The burden of scalp psoriasis

MANILA, Philippines - The signs of psoriasis may only be seen on the surface, but its burden is felt deep down by those who live with it.

Often unexpectedly, psoriasis makes its entrance into people’s lives through various ways. Some experience it first as dandruff with big flakes along with itching and burning on their scalps. Some come face-to-face with red patches covering parts of their body after a bout of intense stress at work, or after an infection.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition characterized by patches of raised red skin covered by a flaky white build-up. It can cause intense pain and itching, affect daily activities (if it affects hands and legs) and cause severe psychological and emotional pain.

As the visible signs of psoriasis on the skin are often confused with other skin diseases, even among general practitioners, problems with stigmatization arise. As a result, patients face socio-psychological problems in gaining employment, living with their family and functioning within society.

New research reveals how thousands of people with terribly itchy, flaky scalps delay going to the doctor and rely on dandruff shampoos that may not work, unaware of the new fast-acting and pleasant-to-use medicine now available on prescription.

Some mistakenly think that they have dandruff, while up to 50 percent of those who have been diagnosed with scalp psoriasis are so nervous of side effects and sick of messy, time-consuming and unpleasant treatments that they have stopped using them.

It seems that some people are worried about potential side effects, while others just don’t think that treatments are worth continuing with because nothing seems to work.

“The good news is that there are now advanced products and formulations available from your doctor which are effective and fast-acting, only need to be put on once a day, don’t take long to apply, don’t smell and are pleasant to use,” said Dr. Ma. Lorna Frez, past Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) president, in a lecture she delivered at the 35th PDS annual convention at Crowne Plaza Hotel recently.

“My patients find these newer formulations very easy to use. The advanced treatments are so effective you might start to notice a difference after just one week, but you should continue with the treatment for the recommended amount of time to get optimum results. Newer formulations have been demonstrated to be safe and well-tolerated for long-term management,” Frez said.

For her part, Dr. Teresita Gabriel, PDS president, said, “Scalp psoriasis can easily be mistaken for dandruff — it is only when it starts to affect the body as well that some people decide to go to their doctor. This is a real shame because they could have been using an effective treatment for long time before that. Lots of people have been put off using prescription medicine because they found them too difficult to use but things have really moved on — these newer formulations have been specifically developed for the scalp and are much easier and more pleasant to use.”

The difference between dandruff and scalp psoriasis can be difficult to spot as both conditions are characterized by itching and flaking. A health care professional will be able to provide an accurate diagnosis.

Consult a PDS accredited dermatologist in any of the dermatology training institutions or contact the PDS office at (632) 727-7309 or (632) 723-0101 local 2015, for more information.