Better Psoriasis Treatment
Reported January 20, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Combining a 6 percent salicylic acid gel with tacrolimus ointment is an effective treatment for plaque psoriasis, an inflammatory skin condition characterized by itchy, red and thickened skin, according to a new study.
Researchers at Wake Forest University Health Sciences, in Winston-Salem, N.C., studied 30 adults with plaque-type psoriasis for 12 weeks. Study participants randomly received 6 percent salicylic acid gel plus 0.1 percent tacrolimus ointment or 6 percent salicylic acid gel plus vehicle.
Results show — at one-, two- and eight-week intervals — a greater improvement among those who used the combination 6 percent salicylic acid and 0.1 percent tacrolimus cream vs. those who used the vehicle plus salicylic acid.
While tacrolimus has been especially beneficial in treating facial psoriasis where skin is relatively thin, researchers believe salicylic acid helps improve the penetration of the tacrolimus cream into the thicker skin of plaque psoriasis.
The study authors acknowledge the small size of the sample group used but note a statistical significance in the results, concluding, “The combination of 0.1 percent tacrolimus ointment and 6 percent salicylic acid gel is an effective treatment for psoriasis.”
SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, 2005;141:43-46