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Dr. Crowley is a dermatologist and has been a psoriasis expert for 15 years. Listen to what he has to say about psoriasis.

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Dr. Crowley Video Transcript

I'm Jeff Crowley. I'm a dermatologist in Bakersville, California and I've been treating psoriasis patients for over 15 years.

A dermatologist is an expert in the skin, hair and nails. So we take care of all disorders that occur on the skin and this is obviously where psoriasis manifests itself mainly is on the skin.

And so dermatologists are best suited for treating psoriasis and other skin disorders.

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a very complicated condition but it basically boils down to the fact that it's an immunologic disease- it's a disease of your immune system. I tell patients that your immune system is overactive, it's working a little too hard which causes too many white blood cells which then go into your skin and cause these plaques of psoriasis. Of course they also can go into the joints and can cause psoriatic arthritis.

Treatment Options

There are many different treatments available for psoriasis. Everything from topical creams and different formulations and phototherapy, light treatments…..then we consider systemic treatments. And there are pills that can be taken and then there are these biologic drugs.

All of these treatments can work well for certain patients but patients with moderate to severe disease generally need a systemic treatment.

How Psoriasis Affects You

Psoriasis affects your skin. When it affects your skin it can affect just small areas or it can affect large areas. It's also important which areas of the skin are involved.

If the psoriasis is on your body and on your hands, you may have problems with being able to function with your work.

But psoriasis can also have more subtle effects on you. It can be embarrassing to patients. It can be the fact that the psoriasis is visible.

Patients often feel very concerned about their psoriasis because of how other people may see them or portray them and if the psoriasis is on visible areas it can make it very difficult for them to interact with other people. It can be difficult for them to interact in social settings.

Talk with a Health Care Provider

It's difficult to get patients to open up and really talk to you about their true feelings with psoriasis. And a lot of times in a very busy office visit, you're not going to be able to address all the issues but I really think it's important to get an idea of how much the psoriasis is affecting the patients' lives and so I will ask them very simply, you know, how much is this impacting what you need to do, what you like to do, the kind of activities that you enjoy.

And generally you'll get an answer there and you'll find out and they may say, "Well, it really doesn't bother me too much" and then a minute later they'll say, "You know, it really does. Because it is keeping me from doing what I want to do.

"You know, I wanted to go to the dance and wear a dress that had that was cut right and I couldn't because my psoriasis was showing. I wanted to, you know, go to the pool and wear a swimsuit and not have people stare at me."

Finding the Right Doctor and Treatment for You

Patients will often go through many treatments before they find a treatment that is going to work for them. The other problem is that patients will often go to see different types of providers before they get to someone like a dermatologist who's really going to have the expertise to give them the proper treatment for their psoriasis.

Many of my patients are professionals. They have careers where they're in the public or they're working with their hands. I have a mechanic who has just severe cracks and fissures all over his body. He has to get under a vehicle and you know it's hard for him to even move his skin. You know his skin cracks when he moves.

Don't Lose Hope

The important thing is to not lose hope. We have so many great options for psoriasis. You know compared to ten years ago, the things that we can offer and the different types of treatments that we can provide have really revolutionized the treatment of psoriasis.

The good news is that you've never lived in a better time to have this disease because we have great options for you. We can get you feeling better with your skin.




	Dr. Crowley has been a psoriasis expert for 15 years. Read what he has to say about psoriasis. Dr. Crowley Video Transcript I'm Jeff Crowley. I'm a dermatologist in Bakersville, California and I've been treating psoriasis patients for over 15 years. A dermatologist is an expert in the skin, hair and nails. So we take care of all disorders that occur on the skin and this is obviously where psoriasis manifests itself mainly is on the skin. And so dermatologists are best suited for treating psoriasis and other skin disorders. What is Psoriasis? Psoriasis is a very complicated condition but it basically boils down to the fact that its an immunological disease- its a disease of your immune system. I tell patients that your immune system is overactive, it's working a little too hard which causes too many white blood cells which then go into your skin and cause these plaques of psoriasis. Of course they also can go into the joints and can cause psoriatic arthritis. Treatment Options There are many different treatments available for psoriasis. Everything from topical creams and different formulations and phototherapy, light treatments…..then we consider systemic treatments. And there are pills that can be taken and then there are these biologic drugs, which are generally given by some sort of injection. All of these treatments can work well for certain patients but patients with moderate to severe disease generally need a systemic treatment. How Psoriasis Affects You Psoriasis affects your skin and can affect your joints. When it affects your skin it can affect just small areas or it can affect large areas. It's also important which areas of the skin are involved. If the psoriasis is on your body and on your hands, you may have problems with being able to function with your work. But psoriasis can also have more subtle effects on you. It can be embarrassing to patients. It can be the fact that the psoriasis is visible. Patients often feel very concerned about their psoriasis because of how other people may see them or portray them and if the psoriasis is on visible areas it can make it very difficult for them to interact with other people. It can be difficult for them to interact in social settings, going on a date. It can also affect relationships when the psoriasis is very bad. Preparing for your Dermatologist Visit It's difficult to get patients to open up and really talk to you about their true feelings with psoriasis. And a lot of times in a very busy office visit, you're not going to be able to address all the issues but I really think its important to get an idea of how much the psoriasis is affecting the patients' lives and so I will ask them very simply, you know, how much is this impacting what you need to do, what you like to do, the kind of activities that you enjoy. And generally you'll get an answer there and you'll find out and they may say "well it really doesn't bother me too much" and then a minute later they'll say "you know it really does. Because it is keeping me from doing what I want to do. You know I wanted to go to the dance and wear a dress that had that was cut right and I couldn't because my psoriasis was showing. I wanted to, you know, go to the pool and wear a swimsuit and not have people stare at me. Finding the Right Treatment for You Patients will often go through many treatments before they find a treatment that is going to work for them. And the other problem is that patients will often go to see different types of providers before they get to someone like a dermatologist whose really going to have the expertise to give them the proper treatment for their psoriasis. Many of my patients are professionals. They have careers where they're in the public or they're working with their hands. I have a mechanic who has just severe cracks and fissures all over his body. He has to get under a vehicle and you know it's hard for him to even move his skin. You know his skin cracks when he moves. Don't Lose Hope The important this is to not lose hope. We have so many great options for psoriasis. You know compared to ten years ago, the things that we can offer and the different types of treatments that we can provide have really revolutionized the treatment of psoriasis. The good news is that you've never lived in a better time to have this disease because we have great options for you. We can get you feeling better with your skin.