Hanuveda

Very possibly, and please get it assessed. Up to around a third of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis, which damages joints permanently if untreated. Joint pain, morning stiffness, swollen fingers or toes, or heel pain in someone with psoriasis all warrant rheumatology assessment. This is one of the most commonly missed things in psoriasis care.

No, and the classical texts agree — Kushtha is described as difficult to cure or manageable rather than curable, requiring repeated treatment and sustained dietary discipline. Psoriasis is a lifelong relapsing condition in every system of medicine. What is achievable is substantial clearing, longer remissions, and better control of the flares. Anyone promising permanent cure is contradicting Charaka as well as modern dermatology.

In a meaningful historical sense, yes. Bakuchi (Psoralea corylifolia) was traditionally used for Shvitra (vitiligo) with sunlight exposure and contains psoralens, the basis of modern PUVA therapy. The key insight was psoralen + light. Modern phototherapy simply adds what tradition could not: precise UV-dose control, avoiding burns that may trigger new vitiligo patches.

Because it almost certainly contains a potent steroid. Combination creams — steroid plus antifungal plus antibiotic — make up around half of all topical steroid sales in India, they are cheap and sold over the counter, and they make fungal infection substantially worse by suppressing local immunity. This pattern of use has driven a resistant fungus, Trichophyton indotineae, which began in India and has spread worldwide and no longer responds well to terbinafine. Stop the cream, bring it to us, and expect to need a proper oral antifungal course — often itraconazole for around eight weeks — prescribed by a dermatologist.

• My previous practitioner prescribed it. It is an arsenic preparation — made from Haratala, orpiment, which is arsenic trisulphide. Classical purification is specifically intended to address the toxicity, and there is a double-blind trial reporting benefit with properly purified material. But arsenic causes skin disease, including arsenical keratoses and skin cancers that may appear years later. Our view is that giving an arsenic compound for a skin condition needs specific justification, documented assay, a short defined course and monitoring — and that most patients do better on a plant-only protocol. Ask any practitioner prescribing it what is in it and what monitoring they are doing.

It depends on where it is and how long it has been there. Recent patches on the face and trunk respond best, particularly if the hair within them still has colour. Long-standing patches on fingers, lips and over joints often do not repigment with any treatment. For actively spreading vitiligo, stopping the spread is the first and often more important goal. Expect to judge response over six months, not six weeks, and expect gradual pigment islands rather than sudden clearing.

We do not treat skin colour as a medical condition and we do not offer fairness treatment. We do treat pigmentation disorders — melasma, post-inflammatory pigmentation — where there is a genuine change from your own baseline. One warning worth taking seriously: skin-lightening creams sold informally frequently contain mercury or potent steroids, which cause lasting damage including permanent darkening. If you are using one, please bring it in.

No — and this is an important distinction. The problem in India is unsupervised use of potent steroids bought over the counter, not appropriate steroid use prescribed by a doctor for the right site, potency and duration. Under-treating eczema leaves children scratching, sleepless and at risk of infection. What we can add is barrier support, trigger identification, sleep and itch management, and dietary work — alongside the emollients and prescribed treatment, not instead of them.

Quite possibly — that combination, particularly with unwanted hair growth or weight gain, suggests PCOS and is worth investigating. Treating the acne alone would miss a metabolic condition with longer-term consequences. See our women's health page, and we will arrange the relevant tests.

If you are stopping a potent steroid cream, yes — expect a rebound flare, sometimes a marked one, over the first week or two. This is the single most common reason people restart the cream and stay trapped in the cycle. We warn you in advance, and we support you through it.