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    J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009 Jun;60(6):962-71. Epub 2009 Apr 17.

    Treatment of severe scalp psoriasis: from the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation.

    Chan CS, Van Voorhees AS, Lebwohl MG, Korman NJ, Young M, Bebo BF Jr, Kalb RE, Hsu S.

    Department of Dermatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.

    BACKGROUND: The scalp is the most commonly affected part of the body in patients with psoriasis. Signs and symptoms of scalp psoriasis vary significantly for individual patients. OBJECTIVE: A task force of the National Psoriasis Foundation was convened to evaluate treatment options. Our aim was to achieve a consensus for scalp psoriasis therapy. METHODS: Reports in the medical literature were reviewed regarding scalp psoriasis therapy. LIMITATIONS: There is a paucity of evidence-based and double-blind studies in the treatment of scalp psoriasis particularly for long-term therapy. Many of the studies in scalp psoriasis were designed to attain Food and Drug Administration approval for a medication and not to provide treatment guidance. CONCLUSIONS: The recommended short-term or intermittent therapy for scalp psoriasis is topical corticosteroids. The primary alternatives are topical retinoids, vitamin D analogues, and salicylic acid. Combination therapy has many advantages. The choice of an appropriate vehicle is crucial to increase patient compliance. While scalp psoriasis can often be adequately treated with topical therapy, recalcitrant disease may require more aggressive approaches, including systemic agents.

    PMID: 19375191 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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    Patient drug information

    • Calcitriol (Rocaltrol®)

      Calcitriol is a form of vitamin D that is used to treat and prevent low levels of calcium in the blood of patients whose kidneys or parathyroid glands (glands in the neck that release natural substances to control the am...

    • Salicylic Acid Topical (Akurza® Cream, Akurza® Lotion, Clearasil® products, ...)

      Topical salicylic acid is used to help clear and prevent pimples and skin blemishes in people who have acne. Topical salicylic acid is also used to treat skin conditions that involve scaling or overgrowth of skin cells s...

    • Calcipotriene Topical (Dovonex®)

      Calcipotriene is used to treat psoriasis (a skin disease in which red, scaly patches form due to increased production of skin cells on some areas of the body). Calcipotriene is in a class of medications called synthetic ...