What can the patient do to treat or manage psoriatic arthritis?
Take good care of your skin, especially during the winter. This can help reduce the dryness and skin sores caused by the psoriasis. Keep your skin from becoming dry by following these tips: • Use a lotion or lanolin cream. • Use non-deodorant soaps. • Put baby oil in your bath water or rub it on your skin after showering. • Use a humidifier in the winter. • Avoid using strong soaps or chemicals. Sit in the sun for moderate periods of time. Because sunlight slows down cell growth, it can help improve your psoriasis. Too much sunlight can damage your skin, however, so take steps to avoid sunburn. Psoralen and ultraviolet light, type A (PUVA) is a combination of medicine (psoralen) and light (type A ultraviolet light) that can help clear up skin problems and some joint problems. For this treatment, you are given psoralen in pill form. This makes your skin sensitive to ultraviolet light, type A. Then you are exposed to ultraviolet light for several minutes. You may need at least 20-30 trea
