(NBC) -- Seth Hendrickson has been trying to get rid of his painful red skin ever since he was diagnosed with psoriasis four years ago.
"If you want to wear short sleeves, it's embarassing to be seen with big red areas on your elbows," he complains. The 31-year-old tried steroid creams. Not only did they burn and put him at risk of thinning skin, they gave him no relief.
He then decided to try a new laser treatment, the 'Xtrac' laser.
Seth's treatment takes only five minutes.
"It feels warm to your skin but it doesn't hurt," he says.
One of biggest benefits of this laser is it only treats the affected areas and doesn't damage surrounding healthy skin. Dermatologist Dr. Rick Noodleman says most of his patients see improvement in their skin in six to eight sessions, and often their psoriasis goes into remission for four to six months.
Most insurance providers cover the cost of the laser treatment.
Doctors are also using the "Xtrac" laser to treat vitiligo, a skin condition which causes patients to lose brown color pigment from their skin.