Q&A: Dr. Mona Shahriari’s Tips For Treating Scalp Psoriasis in Black Skin

Photo credit: Central Connecticut Dermatology Scalp psoriasis poses unique challenges for people of color, including misdiagnosis, treatment access barriers, and lack of representation in medical education. Dr. Mona Shahriari, the senior editor for the Journal of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis and the co-founder of Central Connecticut Dermatology and VISIBLE Steering Committee member, sat down with BlackDoctor.org to shed light on these issues and offer insights on how patients can advocate for themselves to receive the best care. Can you discuss the challenges faced by people of color in diagnosing and treating scalp psoriasis? I think there are a lot of challenges that patients with skin of color face, but one of the biggest ones is the social determinants of health. A lot of them cannot get to the right specialist that’s going to properly diagnose their disease, and there are many reasons for that. Sometimes from a geographic standpoint, you may not have access to your specialist, or you don’t have the luxury of taking time off between 8:00 to 5:00 when the doctor’s office is open. So they oftentimes get care in an ER setting where you don’t necessarily have access to a dermatologist who can properly diagnose your...