Is Coal Tar An Effective Psoriasis Treatment

Coal tar has been used as a topical preparation to treat psoriasis for many years. However, coal tar products have been receiving bad press because they are thought to contain possible carcinogenic properties. I will look at the evidence and discussed whether coal tar preparations are an effective and safe treat option for psoriasis.

Firstly, let’s look at what coal tar is and how it is derived. Coal tar is a thick brown or black liquid obtained from bituminous coal. However, the chemicals contained in the coal tar were found to be effective in treating psoriasis over 150 years ago, both on its own and mixed with other ingredients. Although it’s still not fully understood how coal tar works in the tretment of psoriasis, it’s thought to reduce inflammation and slow down the turnover of skin cells.

You can find coal tar preparations in many over-the-counter and prescription-only creams, lotions, ointments, bath oils and shampoos and these are usually safe. However, some people have experienced minor skin irritations and more seriously an allergic reaction such as hives, swelling, stinging and burning.

Also, coal tar can discolor fair skin and hair as well stain clothes and other fabrics. As there is a possibility of staining, it’s a good idea to wear old clothes and use old bedding when first using coal tar products. Very few people seem to experience any serious side effects. The biggest problem that people have when using coal tar products is the smell.

In the beginning crude coal tar was used in a 1 – 10% concentration in a soft paraffin base to treat psoriasis. However, it is less commonly used these days because it is extremely smelly and messy to use and few people can put up with it. These days creams contain between 0.4-2% crude oil tar and are easier and less oderous to use at home. However, two studies have shown that a 1% crude coal tar used twice daily has significantly less therapeutic effect than a 5% concentration.

The studies concluded that there wasn’t any real benefit in exceeding a 5% concentration. Preparations like Psorin ointment which contains dithranol, salicyclic acid and 1% coal tar are commonly prescribed for treating psoriasis because the active ingredients slow down the process of skin cell production and shedding old skin cells They also reduce inflammation.

A recent study compared the efficacy of a new coal tar preparation called exorex (containing 1% coal tar) with calcipotriol cream (containing Vitamin D), and found that even though exorex was as effective as calcipotriol, people could tolerate calcipotriol better. The study concluded that coal tar preparations were significantly less expensive than calcipotriol and therefore are a useful in the treatment of chronic psoriasis.

Even though it has been found that using 5% crude coal tar concentration is more effective than a 1% concentration, the World Health Organization’s International Cancer Research Agency has classified 5% or greater coal tar concentration as a carcinogen. Some studies have shown that using very high concentrations of coal tar may cause cancer and, consequently, doctors and dermatologists are concerned about any use of coal tar products. Californian law regards that even a 0.5% concentration is dangerous, whilst the FDA maintains that using 0.5% to 5% preparations is safe.

So, with all this confusing and conflicting information, the question remains is whether coal tar preprations cause cancer? In the 1950s 280 patients were treated with crude coal tar and UV lights (known as the Goeckerman regimen). After a 25 year follow-up, researchers found that the incidence of skin cancer had not increased above the expected incidence of the general population. The conclusion was that there was a minimal risk for skin cancer using coal tar preparations.

Even though the medical profession remain cautious about the use of coal tar, there is no firm evdience that over-the-counter preparations will cause cancer. Taking everything into account, it appears that coal tar is still a safe and effective treatment for psoriasis.

If you are still concerned about using coal tar products, there are other methods of psoriasis cure. You can read about the best psoriasis cream at my Clear Skin Guide website.

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