Psoriasis is a chronic, non-contagious skin condition which effects over 4 million people in the United States. It's characterized by red, flaky, scale like skin on the elbows, knees, and scalp. Some types of psoriasis can occur on the genitals, feet, ankles, or all over the body.

It's not fully known what causes psoriasis, but general consensus among the medical community says it's related to our body's immune system. Specifically, the immune system is over reacting to some kind of trigger such as a severe infection or a great deal of stress. And that reaction causes new skin cells to be developed and sent to the skin surface much faster than normal. Since these skin cells have surfaced too quickly, they pile up with existing skin cells that have not yet died and shed themselves off.

Since psoriasis is considered to be incurable, there are many different types of treatments and medications used to address the symptoms of psoriasis.

A standard psoriasis medication used for treatment of mild conditions is a topical ointment or cream. Many of these topical psoriasis medications are available by prescription only, and they attempt to control skin cell growth.

Some of the most used topical kinds of psoriasis medications include a vitamin D derivative, steroid creams, coal tar, and retinoic acid in topical cream form.

For more moderate to difficult cases of psoriasis, particularly ones that have not responded to the creams and ointment medications, UV light is used. In milder cases of psoriasis, one of the best medications can be simple natural sunlight. With these more difficult cases however, stronger UV light is used in a controlled medical environment.

There are different types of UV light used for psoriasis medication. Two of the most often used are Psoralen plus ultraviolet A (PUVA), and narrow-band ultraviolet B (UVB). UV psoriasis treatments do run the risks of cancer however, and have other health related side effects.

The third type of psoriasis medication used to treat the symptoms are prescription drugs known as biologics, or immune modulating drugs. These psoriasis medications are used for moderate to severe cases of the condition, and are given through an IV, or an injection. These psoriasis medications are reserved for people who haven't responded to the other types of treatment, and the medications tend to inhibit or suppress the body's own immune system.

Besides these standard psoriasis medications, there are some non-traditional alternative remedies that have become popular outside the mainstream medical community in recent years. While not technically psoriasis medication, they are used in a similar fashion and many people have reported success with these methods of treatment.

Alternative medicine psoriasis medication or treatment tries to address the underlying causes of the psoriasis condition, instead of simply treating the symptoms from it. Types of alternative treatments include adding omega-3 essential fatty acids to your diet. These can be easily taken as a daily oral supplement in the form of fish oil or flaxseed oil. Additional alternative remedies for psoriasis include changing your diet to help your body rid itself of toxin build up, and cleansing the colon to help your liver work better.

Note: Statements in this article are not approved by the FDA, and should not be considered as professional medical advice.