What are the Best Creams for Psoriasis?

Learning to manage psoriasis is not always easy and can be full of ups and downs. Symptoms can often flare up in cycles especially during periods of change. It can be tough, feeling as though you’ve overcome your psoriasis only to be faced with a flare up a few months or even weeks later.

Finding the right products can go a long way in helping you to feel more comfortable in your skin and see real results.

Understanding Psoriasis

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition where the immune system becomes overactive, causing skin cells to over replicate. This makes the skin patchy, scaly, and inflamed. What causes Psoriasis is not fully understood, but genetics and environmental factors are believed to be at play. Symptoms can often come and go in waves, which can feel super frustrating not knowing whether too much of a certain food or that extra stressful week at work will randomly trigger your next flare up.

Popular Psoriasis treatments

The most popular topical treatments for psoriasis include actives like corticosteroids, tar-based actives and keratolytics. These powerful actives can reduce inflammation and treat plaque buildup, but they’re not so good in combating the dryness and itch associated with psoriasis. That’s why finding the right cream is an essential component to keeping scaly skin away.

The cream conundrum – what to look for
Many products claim to be the one-stop solution to curing your psoriasis, but here’s the low down on what ingredients are scientifically proven to offer symptomatic relief, so you can make an informed choice.

Ceramides
Ceramides can help to replenish the deficient lipids in psoriatic skin and improve skin integrity and structure.
Scale lifters (keratolytics)
Keratolytics help soften psoriasis scales, although a little goes a long way, since excess use can dry the skin and increase irritation. So, it’s important to look for nourishing ingredients alongside keratolytics, to combat dryness that can result.

Common keratolytics include:

• Salicylic acid
• Lactic acid
• Glycolic acid
• Urea

Soothing ingredients in Psoriasis Creams

Aloe vera – Aloe vera is known to be super soothing and beneficial in decreasing inflammation and redness. It also helps the skin to retain moisture.
Turmeric – The active ingredient in Curcumin, Turmeric, has been shown to reduce psoriasis symptoms and inflammation in the body.
Emollients – Emollients help soothe dryness and irritation, making them ultra helpful for psoriasis affected skin. Occlusives and humectants are the main types of emollients. Occlusives form a thick and often greasy barrier on the skin, which doesn’t add additional moisture but protects the skin from losing existing moisture. Common occlusives include petroleum jelly, lanolin and allantoin. Humectants aren’t as thick and greasy as occlusives, so they aren’t as great at preventing moisture loss, but they can increase skin hydration by attracting more moisture to the skin. Common humectants include glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and urea.

What to avoid when choosing a Psoriasis Cream

• Fragrances and essential oils – Fragrances and essential oils can be irritating to the skin and so are best to avoid.
• Alcohols – Alcohol can dry the skin out and make it difficult to retain moisture.
• Tar – Tar has been shown to reduce inflammation and psoriasis scaling, but not without its fair share of downsides. Redness, irritation and dry skin can result from use, not to mention the unpleasant smell and stains it leaves on clothes and towels. Studies also show some chemicals in coal tar may cause cancer although only in very high concentrations, so it’s best to opt for safer ingredients that can perform the same function.

The Dermal Therapy Difference

Dermal Therapy’s Psoriasis cream is specifically formulated to relief symptoms of psoriasis including easing skin plaques and enhancing scale removal. It also forms a barrier to protect further moisture loss and can be used in combination with other psoriasis treatments. The Psoriasis cream formula contains:

• 10% urea and 1.5% lactic acid for scale removal
• Emollient – humectant complex including Bisabolol, Aloe Vera and Allantoin to minimise skin dehydration and restore the skin’s protective barrier
• A natural turmeric extract to calm inflammation
• And is tar free

With the high number of skincare products available, it can be hard to know what cream is best for your skin. But equipping yourself with knowledge about different skincare ingredients can help make finding the right products and achieving symptomatic relief of Psoriasis a whole lot easier.