Guttate Psoriasis

This form of psoriasis presents as small patches of red, scaly, raised bumps scattered over the body.

Guttate psoriasis often follows an infection, particularly streptococcal throat infection. This rash may be confused with conditions such as dermatitis, fungal infections & other viral infections. In most cases guttate psoriasis does not itch

Treatments for your guttate psoriasis include-

• Antibiotics – if there are signs or risk of active infection, your practitioner will prescribe a course of antibiotics, without which the psoriasis may continue for a longer period.
• Creams– Steroids, tar, Vitamin A and vitamin D creams may be prescribed in combination with phototherapy for you by our specialists for this form of psoriasis.
• Narrowband UVB phototherapy– this form of psoriasis is extremely responsive to “light treatment”. Combined with creams, psoriasis may start to improve within a few days. Phototherapy treatments are bulk-billed, and take no longer than 2-3 minutes to perform.
  Learn more (link to phototherapy) 

Guttate psoriasis can start to clear as early as 24 to 48 hours after commencing medical therapy, including phototherapy. It may take a few weeks to totally clear up the rash. 

We bulk bill phototherapy sessions, so there is no out of pocket expense for patients. Creams cost 1-2 dollars a day. Some are covered under the PBS. 

No, but it does leave white patches after it resolves. Phototherapy reduces the contrast in skin colour

Phototherapy has many advantages, especially in the management of this form of psoriasis.

• It’s natural: we just concentrate light in one spectrum 
• It’s safe: as phototherapy filters out cancer causing spectrums
• It effective: guttate spots are too extensive to solely rely on creams
• It’s free: as this treatment is bulk billed through Medicare

Learn more (link to phototherapy) 

A natural approach can be used to treat guttate psoriasis, however the improvement maybe slow. Your body’s immune system will eventually fight off the strep infection, but this may take months.

The use of narrowband phototherapy is probably the best way to treat skin lesions, but the use of natural sunlight can also help. 

Other treatments include Vitamin A & Vitamin D. Unlike other forms of psoriasis, guttate variety can easily be treated, and in many cases prevented

If you are prone to getting guttate psoriasis each time you get a throat or chest infection, present to your GP as soon as you develop symptoms of an infection (cough, sore throat, fever). An early course of antibiotics may prevent an outbreak of the rash.  Some patients may even be put on a low-dose, long-term course of antibiotics to prevent episodes.

Some people who develop recurrent tonsillitis, which precipitates their guttate psoriasis, are referred to ENT surgeons for tonsillectomy.

Guttate psoriasis is a form that has an excellent prognosis and very successful treatment options.

We generally use a combination of phototherapy & creams to get clearance for patients over a few weeks.

Some patients may never get any further episodes, but it is important to monitor for future flares each time infections occur.  Also, for a group of patients, guttate psoriasis is their first manifestation of psoriasis & they may develop other forms in the future – we can help them monitor and treat for this also.