Acitretin is a synthetic retinoid, a pharmacologically active metabolite of etretinate. It is characterized by very favourable pharmacological profile: its period of half-life is approximately 2 days, it is nearly 50 times less lipophilic than etretinate, and its efficacy in the treatment of psoriasis is comparable to etretinate. The mechanism of its action is not yet fully understood, but it is known that acitretin normalizes all processes typical for psoriasis.

The paper discusses in details the indications for acitretin, its efficacy in monotherapy and combination therapy, the principles of alternate therapy, and also the most common side effects during treatment. In addition, we classify the most important recommendations to be aware of before, during and after treatment.