Local regulation of the doubled subcutaneous blood flow (SBF) rates in psoriatic lesional skin was studied in 8 patients using a traumatic epicutaneous 133Xe labeling washout technique. Venous stasis of 40 mm Hg induced a significant reduction in the SBF (-34%, p less than 0.01), i.e., a normal vasoconstrictor response. Limb elevation of 40 cm above heart level induced no statistical changes in the SBF (p = 0.50), i.e., a normal local autoregulation response. This indicates normal, local regulation mechanisms of SBF in psoriasis. In another 8 patients, the effect on SBF of a 4-week antipsoriatic treatment with tar was studied in lesional and symmetrically nonlesional skin areas. One patient was clear of psoriasis on day 22, and was followed only to that time. The mean pretreatment SBF in lesional skin areas was 3.87 +/- SD 0.78 ml X (100 g X min)-1, which was not statistically different from measurements on days 3, 7, 14, and 21 after treatment had started. Between day 21 and day 28, the SBF decreased significantly to 3.38 +/- SD 0.78 ml X (100 g X min)-1, p less than 0.05. The difference between the pretreatment SBF and SBF at the end of treatment was statistically significant, p less than 0.05. The changes in SBF in symmetrically nonlesional skin areas were statistically nonsignificant during the period of treatment. Pretreatment SBF was 2.60 +/- SD 1.08 (N = 8), and on day 28 was 1.91 +/- SD 0.74 ml X (100 g X min)-1 (N = 7). However, the tendency of a decreasing SBF at the end of treatment was a clear trend, since SBF in 6 of 7 patients decreased during the third week and in the patient who was discharged on day 22, a decrease in the SBF was observed on days 14 and 21. The week-to-week changes in the SBF of lesional and nonlesional skin sites were parallel, r = 0.93, p less than 0.02. The decrease in SBF in psoriatics during successful antipsoriatic treatment might be a secondary thermoregulatory phenomenon due to a decreasing cutaneous blood flow.