The red garra (Garra rufa), also known as the doctor fish or nibble fish, is a species of cyprinid. This small fish typically is up to about 14 cm in total length.
Since the early 21st century, this fish has been integrated into a spa treatment where they feed on the stratum corneum skin layer of patients with psoriasis. While the doctor fish treatment has been found to alleviate the symptoms of psoriasis, the treatment is not curative, and no cure for psoriasis currently exists.
The use of the fish as a spa treatment for the wider public is still widely debated on grounds of efficacy and validity.
