Photoaggravated psoriasis

This guide has been written to help answer some of your questions about photoaggravated psoriasis. You may have been given this guide because you have been diagnosed with photoaggravated psoriasis or because we think this might be the cause of your symptoms. What is photoaggravated Psoriasis is a condition that causes scaly, red and sometimes itchy patches to appear on the skin. Photoaggravated psoriasis is psoriasis that is made worse by sunlight. We do not know exactly what causes psoriasis. What we do know is: l The time normally taken for skin cells to shed from the skin is 3-4 weeks but in psoriasis this is speeded up with cells being shed after 3-4 days l If someone else in your family has psoriasis you are more likely to develop it yourself l An outside event such as a throat infection, stress or injury to the skin often triggers psoriasis Who gets photoaggravated Psoriasis is a common skin disorder affecting 2 in every 100 people. The photoaggravated form of psoriasis is much more rare. What causes photoaggravated In photoaggravated psoriasis the skin shows an immune (allergic) response to the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight, which then triggers off the psoriasis. Is photoaggravated psoriasis infectious? No. There is no risk of other people catching photoaggravated psoriasis from you. 1

Can photoaggravated psoriasis be cured? No treatment will completely get rid of photoaggravated psoriasis, but, by careful sun avoidance, use of sunscreens and skin treatments the rash can be kept at bay. If the rash occurs, it is treated with the standard psoriasis treatments. How will photoaggravated psoriasis affect me? If you have been diagnosed as having photoaggravated psoriasis you may have to make changes to your lifestyle. You should try to: l Avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm l Wear protective clothing l Use a sunscreen that is SPF 30 or above (high UVB protection) and has four/five stars (high UVA protection). Remember to re-apply the sunscreen often How can photoaggravated psoriasis be treated? Sunscreens Your doctor will provide you with sunscreens on prescription and these will help protect your skin. Sunscreen should be applied as thickly as possible and re-applied as often as possible. Skin creams You may be prescribed any of the following: l Moisturising creams or emollients. Emollients can help to combat the dryness of your skin and can be used as often as necessary l Creams containing salicyclic acid can help heavily scaled plaques l Your doctor may prescribe corticosteroid creams or ointments to put on your skin. Steroid creams can be strong and should only be applied sparingly but, when used carefully, they can help to control the inflammation l Tar preparations - these can help remove any loose scales but can be messy l Dithranol can be applied to areas of psoriasis (not normal skin) and washed off after 30 to 60 minutes. The strength of the dithranol is increased every 3-5 days. If the area treated becomes inflamed you should stop using the dithranol l Vitamin A or vitamin D based treatments Tablets There are tablets that can be used to treat psoriasis but they do have side effects. These options would have to be carefully discussed with your dermatologist to see if they were suitable for you. Contact us The Photobiology Unit can be contacted on: 0161 206 4081 or by e-mail: Photobiology.Salford@srft. nhs.uk Further information The British Association of Dermatologists produces a series of patient information leaflets. They can be contacted at: The British Association of Dermatologists, 4 Fitzroy Square, London or if you have access to the internet on their web site: www.bad.org.uk 2 3

The Psoriasis Association provide education and support for those with psoriasis. They can be contacted at: Notes 7 Milton Street, Northampton, NN2 7JG 0854 676 0076 www.psoriasisassociation.org.uk 4 5

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