day. It is usually prescribed for a treatment period of six to eight weeks. Calcipotriene has no know serious side effects when used accordingly and it is FDA approved for long-term use. Some minor side effects, though, may arise like skin irritation, dry skin, peeling and rashes.

Tazarotene – Brand name Tazorac, is a Vitamin A derivative and is well known as a topical retinoid. It is also thought to slow skin cell growth. It comes in 0.05% or 0.1% strength cream that contains a moisturizer which make it ideal for people with sensitive skin, or those who live in harsher climates. There are some side effects with prolonged use such as skin irritation, dry skin and it may make your skin more susceptible to sunburn.

Coticosteroids – These are frequently used to treat psoriasis. These are derived from the natural corticosteroids that are produced by the adrenal gland. Corticosteroids help control inflammatory responses. The safest to use steroid cream for psoriasis are creams with .05% hydrocortisone as they are the mildest among coritcosteroids.

Aloe vera creams – The plant's gel are added to creams. The active compounds found in aloe vera are Aloins, anthraquinones and resin that help in treating minor burns, sunburn and insect bites. The aloe vera used in creams are 0.5% aloe vera extract in hydrophilic cream.  Sometimes, zinc is added in the formulation. It is safe to use as it has no known side effects. It is advisable to use aloe vera cream 3 times a day for 5 consecutive days, for a minimum of 4 weeks.

Natralia cream – Natralia creams work as natural treatments for psoriasis as an all natural moisturizer that provides quick relief from skin rash. Natralia also heals psoriasis, eczema and other skin diseases and is safe to use. There are no known side effects. Unlike other medicated creams, it can be used on all parts of the body.

Psoriasis cream is one way of treating psoriasis, but you should always remember to consult your dermatologist first if you are using the medicated ones as they pose serious side-effects if used incorrectly.