Laser Procedures Seem Generally OK for Psoriasis Patients: Analysis

Patients with psoriasis who undergo laser procedures do not appear to be at risk for koebnerization, according to research published this spring in Dermatologic Surgery and recently reported by the National Psoriasis Foundation. 

For the analysis, researchers reviewed the medical records of 38 patients with psoriasis treated with laser therapy over the last 12 years. None of the 38 patients with psoriasis treated with laser therapy experienced subsequent koebnerization. None of the patients experienced skin infections, delayed healing, or scarring, irrespective of their psoriasis therapy.

As part of the anaylis, the team looked at patient characteristics, including duration and severity of psoriasis, baseline psoriasis treatment, laser modality and settings, facial areas treated, and number of sessions. Sevenof the patients were on oral systemic medications, 14 were on biologic agents, and 3 were on combination therapy. 

Despite the favorable findings, resaerchers encourage physicians to discuss the risk of koebnerization with patients with psoriasis prior to performing laser procedures.