Online Psoriasis Treatment
Psoriasis can flare up without warning, and getting a dermatology appointment is not always quick. With Your Doctors Online, you can have your skin checked from home 24/7 by a board-certified doctor who can review your symptoms, photos, and medical history. When prescription treatment is appropriate, it can be sent to the pharmacy you choose.
How to get psoriasis treatment online
Talk to a board-certified doctor and get a prescription sent to your pharmacy.
Describe your Issue
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- Skin
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Chat with a Doctor
Connect with a board-certified doctor. You can chat, send pictures and videos.
Hi I’m dr. Nicole. How may I help you?
Hi Dr. Nicole, I have rashes on my trunk with cracked skin that itch and burn. Can you help me?
Get Prescription
Our online doctors can help you with your medical issues and give you prescriptions.
Prescription
- Betamethasone spray 0.05%
- Apply to the affected area twice a day for up to 4 weeks. Revisit if irritation occurs.
Send Prescription
What are the treatment options for psoriasis?
Psoriasis is treated first with topical medication. The right option depends on how much skin is affected, where the patches are, and how your psoriasis has responded to treatment before.
- Steroid creams and ointments: Often the first treatment. They reduce redness, itching, and thickened skin and are usually used for a limited time.
- Vitamin D creams: These slow the buildup of skin cells and are often used with a steroid. Some products combine both treatments.
- Retinoid creams: These can help with thick, stubborn plaques.
- Steroid-free prescription creams and foams: Newer options can treat plaque psoriasis, including areas such as skin folds where stronger steroids may not be suitable.
- Scale-softening treatments: Ingredients such as salicylic acid and coal tar help loosen thick scales so other treatments can reach the skin.
- Light therapy, tablets, and injections: These may be used when psoriasis covers larger areas or does not respond to topical treatment. They require medical assessment and, for some treatments, blood tests and ongoing monitoring.
When psoriasis needs more than topical treatment, a doctor can recommend the next step and whether you need in-person care.
What psoriasis creams and medications can we prescribe online?
Our doctors may issue an online prescription for creams and medications to treat psoriasis.
Steroid spray for plaque psoriasis
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Retinoid cream for plaque psoriasis
Learn More What is psoriasis and what causes it?
Psoriasis is a chronic condition caused by an overactive immune system. It causes skin cells to grow and accumulate faster than usual, creating raised patches covered with dry or flaky skin. Psoriasis is not contagious.
The exact cause is not known. Genes and environmental factors both play a role, and certain things can trigger a flare, including stress, cuts or sunburn, infections such as strep throat, cold weather, smoking, and some medicines.
There are several types of psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is the most common. Other types can cause small, scattered spots, smooth red patches in skin folds, or pus-filled bumps on the hands and feet.
What are the symptoms of psoriasis?
The patches are the main symptom, and how they look can vary depending on your skin tone:
- Dry, cracked skin prone to bleeding
- Itching, burning, or soreness
- Round rashes that flare up for weeks or months and then subside
- Patchy rash with varying appearances
- Rash color differs on different skin tones (purple with gray scale on dark skin, pink or red with silver scale on white skin)
- Small scaling spots, particularly seen in children
Nails that thicken, pit, or lift away from the nail bed can also be a sign of psoriasis. Some people develop joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis, which needs separate treatment.
How do you treat scalp psoriasis?
Scalp psoriasis needs treatment that can reach the skin through the hair. The medicine and the form it comes in both matter.
- Steroid shampoo: Clobetasol shampoo can be used for moderate to severe scalp psoriasis in adults. It is applied to the scalp, left for about 15 minutes, then rinsed out.
- Vitamin D and steroid combination: A prescription scalp treatment can reduce both the skin buildup and inflammation.
- Steroid-free foam: Roflumilast foam is an option for plaque psoriasis of the scalp and body in people aged 12 and older.
- Scale-softening shampoo: Salicylic acid or coal tar shampoos can loosen thick scales, allowing other treatments to reach the scalp.
Dandruff shampoos do not treat scalp psoriasis, and the two can look similar. A doctor can help tell them apart and recommend the right treatment.
FAQs About Psoriasis
What is the best cream to treat psoriasis?
There is no single best cream. The right one depends on where the psoriasis is and how thick the patches are. For patches on the body, a steroid cream or a vitamin D cream is usually the first choice, and the two are often combined in a single tube. For the face and skin folds, where the skin is thin, a steroid-free prescription cream may be a better fit. Over-the-counter hydrocortisone is approved to relieve itching, not to clear a thick patch.
What clears psoriasis fast?
Nothing clears psoriasis overnight. For widespread psoriasis, light treatment given under medical supervision can work faster than creams alone, but it has to be done in person. For the patches most people have, the quickest route is usually the right prescription cream started early in the flare, with a scale-softening shampoo or ointment first if the patch is thick. Topical treatment is normally given a few weeks before deciding whether it has worked.
Is there a way to permanently get rid of psoriasis?
No. Psoriasis is a long-term condition, so it tends to come and go rather than clear for good. Treatment can get the skin clear and keep it that way, sometimes for months at a time. Knowing your own triggers and treating a flare early can help keep the clear periods longer.
Is there an OTC for psoriasis?
Yes, for mild patches. Salicylic acid and coal tar are the two ingredients approved over the counter for psoriasis, and they are sold as shampoos, creams, and bath products. Moisturizer can help with dryness and cracking, and one percent hydrocortisone is approved to relieve itching rather than to clear a patch. If a few weeks of this has not helped, the next step is usually a prescription rather than a stronger over-the-counter product.
How do I get rid of psoriasis on my face?
Facial skin is thin, so strong steroids are not usually used there for long. A low-strength steroid for a short course, or a steroid-free prescription cream, is the usual approach, along with a fragrance-free moisturizer. Psoriasis on the face can look like other rashes, so it is worth having it checked before you treat it. You can send photos to Your Doctors Online and have a board-certified doctor confirm what it is first.
How to treat psoriasis during pregnancy?
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or trying to conceive, because it changes the options. Moisturizer and a low-strength topical steroid, used on limited areas for short periods, are the usual choices in pregnancy, and your doctor and your obstetrician should agree on the plan. Retinoid creams are not an option, as Tazarotene is contraindicated in pregnancy and its label asks for a negative pregnancy test before treatment starts.
Should you treat mild psoriasis?
Yes. Mild psoriasis is usually easier to control than widespread psoriasis, and treating it early can mean lower-strength treatment for a shorter time. It also means being assessed, which matters because psoriasis is linked to joint problems and other conditions that are better picked up early.
Which psoriasis medication has the least side effects?
For many people, it is a steroid-free prescription cream because it avoids the skin thinning that can come with long-term steroid use, and it can be used in skin folds as well as on the body. Biologics work well but need an in-person assessment and blood tests before they are started, so they are not the low-risk option they are sometimes presented as. A doctor can weigh the options against your own history and what you have already tried.
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