Managing Psoriasis: When to Get in Touch with Your Doctor

Psoriasis is a common dermatologic condition that can cause ongoing stress for people. Because this is a chronic skin disease, psoriasis can only be managed. People with this condition often experience periods of remission offset by bouts of flareups in which symptoms like itching, cracked skin, burning, and redness worsen. For the most part, psoriasis is managed with periodic dermatologic checkups and a lot of good home care. Because of its unique biological components, though, psoriasis may bring up additional reasons to call your dermatologist. We’ll discuss those here.

Call Your Doctor If

• You notice something new. We could describe something new as any worsening of symptoms; increased redness or more numerous red patches, burning or itching that is more intense or frequent than normal, and even difficulty with normal tasks brought on by joint pain where there wasn’t any before. Joint pain could indicate psoriatic arthritis and deserves a thorough examination.
• Your itching doesn’t improve with home care. People with psoriasis know the various ways that they can keep itching under control. This may include keeping the skin moistened with thick emollient cream and using an over-the-counter anti-itch product like calamine lotion. If the usual remedies that typically work stop providing sufficient relief, it is time to consult with your dermatologist for new treatment options.
• You’re avoiding social environments. A healthy social life is vital to a good quality of life. People with psoriasis often feel self-conscious about their red, irritated skin; so much so that they start saying no to social invitations when they’d like to say yes. Psoriasis may cause visible symptoms on the skin but this condition does not have to diminish emotional bonding.
• You’ve heard of a promising new remedy. We are supportive of patients’ right to advocate for themselves and manage their skin without prescription medication or in any combination they prefer. Still, we encourage our patients to contact us if they’re considering adding any new remedy to their skincare routine. A brief consultation could avoid unnecessary inflammation or irritation caused by interaction between two chemicals.

At Westerville Dermatology, we put patients’ needs first. To schedule a consultation to discuss how to manage your psoriasis, call 614-895-0400.