The role of the adjuvant aesthetic therapy in the lives of patients with psoriatic disease.

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin, which greatly impairs the patients' self-esteem and consequently leads to a deterioration in their quality of life. Numerous therapeutic options available, when combined, enable to maintain a satisfactory control of the psoriatic lesions. Aesthetic dermatology also provides physicians with tools for targeting the disease symptoms, such as mesotherapy, sonophoresis and chemical peels. The main aim of the study was to quantify the effect of psoriasis on patients' lives, particularly their self-esteem and everyday life. Moreover, a follow-up survey was used to assess the patients' knowledge on professional and at-home care treatments. The sample consisted of 45 inpatients admitted to the Dermatology Clinic of the Heliodor Święcicki Clinical Hospital of the Poznan University of Medical Sciences due to a psoriasis flare-up. Data were collected through the DLQI questionnaire, survey, personal interview and physical examination. A vast majority of the respondents reported a strong negative impact of the disease on their self-esteem and this impact was stronger among women. Furthermore, almost all of the patients denied ever receiving aesthetic treatments. In accordance with previous research, this study also shows that skin imperfections drastically influence the perception of a patient in the society, therefore acknowledging and combining appropriate therapeutic methods should be a matter of vital importance.