Psoriasis cream – Ointment and cream treatment for psoriasis – Best cream for psoriasis

Ointment and cream treatments for psoriasis abound in health and drugstores, sometimes making it difficult for us to choose which of them are the best cream for psoriasis. In fact, there are classifications for these treatments:

Topical treatments for psoriasis- The treatments may include:

- Sprays to cover a large portion of the skin affected;
- Tapes for parts that are already thickened;
- Gels and foams for psoriasis that are present in hairy areas;
- Oils;
- Diluted liquids;
- Psoriasis cream for damp regions;
- Ointments for dry spots.

In all cases, there are topical products for every individual needs.

Steroid creams-

· A corticosteroid steroid called hydrocortisone is the most common ingredient for every topical preparation. The topical preparation contains 1% strength of hydrocortisone and can be bought as an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine. Hydrocortisone is different from the muscle building steroids that we often hear from body builders since this is the mildest among the group of steroids.

· The use of OTC hydrocortisone may not be sufficient to cure psoriasis; hence, it is does qualify as the best cream for psoriasis. Usually, cortisone is added as part of the treatment process. Cortisone is a hormone naturally secreted by the adrenal gland particularly the adrenal cortex but this was synthesized to become as a drug medication.

· The use of cortisone drug in the form of cortisone cream is applied in the affected psoriasis area. Normally, the purchase of cortisone being a steroid requires a doctor’s prescription especially those with higher levels of strengths. The strengths of steroids are determined by its class; the lower the class of steroid, the stronger the steroid medication. Hence, a class 1 steroid has a higher strength than a class 7 steroid. Therefore, a psoriasis cream containing higher strengths will normally require a doctor’s prescription.

Just like any synthetic drugs, strong psoriasis creams may also result to side effects:

1.  Steroids can cause stretch marks in the groin and armpits;

2.  Thinning of the skin due to prolonged and constant use;

3.  Lessening of the body’s ability to fight stress caused by surgery, injury, or infection.

Thus, it is clearly a must that proper doctor consultations should be made to ensure proper use and application to avoid these side effects.

Non-Steroids

Aside from psoriasis drugs containing steroids, there are also non-steroid treatments available:

1. Protopic (tacrolimus) and Elidel (pimecrolimus)- These are immune modulating drugs that reduce inflammation in the absence of adverse effects common to steroids.

2. Dovonex (calcipotriene)- is a vitamin D derivative that can normalize the growth of body cells.

3. Tazorac (tazarotene)- is a vitamin A like drug (retinoid) which regulates the growth and aging of cells.

4. Anthralin- aims to slow down the swift growth of skin cells common in sufferers of psoriasis.

The side effects of non-steroid drugs are negligible compared to steroid drugs. However, we cannot ignore the fact that the effects of non-steroid drugs are not as impressive and significant, if compared to their steroid counterparts. Based on this, a new drug was formulated called Taclonex (calcipotriene) and it works like a steroid drug for psoriasis with minimal adverse effects.

Under normal circumstances, OTC psoriasis cream is only effective for the time being. Due to the changing nature of the disease, the psoriasis cream may not be effective on the second use. Further, what may be applicable to some psoriasis sufferers may be useless due to different individual reactions even to common ingredients.

The initial use of OTC drugs for psoriasis must be taken with caution and should be referred to a proper medical practitioner if the healing effect ceases.

If you are affected with psoriasis, there are two options available. The first is to treat them with medicated psoriasis creams which require your doctor’s proper medical evaluation and the second is to use the natural remedies available.

Whichever is your option, the important thing is for you to evaluate the risks involved. Consider all positive and negative issues regarding the psoriasis cream or the natural treatment of your choice.