Is it safe to have laser if I have Psoriasis?

This really depends on the severity of your psoriasis. For mild forms of this condition it is safe to have laser providing the skin in your treatment area is healthy. If you suffer from flare ups in certain areas we may need to avoid these areas during treatment. If you have had a flare up and are due a treatment we will have to assess your area before we could treat this area for you. It is crucial that your skin is treated safely with laser if you have psoriasis. 

Establishing when it is safe to perform laser with psoriasis

When we are performing laser we are using high levels of heat on the skin. Lasers use a combination of light and heat to target and disable hair follicles. Because of this we need the skin in the surrounding areas to be strong enough to tolerate this heat. If you skin is weakened this heat will cause an adverse reaction. If you have a more severe form of this condition we may not be able to treat the skin in your affected area. But if the skin in your treatment area is unaffected by your psoriasis we may be able to treat you. This is providing you are not taking any medications to control this condition. 

If you use topical steroid creams we would also need you wait 3 weeks after you have stopped using these.  We will assess your skin condition to determine when it would be safe to continue treatment. 

Most people who suffer from this condition will find that some things trigger a response on the skin.  If you already know your own triggers it is important to avoid these during your course where possible. This will avoid you having to take long breaks in between your treatments. 

The main triggers for psoriasis are