With an estimated 7.5 million people suffering from psoriasis in the United States alone, it is no surprise that there are now several psoriasis apps offered for the iPhone and iPad to help manage symptoms and track progress. We were curious to check them out, so we downloaded two: Psoriasis App and My Psoriasis. Here’s what we found:

Psoriasis

According to the Apple iTunes website, the Psoriasis application “is specifically designed for use by healthcare professionals as well as psoriasis patients and their carers.” For patients, key features include:

– A severity calculator, where you can evaluate the severity of your psoriasis based upon where it currently appears on your body and answer questions about treatment
– An impact questionnaire, where you can enter information concerning the impact of psoriasis on your health and daily life
– A dermatology newsfeed, providing up-to-date news stories and articles
– A link to Psoriasis360.com

Screenshot from Psoriasis Application for iPhone

Our verdict: while we found the the Severity Calculator and Impact Questionnaire to be just okay and much of the advice obvious, we will visit the app regularly for the newsfeed and the additional information found on Psoriasis360.com (an excellent source for information on psoriasis).

MyPsoriasis

According to the Apple iTunes website, the MyPsoriasis application “allows you to learn about psoriasis, set reminders to use your medication and even to track your progress over time.” Key features include:

– Information on psoriasis and its treatments
– Advice on common psoriasis triggers and ways to cope with flare ups
– A psoriasis diary, where you can add treatment reminders based on your treatment regimen to remember to take your medication, catalogue flare ups and note appointments
– Videos on psoriasis and how to use prescribed treatments

Screenshot from MyPsoriasis Application for iPhone

Our verdict: We really liked the breadth of information offered on this app, including interesting videos and helpful advice on how to manage symptoms. Other great features include a treatment scheduler (which can remind you when to take medications, apply moisturizers, etc.) and the photo diary (which allows you to take and store pictures of your skin to track progress of treatment over time). We would use this app regularly.

So tell us: Would you use iPhone and iPad apps to manage your skin?