How Many People Have Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a fairly common skin condition and is estimated to affect approximately 1%-3% of the U.S. population. It currently affects roughly 7.5 million to 8.5 million people in the U.S. It is seen worldwide in about 125 million people. Interestingly, African Americans have about half the rate of psoriasis as Caucasians.
Wet Dressings And Warm Baths With Salts Or Oats
Baths and showers can be relaxing, but those that are too long or too hot can strip the skin of its oils, and this can make psoriasis worse.
Some people find that a warm bath containing colloidal oatmeal or Epsom salts is soothing and relieves symptoms.
According to , an oatmeal bath or a wet dressing can reduce itching, and a warm bath containing a suitable bath oil can help moisturize the skin.
In 2005, researchers found evidence that Dead Sea salts might help with dry skin. Volunteers immersed a forearm in water with a 5-percent concentration of magnesium salts, the most common minerals in the Dead Sea, for 15 minutes.
The participants skin barrier function improved, their skin hydration was better, and they had reduced roughness and inflammation compared with the control group who used tap water instead.
After bathing, applying an appropriate moisturizer while the skin is still damp can help prevent moisture loss.
Hair Care Can Trigger An Outbreak
Any hair care that causes pain can trigger a new outbreak of psoriasis on the scalp. Maybe the hair is combed a little too vigorously. Perhaps the water for the shampoo is too hot. Or there is an allergic reaction to a dye or a hair care product. When this happens, the nerves in the scalp generate a neurotransmitter called substance P, the pain chemical, and the skin gets a signal to start an incredibly rapid repair process. Skin can produce 10,000 times as many new skin cells as are needed to repair microscopic damage, and redness, flaking, drying, and cracking start all over again.
Read Also: Natural Remedies For Severe Scalp Psoriasis
What Do The Experts Say
Experts have previously carried out studies on the relationship between psoriasis and diet and say that what patients eat can mitigate symptoms.
A comprehensive review, published in JAMA Dermatology last year, analysed data from more than 4,500 people living with the skin condition.
It showed a link between weight and symptom severity was well-established and said that those who are overweight or obese should reduce their calorific intake.
The review recommends using weight loss to help mitigate these factors through what is known as a hypocaloric diet.
There Are Ways To Shorten Flare
Psoriasis is a big star on TV drug ads, but this autoimmune skin disease is something most people try to keep well hidden.
“Psoriasis is among the most common skin conditions, affecting about 2% of the U.S. population, and while the condition doesn’t affect everyone the same way, the approach to treatment and prevention is often similar,” says Dr. Gideon Smith, an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
Read Also: Steroid Cream For Psoriasis Over The Counter
My Psoriasis Is Not Me
Around 2001, after seeing that last dermatologist, I stopped with everything, summoning a Buddha-like indifference to my disease. I told myself that the only way to control the symptoms was to let go of the need to control them. It was the only treatment I hadn’t tried — detachment. I set my disease on a shelf like a book I had already read and reread.
Of course, having a toddler around at the time meant I couldn’t think about tending to my skin. Having a husband who doesn’t notice the surface of things — he walks around oblivious to the crumbs in his mustache and mustard stains on his shirt — means not having to wince if his hand brushes my knee.
Happily, my symptoms have receded somewhat, probably an effect of the sense of well-being that comes from a good night’s sleep, regular exercise, and my children’s laughter. My gynecologist suggested that age-related hormonal changes might also have driven the psoriasis underground.
All I see are hands that are clear enough to complement a manicure, if I should ever want one.
I’m still self-conscious, especially in the summer, but as far as the outside world can tell, I’m merely modest in my dress.
Show Sources
Are There Complications Of Psoriasis
In some people, psoriasis causes more than itchiness and red skin. It can lead to swollen joints and arthritis. If you have psoriasis, you may be at higher risk of:
- Use medicated shampoo for scales on your scalp.
Other steps you should take to stay as healthy as possible:
- Talk to your healthcare provider about lowering your risk for related conditions, such as heart disease, depression and diabetes.
- Lower your stress with meditation, exercise or seeing a mental health professional.
You May Like: Psoriasis On Lower Legs Pictures
Constitutional Homeopathy Treatment For Psoriasis
Our expert Homeopaths at Homeocare International offer Constitutional Homeopathy Treatment for Psoriasis based on the constitution, emotional factors, disposition, and factors worsening the symptoms. Constitutional Homeopathy treatment for psoriasis at Homeocare International not only aims at relieving the symptoms but treats the root cause to control psoriasis. Constitutional Homeopathy Treatment is extremely effective, safe, natural, non-invasive and without any side-effects. Several people got cured and fully satisfied with the treatment which encourages us to help more people affected by Psoriasis.
The Diet Dangers In A Nutshell
Here is a selection of food and drinks Radiant: Recipes to Heal Your Skin From Within recommends sufferers of psoriasis and eczema to avoid:
Caffeine
The theory: This is said to stimulate the nervous system, causing our adrenals to pump out cortisol, which in turn can raise insulin levels. Its said insulin triggers over-production of new skin cells, it also increases the bodys inflammation levels, which can exacerbate an existing skin condition, causing skin to appear redder and more swollen.
The evidence: Some studies had linked coffee to an increased risk for psoriasis, but a large study of 83,000 women found no such link.
Alcohol
The theory: Alcohol is thought to aggravate inflammation and reduce the effectiveness of treatment. It is known to have a drying effect on your skin.
The evidence: The NHS notes that drinking excessive amounts of alcohol is linked to psoriasis, although the reason why isnt clear. Studies suggest the type of drink you have makes a difference. Researchers have implicated it in the development of discoid eczema.
Sugar
The theory: White sugar is highly acidic in nature, which promotes inflammation. Foods such as sugar, sweets, ice cream, white pasta, ketchup, pre-packaged snacks and fizzy drinks are some of the worst culprits.
The evidence: While theres a lack of studies on sugar and psoriasis, evidence suggests that it could lead to an imbalance in the guts bacteria that produces an inflammatory reaction.
Processed and junk food
Nightshades
Recommended Reading: How To Treat Severe Scalp Psoriasis
How To Cure Psoriasis Permanently
Popular e-medicine website says Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that is not curable and it will not go away on its own. However, the disease fluctuates and many people can have clear skin for years at a time, and occasional flare-ups when the skin is worse.
And this is a right answer according to allopaths, as they dont have a proper solution for Psoriasis.
Good Gut Health To Cure Psoriasis
I’m so excited that modern science is finally reinforcing what dieticians, naturopaths and traditional chinese practitioners have been saying for years. Healthy gut bacteria is absolutely crucial when it comes to healthy skin.
Our gut contains around 100 trillion cells, which are collectively known as the ‘human microbiome’. These microbes do many important jobs. They assist the body in fighting off infection, they regulate immune activity, and they help us to digest food. Evidence is increasingly coming to light to suggest that an imbalance of this bacteria in the gut can trigger psoriasis and other inflammatory diseases. This 2015 study concludes that people with psoriasis have less diversity in their gut microbiome than that present in those with healthy skin.
Furthermore, this of scientific evidence from last year states that “all of the ten retrieved studies reported alterations in the gut microbiome in patients with psoriasis.” Reiterating the belief that there is something different in the gut bacteria of psoriasis patients.
Since evidence suggests that this imbalance of bacteria in the gut can trigger psoriasis, it’s important to eliminate bad bacteria and replenish depleted beneficial bacteria by using a good quality probiotic. This is a very simple and effective way to begin treating the underlying absence of good gut microbes.
Also Check: Chinese Herbal Medicine For Psoriasis
Learning To Live With The Disease
When he first diagnosed me, my dermatologist loaded me up with topical steroids, cortisone creams, and even coupons to use on those same products in the future. They would help ease the itch and inflammation, but I would never be cured, he said. Psoriasis, he explained, would follow me for the rest of my life, as he handed me the pamphlet Living with Psoriasis.
Psoriasis, I have learned, is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. While normal skin cells grow and replace themselves in a month, the skin cells of psoriasis patients are on constant overdrive. My immune system is to blame for this mayhem. Normally, the system fights off bad guys like germs and viruses, but mines got it all wrong: Its attacking me.
Since my diagnosis in 2012, I have spent four years in an itching frenzy. I wake up scratching. I sit at my desk scratching. I even talk to colleagues while scratching. But this is more than an itch.
In a recent drug commercial, a handsome young man is standing in a buffet line and catches a flirty woman eyeing him. He smiles back at her as he reaches out to spoon some vegetables onto his plate. His arm is covered in a dandruff-like blotch. She grimaces and walks away.
I know how that man feels. For the last three years, Ive worn the same hairstyle: straight, flowing hair that covers my ears. Im deathly afraid someone will spot the peeling skin and dry flakes that coat my ears.
What the heck, it was worth a shot.
Day 7 June 15 2020 Kim Kardashians Psoriasis Journey And Mine
Before I give you my update, I want to break some news here. Its not even up on the Psoriasis Cure Now News section yet, its so hot off the presses. Turns out Kim Kardashian West still more famous than I am, but just wait til my abs go viral talked about groin psoriasis on her show the other night. Documenting her psoriasis journey on her familys TV show, she even unveiled some gizmo that directs ultraviolet light right where its, um, needed. Here she is trying it on her face. Kim, if you are reading this, stay tuned. I have a feeling that my new treatment can blow your gizmo out of the water.
OK, now back to my psoriasis journey.
As you may have heard, the tentative plan is for me to update you folks about my treatment for 12 to 16 weeks, so well know one way or another how I did.
Well.
You gotta laugh: its Day 7 and it is already EXTRAORDINARY!
Its making me want to put an exclamation point after every sentence!
Holy Toledo!
This is one of the more impressive things Ive witnessed. My skin is smoother than its been in many, many years. My neck, behind my ears, my belly, my back: its simply unbelievable.
Did I mention its just Day 7 of my new treatment?
Im a lousy photographer, but there are already visual changes can you tell? Less redness. The psoriasis is more flush with the skin, its flattened a bunch already. Wow.
Then on Wednesday, Ill post legs.
Any questions or comments, please submit them below, and Ill reply in a future post.
Also Check: Does Psoriasis Make Your Joints Hurt
How Psoriasis Is Diagnosed
A GP can often diagnose psoriasis based on the appearance of your skin.
In rare cases, a small sample of skin called a biopsy will be sent to the laboratory for examination under a microscope.
This determines the exact type of psoriasis and rules out other skin disorders, such as seborrhoeic dermatitis, lichen planus, lichen simplex and pityriasis rosea.
You may be referred to a specialist in diagnosing and treating skin conditions if your doctor is uncertain about your diagnosis, or if your condition is severe.
If your doctor suspects you have psoriatic arthritis, which is sometimes a complication of psoriasis, you may be referred to a doctor who specialises in arthritis .
You may have blood tests to rule out other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and X-rays of the affected joints may be taken.
Topical Treatments For Psoriasis
These are drugs you rub directly on your skin. Along with a good moisturizer, theyâre usually the first thing your doctor will suggest, especially for mild to moderate psoriasis. There are over-the-counter and prescription options.
Topical treatments for psoriasis come as ointments, creams, or foam and include:
Steroid creams. These slow down immune cells in your skin. They can ease swelling and redness. Mild steroid creams are available over the counter. Youâll need a prescription from your doctor for something stronger. Steroids come with side effects and shouldnât be used on sensitive areas like your face or genitals. They can burn or thin the skin. Use them exactly the way your doctor tells you.
Salicylic acid. This can soften and thin scaly skin. But it can also irritate your skin if you leave it on too long. It might weaken your hair follicles and cause temporary hair loss, too. The body can absorb salicylic acid if you put it on large patches of skin.
Calcipotriol . This is a strong form of synthetic vitamin D. Itâs known to control overactive skin cells. Your doctor might pair it with a steroid cream.
Tazorac is available gel or cream and applied one and twice daily. it is ot recommended for those who are pregnant or breast-feeding or intending to become pregnant.
Read Also: Is A& d Ointment Good For Psoriasis
Limited Options Little Relief
The noxious smell of fresh asphalt causes most drivers to roll up the windows. But for Engel, random encounters with road construction are more than merely unpleasant they transport her back through the decades, to a time when soaking in a tar-infused bath for 20 minutes was the only way she could find relief from her psoriasis. âThat was horrible,â she says. âItâs exactly what it sounds like. You get in a bathtub that is brown, and it smells like roadwork.â
Coal tar is still used in shampoos, lotions and soaks to reduce the itching, scaling and inflammation of psoriasis. For most people, it offers only mild relief, Tom says, and itâs typically only used in conjunction with other treatments. âIt can be soothing for some, but itâs got a significant smell,â she says. âUsually by itself, itâs not that effective.â
In the early â70s, when Engel was newly diagnosed, stinky tar baths and sticky tar shampoos made the short list of treatment options, along with topical steroids. âThatâs what they had back then,â Engel says. âThe bath to me was so humiliating.â
As with Engel, tar-based shampoos, baths and ointments were Millerâs go-to treatments, but they offered little relief. âAs I remember, the tar took the flaking away, but it didnât do much for the redness,â Miller says. âSometimes the redness was almost worse, but it didnât itch as much.â
Is Psoriasis Hereditary
Although psoriasis is not contagious from person to person, there is a known hereditary tendency. Therefore, family history is very helpful in making the diagnosis.
There are many effective psoriasis treatment choices. The best treatment is individually determined by the treating doctor and depends, in part, on the type of disease, the severity, and amount of skin involved and the type of insurance coverage.
For mild disease that involves only small areas of the body , topical treatments , such as creams, lotions, and sprays, may be very effective and safe to use. Occasionally, a small local injection of steroids directly into a tough or resistant isolated psoriatic plaque may be helpful.
For moderate to severe psoriasis that involves much larger areas of the body , topical products may not be effective or practical to apply. This may require ultraviolet light treatments or systemic medicines. Internal medications usually have greater risks. Because topical therapy has no effect on psoriatic arthritis, systemic medications are generally required to stop the progression to permanent joint destruction.
Don’t Miss: How To Loosen Psoriasis Scales On Scalp
A Search For Treatment
In the 1980s, I tried tar baths and salves, which, like leeches or a month in a sanatorium, are so 19th century. I smelled like a driveway baking in the sun. Enough said.
There were creams and ointments of all varieties that I would apply at night, swathing myself in cling wrap and donning latex gloves to prevent it from rubbing off on the sheets. The process required a lot of effort and was far from perfect I had to tape the wrap so it would stay put, and try turning the pages of a book in rubber gloves. My cat hated it almost as much as I did.
Cortisone injections on my joints were my next attempt, and they worked. My scales completely disappeared for a few weeks at a time. During a year in Japan, I visited a clinic and mimed my request for the shots. After he understood what I was asking for, the doctor left the examination room and came back with a photo album filled with pictures of gruesomely mottled and cratered skin — all because of cortisone, he said. He shook his head sadly as he flipped through the pages.
Those photos scared me enough to stop the shots forever.
The plaques, scales, lesions — whatever you want to call them — always came back, usually within a week or two. The more I battled, the more they piled up.