Is topical treatment effective for psoriasis in patients who failed topical treatment?

Objectives: To determine if resistance to topical treatments can be overcome under conditions promoting adherence. Materials and Methods: Twelve psoriasis patients treated with topical 0.25% desoximetasone spray were randomized to either twice daily phone call reminders or no phone call and were treated for 2 weeks. Pruritus Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Total Lesion Severity Score (TLSS), and, Investigator Global Assessment (IGA) assessed disease severity. Results: Most subjects improved in most scoring parameters. 100%, 91.7%, 83.3%, and 58.3% had improvements in itching, PASI, TLSS, and IGA, respectively. Conclusions: While our sample size was small and treatment duration short, the effect size of topical treatment was large under conditions designed to promote adherence.