Xtrac Excimer Laser for Psoriasis

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Permalink Reply by Laura McGarvey on October 15, 2011 at 1:16pm

I think he is a super dermatologist b/c he does surgeries like face lifts which i don't think just regular dermatologist do.  Although when looking up the laser I found some regular dermatologist that do it but were to far away.  I have had Pustular P for about 4 years.  I was taking Humira 13 months and my hands and feet were clear after five months.  However I decided it was not worth the risk b/c I felt Humira was not worth the risk of getting some kind of cancer or TB.  So I went to this new dermatologist in another city and we started the treatments right away.  Right now it was trying to start breaking out but the laser has kept it at bay.  I am not sure, if any, how much Humira was left in my system until now with the laser.  It has been a little over two months and it works great.  I go twice a week.

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Permalink Reply by Dawne Cameron-Farrell on February 9, 2012 at 11:35pm

I started laser treatments last year, and while they definitely helped improve my condition it did not completely put my P into remission. Before I started the treatments my derm said that most patients usually only needed about 12 (treatments or weeks - can't remember which) before they saw clearing. He also said that most patients went into remission and were able to stop using the topicals, but reminded me that this treatment was not a cure for P (no kidding). Well apparently, I am not most patients. I usually went twice a week for about 9 months, and continued using the topicals (I was on 2 at the time, twice a day). At that time I felt like I had hit a plateu and was not seeing significant improvement. Since it was summer and I spend alot of time outdoors, I decided to stop the treatments. By this time the spots were significantly smaller, thinner, and less noticeable. And they stayed that way through most of the summer and early part of the fall.

I don't know what happened come Nov/Dec, could've been any combination of things, but my plaque psoriasis began to flare worse than it had in  a long while, plus I developed the guttate variety. I asked my derm if this was something he typically saw in patients who had Laser treatment, and he said it was not. He said normally if they did have flare ups again, they were milder than before. Again, I am apparently not the typical patient. lol. So here I am in Feb, on a new lotion and my derm has suggested I resume the laser treatments. I had my first treatment Tuesday, but got depressed as I left his office realizing I am back at this again, back to the twice a week time commitment (and he only has 1 night with office hours and no weekends), twice a day, every day of lotions/ointment, the expense, the redness and burning after the treatment, and the possibility that the results will not be typical and will not offset all of the commitment put in. I went to a local support meet that Tuesday (which I v. much needed), and it was suggested I get a 2nd opinion. So I will do that, and continue the laser treatments for now. Hopeful once again for a summer, where I can wear skirts and dresses, without the thick opaque tights I've worn for years to cover up the ugliness on my legs.

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