Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting mainly the skin but which can be complicated by psoriatic arthritis (PsA). This autoimmune skin disorder concerns 2-5% of the world population. To date, the physiopathology of psoriasis is not still completely elucidated but many researches are ongoing which have led for example to the discovery of the Th17/Th22 pathway. The conventional therapeutic approaches (local or systemic route) appeal to various classes of drugs with complex mechanisms of action and non-negligible side effects. Although there is no therapy capable to cure psoriasis, the current goal is to relieve symptoms as longer as possible with a good benefit/risk ratio. That is one of the principal limits of conventional antipsoriatic drugs. New formulations based on nanoencapsulation are a promising opportunity to answer to this limit by offering an optimization of the conventional antipsoriatic drug use (higher activity, lower side effects and frequency of application, etc.). Herein, we tried to put in perspective the mechanistic insights (histological and immunological views) proposed into scientific literature these last years in order to have a better comprehension of psoriasis physiopathology resulting in skin lesions and PsA. The therapeutic armamentarium and the different strategies in the management of psoriasis are discussed in greater details. To finish, the field of encapsulation in nanoparticles is broached in order to put forward recent advances in innovative skin drug delivery systems (ISDDSs) of antipsoriatic active agents for a better efficacy, safety and compliance. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.