Outpatient topical therapy is the first-line treatment of plaque psoriasis. Topical agents include corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, vitamin D analogs such as calcipotriene, tazarotene, salicylic acid, anthralin, and coal tar. Often, a rotational therapeutic approach is used to minimize the adverse-effect profiles of a single agent. Topicals are frequently used as adjunctive therapies for patients on phototherapy, systemic, or biologic therapy.
No single topical agent is uniformly effective for plaque psoriasis, and, as stated, many are often used concurrently in a combined approach.
Medscape © 2021 WebMD, LLC
Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: William James. Skill Checkup: A 27-Year-Old Woman With Erythematous Plaques on Her Elbow, Thighs, and Scalp - Medscape - Dec 20, 2021.
Comments