Skin conditions
Eczema and psoriasis in Metro Vancouver
Eczema and psoriasis are long-term conditions that flare and settle over time. They are managed by your family doctor or dermatologist, and a complimentary consultation at BioPlus helps with what sits in esthetic care: the marks these conditions can leave once they are controlled.
Physician led. Burnaby and Richmond. Every skin tone since 1996.
Book a complimentary consultationIf your skin is flaring, spreading, painful or infected, start with your family doctor or nurse practitioner, or call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1.
Understanding the conditions
What eczema and psoriasis actually are
Eczema and psoriasis are two different long-term conditions: eczema is inflammation from a skin barrier that cannot hold moisture, and psoriasis is an immune-driven condition that builds skin cells into raised, scaly plaques.
Eczema, most often atopic dermatitis, runs in families and follows a pattern of flare and settle on a background of dry, sensitive skin. It often eases with age. Psoriasis is immune-mediated: the skin makes new cells in days rather than weeks, and the extra cells build into thick, scaly plaques. It affects about 1 million Canadians and tends to cycle, flaring for weeks or months and then quietening.
Both are long-term conditions that are managed, not cured. That care is medical, delivered by a family doctor or, where needed, a dermatologist, and BioPlus does not provide it. Common triggers include dry or cold air, stress, irritants, and, for psoriasis, infections such as strep throat and skin injury. Knowing what you have, and what sets it off, is the honest starting point.
Know what you have
Two conditions, and how they show on your skin
They are two different conditions, and both can look very different depending on your skin tone.
Eczema
A long-term inflammatory condition, most often atopic dermatitis. A weakened skin barrier leaves skin dry, itchy and inflamed. It flares and settles, and often eases with age.
Psoriasis
An immune-mediated condition in which skin cells build up far too fast into raised, scaly plaques. It tends to cycle between flares and quieter periods, and about 1 in 3 people can develop psoriatic arthritis.
How it looks on darker skin
On brown and black skin, the inflammation often reads as violet, purple, grey or dark brown rather than red. Because the usual red cue is muted, how active the condition is can be underestimated.
The marks left behind
After a flare settles, skin is often left darker or lighter than before. This post-inflammatory pigment is more common, more intense and longer-lasting on darker skin, and is often the concern that brings people in.
Where BioPlus fits
Medical care first, esthetic care second
Eczema and psoriasis are medical conditions. Their management, including prescription treatments, light therapy and, for psoriasis, biologic medicines, belongs with your family doctor or a dermatologist under MSP. BioPlus does not provide that care and does not replace it.
What esthetic care can honestly help with is the cosmetic aftermath, once the condition is controlled medically. After a flare settles, the marks left behind, such as post-inflammatory pigment, lingering redness or changes in texture, can be supported gently and conservatively, with darker skin kept front of mind. No laser or device on our menu clears eczema or psoriasis, and we will never present one as a treatment for either.
We would rather send you to the right care than sell you the wrong one.
What the consultation covers
A clear assessment, and a plan
The consultation is an assessment and a plan, not a medical treatment for the condition. It is complimentary, takes 30 to 60 minutes, and no treatment happens the same day.
A physician asks how long you have had it, what triggers it, what you have already tried, and your current products and medicines.
Your skin is examined under good lighting, with magnification where it helps. Your Fitzpatrick skin type is documented, with baseline photos where they help track pigment over time.
The physician explains what sits in medical care and what sits in esthetic care, so you know exactly what to ask for and where.
You leave with a plan: gentle skin care, cosmetic support for marks left behind once the condition is controlled, or a clear route back into medical care, including how to ask for a dermatology referral.
Questions patients ask
Eczema and psoriasis FAQs
Can you cure my eczema or psoriasis?
No. Neither eczema nor psoriasis can be cured. Both are long-term conditions that are managed and controlled over time through medical care. BioPlus does not provide that medical management. Our complimentary consultation can assess your skin, advise on gentle skin care, and point you to the right care.
Do you treat eczema or psoriasis at BioPlus?
No. BioPlus does not medically treat eczema or psoriasis. Their medical management, including prescription treatments and, for psoriasis, biologic medicines, belongs with your family doctor or a dermatologist under MSP. What BioPlus offers is a complimentary esthetic dermatology consultation to assess your skin, discuss cosmetic concerns, and route you to medical care where you need it.
Can laser or a skin device clear my psoriasis or eczema?
No. No laser or energy device clears eczema or psoriasis. Anyone telling you a device treats these conditions is overstating what it does. Once your condition is controlled through medical care, esthetic options can be considered for the cosmetic marks left behind, such as pigment change or texture, and those are always planned gently for reactive skin.
Why is my skin darker, or lighter, where the rash was?
That is post-inflammatory pigmentation, a colour change the skin is left with after inflammation settles. It is more common and lasts longer in darker skin, where the colour tends to be more intense and to persist for a longer period than in lighter skin. It usually fades over months, faster when the underlying condition is controlled and you protect the skin daily with SPF 50 or higher. Once your skin is calm, a consultation can discuss cosmetic options for pigment that lingers.
My eczema or psoriasis looks grey or purple, not red. Is that normal?
Yes. On brown and black skin, the inflammation of eczema and psoriasis often looks violet, purple, grey or dark brown rather than red, and redness can be harder to see. This is one reason these conditions are easier to miss on darker skin and why assessment by clinicians experienced across every skin tone helps.
Does a BioPlus consultation replace my family doctor or dermatologist?
No. BioPlus offers private esthetic dermatology consultations. It does not replace your family doctor's care or MSP-covered dermatology treatment for eczema or psoriasis. If you do not have a family doctor, a walk-in clinic, an urgent and primary care centre, or HealthLink BC at 8-1-1 can help you find care.
What can the consultation actually do for me?
It gives you an assessment and a plan. A physician documents your skin type, explains your condition in plain language, advises on gentle skin care and barrier support, discusses cosmetic concerns such as pigment, redness or texture that can be addressed once the condition is controlled, and routes you to medical care, including how to ask for a dermatology referral.
When should I see a doctor instead of booking a consultation?
Book medical care first if your skin is flaring, spreading, cracked or bleeding, painful, showing signs of infection, or affecting your sleep or daily life. See your family doctor or nurse practitioner, go to a walk-in or urgent and primary care centre, or call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1. A complimentary consultation at BioPlus is for assessment, gentle skin care, and cosmetic concerns, not for an active flare.
Related concerns
Concerns these conditions leave behind
Post-inflammatory pigment
Pigmentation & melasma
The dark or light marks left after a flare are pigment. Fading them gently, once the skin is calm, is its own skill.
Sensitive, reactive skin
Rosacea & redness
Lingering redness and easily flushed skin often travel with eczema and a reactive skin barrier.
Texture left behind
Scars & texture
Repeated flares and scratching can change the skin's surface. Texture is addressed only once the condition is settled.
Another source of pigment
Acne & scarring
Acne leaves the same post-inflammatory marks, especially on darker skin, and clearing them without provoking more is the same careful work.
Complimentary consultation
Start with a complimentary consultation
If eczema or psoriasis is affecting your skin, a physician at BioPlus will look at it, explain what belongs in medical care and what sits in esthetic care, and help with the marks these conditions can leave once they are controlled. The consultation is complimentary. If your skin is flaring, spreading, painful or infected, please start with your family doctor or nurse practitioner, or call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1. Eczema and psoriasis are managed within medical care, and a consultation with us does not replace it.
Book a complimentary consultationExplore skin conditionsOur services are private esthetic services and are not covered by MSP.