Treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis with coal tar, anthralin, salicylic acid, and lactic acid

Topical agents for the treatment of psoriasis are indicated for patients with any amount of affected body surface area, but are the mainstay of therapy for patients whose affected area is less than 10% of their body surface area. Among the traditional options of topical therapies for mild-to-moderate psoriasis are coal tar, anthralin, salicylic acid, and lactic acid. All four topical therapies have been used for many years and are proven safe and effective. However, recently newer topical agents such as calcipotriol and tazoratene have reduced the use of these older agents. This chapter will give an overview of the use of these four agents in the treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis.