Treatments

Treatment for psoriasis focuses on reducing the severity of a flare and helping with the emotional stress of having psoriasis.

However, before a child undergoes any of the possible treatments, their parents or caregivers should discuss the risks and benefits that treatment carries with a primary care doctor or dermatologist and ask whether it is medically essential.

A dermatologist is a doctor or physician who specializes in skin care.

Topical therapies

People use topical therapy in the form of lotions, foams, creams, tars, bath solutions, and shampoos to treat most cases of psoriasis. Some OTC topical treatments are available, while others are only available by prescription.

This treatment involves medicated creams and lotions, such as topical steroids and creams containing anthralin, synthetic vitamin D3, and vitamin A. The FDA approves the use of salicylic acid and coal tar in OTC psoriasis treatments.

Topical therapies may resolve mild to moderate skin symptoms without any further treatment.

Phototherapy

Phototherapy involves regularly exposingTrusted Source skin to concentrated ultraviolet A (UVA) or ultraviolet B (UVB) light under medical supervision.

Because UV light plays a role in developing skin cancer, it is generally not suitable for use in child psoriasis cases. People with mild plaque or guttate psoriasis tend to respond best to phototherapy.

A dermatologist will typically prescribe phototherapy.

Systemic medications

Systemic medications directly treat specific parts of the immune system, addressing the root cause of psoriasis. These may be oral tablets and capsules or injectable solutions.

Typically, people use these for moderate to severe presentations and only take them for short periods. Doctors rarely prescribe them for psoriasis of the scalp.

If the plaques or lesions do not respond to other treatments, doctors might sometimes prescribe oral medications to help treat psoriasis in children.

Doctors may recommend injectable medications for psoriasis. The frequency of administration will vary between drugs, and doctors will monitor people for any potential side effects throughout the course of treatment.

Injectable medications for psoriasis include:

• Etanercept: A person or caregiver will administer this medication twice a week. If symptoms do not improve after 12 weeks, a doctor will cease treatment.
• Infliximab: A doctor will administer this drug through an intravenous drip. A person will typically receive three infusions in the first 6 weeks and then one infusion every 8 weeks. A doctor will recommend that treatment end if no improvement is visible after 10 weeks.
• Ustekinumab: A person will receive a dose of this drug at the start of treatment, another at 4 weeks, and then every 12 weeks thereafter. Treatment will cease if symptoms do not improve after 16 weeks.
• Adalimumab: A person will receive a dose of this medication every 2 weeks. If no improvement is visible after 16 weeks, a doctor will cease treatment.