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This Psoriasis Action Month, Burt’s Pharmacy is exploring different psoriasis prevention tips to reduce flare-ups and manage the condition successfully.
Psoriasis is a skin disease that forms red, scaly, and itchy patches on the skin. It mostly affects the scalp, knees, trunk, and elbows. It is a chronic disease with no cure as of now. Patients who struggle with psoriasis go through cycles of flare-ups. Some days are worse than the others and some are fairly calm. While there is no permanent solution to the problem, there are certain steps patients can take to live a fairly normal life.
Psoriasis Action Month
About 125 million people struggle with psoriasis worldwide. Every year in August, National Psoriasis Foundation celebrates Psoriasis Action Month. Essentially, the goal is to spread more awareness regarding the disease and possible treatment options to keep the condition under control. It unites the entire community and makes people battling with the disease feel less alone.
It is important to not only educate people struggling with the disease but also those around them. Psoriasis is more than a skin rash, it is a very crippling condition that badly impacts the quality of the patient’s life. With the right psoriasis awareness and knowledge, people can keep the condition under control and lead a fairly normal life till a permanent cure is discovered.
This year Psoriasis Action Month celebrates empathy and resilience. With these psoriasis prevention tips, you can manage your flare-ups and improve your quality of life.
What Are Some Psoriasis Prevention Tips?
While there is no permanent cure for the condition, there are psoriasis prevention tips one can use to keep psoriasis in control.
1. Warm-Up
Cold and dry weather conditions flare up psoriasis. Some studies suggest that extremely dry and cold weather can make the skin thicker and more prone to flare-ups. It is important to keep your skin warm during cold weather.
2. Moisturize
Dry skin is more prone to getting easily irritated. For psoriasis prevention, keep your skin moisturized at all times. It works like a charm and prevents scaling and cracking of the skin. Look for creams that contain paraffin and other mineral oils for best results. Coconut oil also works well.
3. Hydrate Your Scalp
Get rid of all the hair care products that have the potential to dry out your scalp. Get your hands on hydrating shampoos, particularly the ones with salicylic acid. You can also try natural remedies to keep your scalp hydrated.
4. Humidifier Helps
If you live in a particularly dry climate, using a humidifier will control your condition to some extent. You can also add a few drops of essential oils in the humidifier.
5. Sun Helps
UV rays have immunosuppressive effects that can help minimize the symptoms of autoimmune conditions. Regular exposure to sunlight in shorter intervals can help your condition. Do not overdo it though because it can lead to sunburn which can worsen the condition. Alternatively, patients can try UV light therapy.
6. Vitamin D
If you are low on vitamin D, it can worsen the symptoms of psoriasis. If you do not get enough sunlight, adding a vitamin D supplement can help immensely. Incorporating foods such as salmon, fortified cereals, and milk into your diet also helps.
7. Prevent Injuries
Skin injuries can trigger psoriasis. Try your best to avoid them. Here are few steps that you can take; carefully cut your nails and shave, avoid getting piercings, wear gloves while cooking, stay clear of any activities or sports that can lead to injuries, and protect against insect bites.
8. Minimize Stress
Stress is one of the major triggers of psoriasis. Stress can worsen the symptoms of psoriasis in 68 percent of people dealing with the condition. Although reducing stress isn’t always the easiest psoriasis prevention tip, practice breathing techniques, meditate, go to a therapist, and try to stay calm.
9. Diet Check
Go to a nutritionist and get yourself a diet plan that will work in your favor. Certain foods such as salmon can reduce flare-ups. On the other hand, certain foods can worsen the condition. Use your diet to your advantage.
10. Medicine Check
In some cases, certain medications can trigger the condition and lead to psoriasis flares. Consult with your doctor if you notice a pattern and adjust your medications accordingly.
Additional Tips from Burt’s Pharmacy
Treating psoriasis is a bit of trial and error. What works for one person might not work for another and vice versa. Doctors can use singular or a combination of multiple oral and topical cream treatments to keep the condition at bay. Here are some psoriasis prevention tips that can help your symptoms:
- Retinoid or other derivatives of vitamin A can help get rid of irritation and inflamed skin.
- Calcineurin inhibitors are also known to slow down the buildup.
- To relieve itching, Corticosteroids can be of great help.
- Scent-free moisturizers are a great preventative measure.
- Products that contain salicylic acid help immensely with scalp psoriasis.
- Anthralin works wonders for slowing down the growth of skin cells.
Importance of Custom, Compounded Creams/Treatment for Psoriasis
Working with a compounding pharmacist is one of the best things you can do to treat psoriasis or any other kind of skin condition. The right pharmacist will analyze your symptoms, have a closer look at the reactions from medications you have used in the past. Based on your unique case, a compounding pharmacist will devise a combination of medicine, creams, and treatments that will suit you best.
A good example of a compounding treatment would be a custom cream that includes soothing moisturizing agents as well as corticosteroids. Another example is B12 cream with an oil that suits your skin.
Essentially, a compounding pharmacist will combine different percentages of varying medications to suit your case. As there is no definite treatment for psoriasis as of yet, compounding treatments seem to be the best available option so far.
Final Thoughts
It is hard to live a life with a medical condition that has no cure. But it is important to remember that by following these psoriasis prevention tips and with the right help, you can manage it and lead a fairly normal life. So far, keeping your skin moisturized, eating right, incorporating the tips mentioned above, combined with the right compounding treatment seems to work well for most people. The right professionals can inch you closer to an improved quality of life.
