What’s the best remedy for a flaky, itchy scalp? DR MARTIN SCURR answers your health questions 

I’ve had psoriasis on my scalp for years and nothing helps it. My mother had it, and so do my two children and my brother. I know there’s no cure but are there any new treatments or research?

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Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disorder that typically causes a build-up of flaky patches on the skin — the result of a speeding up of the production of skin cells. It is thought to be due to a fault in the immune system.

The disease can have effects beyond the skin — around one in three of those with it develops a form of arthritis in the joints, for example. It can run in families (as in your case) but smoking, obesity and alcohol are also associated with a higher risk of developing it.

There is a wide spectrum of severity of the disease — I’ve seen…