Psoriasis topical treatments: dithranol

Steven, Lucy and Adam have tried topical treatments containing dithranol. Dithranol is a short term treatment for psoriasis on the legs, arms and/or trunk of the body. It’s a strong chemical and can only be left on the skin for a limited period of time before it needs to be washed off. Adam heard about dithranol online and asked his GP for it. He doesn’t think the GP was aware of the risks and Adam ended up leaving it on too long which burnt his skin badly. Some types of dithranol treatments are applied in hospital where the treatment is supervised by medical professionals.To limit the chances of side effects,

Steven’s dermatologists suggest he slowly increases the strength of the dithranol topicals he’s using and does test patches each time. Lucy uses a dithranol scalp solution which she can keep on overview because it contains a lower percentage of the chemical. She alternates using the dithranol solution on her scalp every other night before bed and a home remedy of olive oil on the other night.

Steven’s dermatology nurse gives him detailed instructions about using dithranol topical treatments which are different to those in the leaflet.

Age at interview 22

Gender Male

Age at diagnosis 14

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Adam had a bad experience using a dithranol topical treatment when he didn’t follow the instructions.

Age at interview 24

Gender Male

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Steven’s current topical treatments are very time-consuming as he has to leave them on for an hour before washing it off.

Age at interview 22

Gender Male

Age at diagnosis 14

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