Enstilar

Enstilar is a foam used to treat psoriasis, containing two active ingredients: betamethasone, a corticosteroid, and calcipotriol, a type of vitamin D. These ingredients are believed to help improve psoriasis symptoms.

Vitamin D helps reduce inflammation in the skin. Research has shown that low levels of vitamin D are linked to psoriasis, and treatments with vitamin D are often recommended, either alone or alongside a corticosteroid, to help manage the condition. Betamethasone is commonly used to treat skin that is itchy and swollen. In addition to psoriasis, it is frequently prescribed for eczema and contact dermatitis.

Topical treatments are the primary method for managing psoriasis. A common initial treatment involves using corticosteroids alongside vitamin D. These may be prescribed individually at times. Enstilar is a foam that combines both ingredients, which can be applied directly to dry, red, and inflamed skin.

Enstilar is available in 60g or 120g cans.

Apply the foam just once a day. You can choose any time that suits you, but it might be more effective in the evening if your psoriasis tends to worsen at night or disrupts your sleep.

Typically, you'll apply Enstilar daily for up to four weeks. However, your doctor might suggest a different schedule or a longer duration. If your psoriasis has nearly cleared after four weeks, Enstilar may be prescribed to be used twice a week on non-consecutive days.

Our medical team will assist you in determining the best way to use the foam to manage your psoriasis.

Enstilar is a medication that you can only get with a prescription. Corticosteroid formulas typically need a prescription because they are usually stronger than what you can buy over the counter. In the UK, any treatment containing betamethasone must be prescribed by a doctor.

If you're frequently using creams, moisturisers, and ointments to manage your psoriasis symptoms, it's important to carefully review the list of ingredients to ensure they don't include anything that could irritate your skin further. If you're uncertain, feel free to ask a clinician for more guidance.

For psoriasis, you can choose from a variety of topical treatments like creams, ointments, and mousses, giving you several options to meet your needs.

Enstilar stands out as it's the only prescription-strength foam that blends a corticosteroid with vitamin D. You may find that spraying the foam onto your skin makes it simpler to use and more convenient than other psoriasis treatments.

Bettamousse is similar to Enstilar but is specifically for treating scalp psoriasis. It contains betamethasone as its active ingredient and should be applied twice daily. Fucidin H is a cream that not only treats psoriasis but can also be used for other conditions like eczema. It might be a suitable choice if your symptoms are due to various conditions. The active ingredient in Fucidin H is fusidic acid, an antibiotic that can treat bacterial skin infections.

Not everyone will experience side effects from using Enstilar, but like all medicines, there's a chance it might cause some.

Some of the side effects mentioned in the patient information leaflet that comes with your medication include allergic reactions, an increase in calcium levels in your blood, skin irritation like burning and stinging, and depigmentation (where your skin loses its colour). These side effects are considered uncommon, affecting only 1 in 100 people.

If you think the foam is causing any issues that make you hesitant to use it, please inform a clinician straight away.

We can't promise that Enstilar foam will completely clear your psoriasis, but there's evidence showing it's effective. Betamethasone is commonly used alongside calcipotriol to help manage psoriasis.

Research conducted by the Department of Internal Medicine, Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the University of Bari in Italy examined how effective this combined treatment is for scalp psoriasis. More than 75% of the participants reported that it was either excellent or good at controlling their symptoms.

If you've been using the foam for four weeks and it doesn't seem to be improving your psoriasis or easing your symptoms, you might need to try a different treatment. Everyone reacts differently to medications, so it might take a bit of trial and error to find the best one for managing your psoriasis.