Cyndi Lauper Speaks Out on Her Battle with This Skin Condition

Psoriasis, a condition in which scaly, red patches appear on the skin, is nothing to joke about.

Cyndi Lauper, a pop icon who’s battled with the condition herself, wants everyone who’s battled the condition to know that they’re not alone.

Not Just a Rash

Those who don’t know more about the condition might assume it’s just a rash – and even have the misconception that it’s simply something that’ll go away on it’s own.

But it’s not that simple. Psoriasis is an immune condition, where the rashes that pops up on individuals is inherently inflammatory in nature.

The scales that pop up can be itchy, painful, and are susceptible to cracking and bleeding. They can pop up all over the body and cause serious self-esteem issues in individuals.

7.5 million people live with the condition, Lauper points out. And for those people, sitting alone in the dark isn’t the best they could be doing – information is power.

What Treatment Options Are Available?

Topical treatments for psoriasis include salycyclic acid of varying degrees of strength and steroid-based creams. The steroid creams are sometimes combined with Calcipotriene, a Vitamin D based ointment that’s been shown to be effective in treating psoriasis.

Some oral drugs are also used to combat psoriasis. Methotrexate, a drug also used for chemotherapy, can be used to clear psoriasis lesions.

Biologic drugs made from human proteins are used to mediate the immune response of the body.

Another method of treatment is light therapy. Sunlight is used to reduce psoriasis lesions. However, light therapy has been shown to increase the chance of developing skin cancer, thus it’s not used as often.

Research has suggested certain natural remedies may be helpful for psoriasis, including aloe vera, fish oil, and bath salts.

Think you might have psoriasis and want to treat the symptoms? Call the Cosmetic Dermatology Center for more information.