August is National Psoriasis Awareness Month

RED ALERT – August Is Psoriasis Awareness Month What is Psoriasis?  Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that impacts nearly 6 million Americans. Those with psoriasis often have red patches of skin with thick white scales – commonly on the elbows, knees and scalp. Aside from the way it looks, psoriasis is often itchy, irritating and messy - - there’s lots of flakey skin shedding. With psoriasis, some part of the skin’s immune system is overactive, speeding up the skin’s metabolism. Normal skin renews itself every 60 days; psoriatic skin only takes nine days. Chicago-area dermatologist and skin care authority, Amy Forman Taub, MD is the Medical Director of Advanced Dermatology, founder of Skinfo.com, and Assistant Clinical Professor, Northwestern University Medical School, Department of Dermatology. Dr. Taub has treated hundreds of cases of psoriasis, all with patience and persistence, and has found several treatment options which offer relief and a better quality of life for psoriasis sufferers. Suffer from psoriasis?  Consider these treatment options which have worked for Advanced Dermatology patients: XTRAC Laser:  The XTRAC excimer laser provides targeted phototherapy treatment for psoriasis offering safe, effective and lasting results. This laser uses a focused beam of ultraviolet light on the affected skin area avoiding exposure to healthy skin. Topical Agents:  In mild psoriasis, where less than 10 percent of the body surface is affected, topical creams, ointments, gels and lotions are often applied first. These usually consist of steroids, vitamin D derivatives, retinoids (vitamin A derivatives), and tar based topical treatments. The most common is a steroid because of its anti-inflammatory properties and because it also decreases the redness and scaling relatively quickly. Visitskinfo.com to learn which creams and lotions work. Oral or Injectables:  When psoriasis is more severe or light treatments or topicals have failed, oral or injectable solutions may be considered. They work by decreasing the metabolism in overactive cells thereby decreasing the rapidity with which psoriatic skin is made -- helping to normalize it. In addition, sufferers now have biologic medications available – also known as “designer” drugs which attack specific molecular targets in the immune system. Amevive, Raptiva, Remicade, Enbrel and Humira treat moderate to severe psoriasis. To learn more about combating Psoriasis, please visit: www.advdermatology.com/pages/psoriasis/305.php