Kim Kardashian fans are well aware that the reality star has struggled with psoriasis for years. In fact, Kim said a few years ago that she’s done trying to hide the red, scaly patches that show up on her legs as a result of the chronic autoimmune condition.
“I don’t even really try to cover it that much anymore,” she wrote on her app in 2016. “Sometimes I just feel like it’s my big flaw and everyone knows about it, so why cover it?”
But, it seems like Kim’s psoriasis has gotten worse lately. Kim shared with fans on Twitter on Sunday that she’s ready to take her psoriasis treatment to the next level. “I think the time has come I start a medication for psoriasis,” she wrote. “I’ve never seen it like this before and I can’t even cover it at this point. It’s taken over my body. Has anyone tried a medication for psoriasis & what kind works best? Need help ASAP!!!”
Several fans shared their own experiences with psoriasis treatments in the comments, and there were a wide range of suggestions
Lucky for Kim and other psoriasis sufferers, there are a lot of options out there when it comes to psoriasis treatment. They’re generally broken into three main categories, per the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD): medication you put on your skin, light treatments, and medication that works throughout your body.
Medications applied to your skin includes things like corticosteroids, coal tar, and retinoids, which are designed to help decrease the itch, lessen swelling, and help decrease scaliness.
Light treatments, a.k.a. phototherapy, are typically administered by either standing in a light box, having a light source passed over your skin, or utilizing a laser to try to combat the scales, the AAD says. This is designed to slow rapidly growing skin cells, suppress an overly active immune system, reduce inflammation, help with itch, and allow your skin to heal.
The medications that work throughout your body include methotrexate, cyclosporine, oral retinoids, and biologics, the AAD says-all of these are designed to help combat an overactive immune system.
As with any illness, everyone is a little different when it comes to treatments that work. So really, it’s best to talk to your doctor and take it from there. It might take a little trial and error until you find the treatment that’s right for you, but there are plenty of options out there to help.
