Ensuring You Find Relief
When you have psoriasis, your dermatologist has likely prescribed a medication that is an ointment. While there is no cure for this condition, it is possible to manage the symptoms and have healthy skin by regularly using the prescribed medication. A topical medication is generally prescribed in case of severe occurrence, where you can use a corticosteroid to cope with the condition. Let's take a look at the process for psoriasis medication application.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that needs to be treated through regular use of the prescribed ointments. The good news about this condition is that while there isn’t a hard and fast cure, it is not a contagious condition.
There are mild to severe variations of psoriasis, and it mostly looks like dry skin in the beginning, which goes unnoticed as a medical condition that needs attention. The instructions for the application of a topical medication may specify the quantity to be applied in milligrams (mg), which may be confusing to follow. To treat the condition, proper medication and regular application of the prescribed amounts are important.
Fingertip Rule for Topical Psoriasis Medication
Dermatologists have made it simple for those with psoriasis to apply topical psoriasis medication by making use of an easy-to-follow fingertip rule. The only requirement is a clean fingertip and your medication. Wash your hands well and squeeze out enough of the ointment to cover one fingertip. This is the right unit of measurement to follow for application.
- Scalp - Regarding the various body parts where you will apply the medicine for psoriasis, the fingertip unit for each part of your body is different. When it comes to psoriasis on the scalp, about three fingertips of medication will be sufficient.
- Elbow and arm - For this area, application on the elbow will only require one fingertip unit. You can find a lot of information such as an easy-to-follow table that tells you how many units of medicine need to be applied for psoriasis on various parts of your body. For psoriasis on the whole arm, with most of the hand, four units is the amount required to be applied topically. For the whole elbow, apply one fingertip unit
- Face and neck - For the face and neck, the prescribed amount for application is two and a half fingertip units. If you have this condition only on one hand, both front and back, including the fingers, about one fingertip unit of medication will suffice.
- Foot and leg - In case of psoriasis on the foot, specifically both soles, one and a half fingertip units of medication are to be applied. For psoriasis on the foot covering both the top and soles including the toes, the same number of units is to be applied on each foot. When the whole leg is affected, eight units is the prescribed amount, for the buttocks it is four units of medication.
- Knees - Psoriasis on the knees requires one fingertip unit to be applied, for the genitals about half a fingertip unit is sufficient. If you have it on the whole of the trunk of your body, eight fingertip units of medication should be applied to the affected area.
Since it is a corticosteroid medication that is prescribed most of the time, the right quantity needs to be applied to affected parts for it to be effective. Another important factor to consider is that it is to be applied only to the affected areas.