Tired of suffering from psoriasis? Seeking the services of a licensed dermatologist may help. Unlike your primary care doctor, licensed dermatologists are more likely to have an in-depth knowledge of psoriasis treatment. And if you have tried to seek treatment before but nothing seems to work, it may be time to switch doctors. When it comes to treating psoriasis, choosing the right doctor is of the utmost importance. Like any specialist field there are good and bad apples. In the field of dermatology, you can find doctors with a vast knowledge of psoriasis that can be used to actually help you and not waste your time with dated methods. If you or a loved one has psoriasis, here’s what you need to know about finding the best psoriasis dermatologist.
If you have psoriasis, it’s important not to give up hope, and more importantly don’t give up treatment. Even if psoriasis treatments aren’t giving you the results you want, anything is better than nothing. Nevertheless, it may be time to get a second option about the best treatment for you. An expert in psoriasis can try some new approaches that could help you a lot better than anything your current doctor has tried.
You can easily find a doctor near you that specializes in the best psoriasis treatment using websites like Psoriasis Speaks. At Psoriasis Speaks you can find local doctors near you with their available search tool. Finding a local doctor is important if you have psoriasis, because it will be easier to get in to see them. Often the need to drive far away makes patients want to cancel, especially if they have time constraints. To use the search tool to find a local doctor, just type in your zip code and check off the type of psoriasis you have.
To find a doctor that accepts your insurance, you can use the Psoriasis Speaks search tool to search for dermatologist by insurance provider. So if you need to find a doctor within your network, this is the quickest way to go about it. Looking locally and calling to see if they accept your insurance could waste you hours of time.
The National Psoriasis Foundation can help you find the best psoriasis dermatologists in the country. They offer a Health Care Provider Directory can help you find local doctors near you with the experience you are looking for to help you. You can even use the tool to find clinical trials. If you have a preferred payment method such as cash, Medicare or private insurance, you can easily narrow your results for those options.
This is an important question that every good patient asks their doctor or at least should ask their doctor. To get a better idea of how long they have been treating psoriasis, it's prudent to just ask. Only by talking to them can you gain the confidence you need to have in your doctor.
This is an important question to ask, not only yourself, but the reception desk especially. If it is difficult to get an appointment in a timely manner because the doctor has a lot of patients, they may not be the right doctor for you. If you are suffering from a terrible flare-up, the last thing you want is to wait weeks or even months for an appointment.
Communication is important too, particularly if you can’t get appointments quickly. You want a specialist that will listen to you, that understands your pain and your history – and never talks over you. It should be easy to reach your doctor if there’s a problem with treatment and they should be able to address any questions you have, otherwise it may be time to find a new dermatologist.
The best way to find this information is to ask around. Talk to different dermatology offices and make sure the doctors are well aware of any clinical trials going on because it shows they are interested in the latest treatment methods rather than pushing the older medications on you. The last thing you want is a doctor who is set in their ways.