GLP-1 drugs (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) can help people shed pounds and can treat people with type 2 diabetes, and they may also ease psoriasis symptoms. With so much hype around these medications and their ability to get rid of belly fat, you may wonder how a weight loss drug can treat a skin condition.
One connection provides a clue: If you have psoriasis, you’re more likely to have obesity, type 2 diabetes, or both. Up to 54 percent of people with psoriasis have type 2 diabetes, which is most common when you have moderate or severe psoriasis.
This article explains how GLP-1s can treat psoriasis and when to ask your healthcare provider about your GLP-1 options.
Research on GLP-1s for psoriasis is still in its early stages, but some small studies have shown promise. “There’s growing evidence that GLP-1s may reduce systemic inflammation, which plays a major role in psoriasis,” says Hannah Kopelman, DO, a dermatologist in New York City who treats people with psoriasis.
In one case study, researchers gave GLP-1s to a 73-year-old man with type 2 diabetes and psoriasis. Four months after starting semaglutide (Ozempic), he had seen a dramatic improvement in psoriasis symptoms and reported a much higher quality of life.
Other studies on small groups have found the same — GLP-1s improve psoriasis symptoms, with or without diabetes. To solidify these results, experts say that future studies should include larger groups.
Why GLP-1s Work for Psoriasis
Besides weight loss, GLP-1s also influence the immune system and have anti-inflammatory properties.
Experts think that GLP-1s may improve psoriasis symptoms by these methods:
Moving killer T cells (a type of immune cell) away from psoriatic plaques (dry, scaly skin), which lessens local inflammation and balances your immune response
Decreasing other T cell activity in lesions, which then lowers substances that cause inflammation
Slowing your immune system’s signals, preventing inflammation before it starts
These medications can offer different results depending on a few factors.
“The effects of GLP-1s on psoriasis vary based on the degree of obesity and severity of psoriasis,” says Lindsey Bordone, MD, a dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. “If I have a patient who developed psoriasis after they became overweight or obese, then I am optimistic when prescribing a GLP-1 that, with weight loss, their psoriasis will go into remission.”
How Soon Will GLP-1s Lessen Psoriasis Symptoms?
You won’t see improved psoriasis symptoms the day you start GLP-1s, and responses vary widely, says Dr. Kopelman. “Most people report skin improvement around the 8- to 12-week mark, which tracks with the timeline we expect for systemic inflammation to start meaningfully decreasing.”
In some studies, participants noticed improvement in as little as 48 hours, but in other research, full results took months.
“I think the better way to look at it is about reaching a goal of improved metabolic health,” says Dr. Bordone, adding that for people with more severe obesity or diabetes, psoriasis symptom improvement may take longer.
To better understand how a weight loss drug can clear psoriasis symptoms, it helps to know how obesity, inflammation, and psoriasis affect one another.
Obesity Increases Inflammation
Obesity (a complex disease that causes excessive body fat) leads to chronic inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation can cause insulin resistance (problems processing sugar), which can then lead to more inflammation.
“These two conditions feed off of each other, so addressing one alone is often not enough when you are dealing with a patient who has moderate to severe psoriasis, as well as obesity,” says Bordone.
Psoriasis Can Cause Inflammation Everywhere
While experts can’t pinpoint the exact cause of psoriasis, they know some factors play a part in its development. For example, when you have psoriasis, immune cells get confused and identify your tissue as an invading organism. In response, these cells travel to your skin and release substances that cause inflammation, prompting symptoms like dry, thick, itchy patches of skin.
Not only does this inflammation affect your skin but it can also cause damage throughout your body, including in your arteries, joints, and internal organs. Untreated psoriasis and its associated inflammation can increase your risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some mental health conditions.
Obesity and Psoriasis: An Inflammatory Storm
Inflammation plays an enormous role in psoriasis and obesity. Body weight can even affect psoriasis treatment, and those with a lower body mass index (BMI) respond better to treatment with biologics (medications that target specific immune cells).
Because of the strong connection between these conditions, when GLP-1s treat obesity or type 2 diabetes, they can also block inflammation and immune system overreactions that cause psoriasis flares.
GLP-1s cause weight loss by mimicking a natural hormone in your body that affects the following functions:
Blood sugar regulation
Increased insulin secretion
Decreased appetite
Delayed stomach emptying
You may start seeing results on your scale after a few weeks on a GLP-1, but long-term effects start after about 20 weeks. Losing weight, plus the anti-inflammatory effects of GLP-1s, can ease psoriasis symptoms over this time.
You can ask your healthcare provider about GLP-1s at any time. Bordone strongly recommends GLP-1s for patients with psoriasis if these conditions apply:
“I’ve seen firsthand how these medications can positively impact patients who have both psoriasis and metabolic conditions like obesity or type 2 diabetes,” says Kopelman, who coordinates with her patients’ primary care providers when she feels a GLP-1 may help.
At this point, no GLP-1 type or brand has a better track record in treating psoriasis symptoms, says Bordone, who adds, “Most of my decision-making comes down to insurance coverage and affordability of these medications for my patients.”
Every insurance plan is unique, but your insurer may cover GLP-1s if prescribed for obesity or type 2 diabetes.
GLP-1 drugs are often prescribed for weight loss and diabetes, but their anti-inflammatory effects may also decrease psoriasis symptoms.
Obesity causes body-wide inflammation, which goes hand in hand with psoriasis, and this link allows GLP-1s to treat both conditions.
Your provider may recommend a GLP-1 for psoriasis if you also have a high BMI, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, or prediabetes.
