Clinic specialised in skin & acne treatment
Psoriasis Treatment in Kota Kinabalu
It's not contagious. It's not your fault. And it can be controlled — properly.
A Message from Dr. Tan
The first thing I do with almost every psoriasis patient is examine their skin and touch it - properly, not through a glove held at arm's length. Then I carry on with the consultation. I don't get up. I don't rush to the sink.
Because psoriasis is not contagious, and me showing you that is worth more than me saying it.
If you've had people notice and move away, ask if it's catching, refuse to share a towel - you're not alone. And you won't get that here.
What Psoriasis actually is?
Psoriasis is not just a skin condition - it's systemic. Your immune system drives inflammation throughout your body, and skin is where you can see it. That's why psoriasis can affect joints, and why it sits alongside other health considerations.
We can usually control psoriasis. We usually cannot cure it. But controlled psoriasis and uncontrolled psoriasis are two enormously different lives, and the work is worth doing.
One important difference from eczema: Psoriasis isn't binary (flare vs calm). It has degrees, and your baseline can shift over the years. What "well-controlled" looked like five years ago may look different today - that's the disease's trajectory, not treatment failing. Understanding this changes how you manage it.
How we treat it?
We go aggressive first, because psoriasis responds slower than eczema and gentle approaches often aren't enough.
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Step 1 — Potent topical treatment to bring it under control (typically around 2 weeks)
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Step 2 — Step down to a steroid + vitamin D analogue combination
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Step 3 — Step down further to vitamin D analogue alone
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Throughout — Coal tar for long-term maintenance, salicylic acid for thick scale, urea-based emollient
When topical treatment isn't enough — if more than 10% of your body is involved, or the maintenance line keeps creeping upward despite treatment — we move to systemic medication (typically apremilast for its better tolerability in a long-term condition). If you need a higher tier, we refer to a hospital dermatologist for phototherapy or advanced options.
Joint Monitoring
This is the most important section on this page.
Psoriasis can affect joints. Psoriatic arthritis is part of this disease, and joint damage, once it happens, does not reverse.
So we ask about joints at every visit — morning stiffness, finger or toe swelling, back pain. If there's a question about your joints, we refer to rheumatology early. We'd rather send you to a joint specialist than miss something irreversible.
Please mention joint symptoms even if you think they're unrelated. Especially then.
Why Klinik Dr. Tan
Aggressive initial treatment to gain control, then structured step-down
Joint monitoring at every visit — low threshold for rheumatology referral
Tighter review schedule to help you learn to read your own skin over time
Honest about the mental burden — we won't pile extra demands on someone already carrying enough
Clear communication about when to step up to systemic treatment
Honest referral when specialist input is needed