What is Psoriasis and How Can I Treat It

Your skin is your biggest organ and is your body’s first line of defense against a wide range of illnesses. If you don’t treat your skin right, then you expose yourself to common skin disorders like acne, sunburn, and other fungal infections. Your skin is also prone to developing chronic congenital illnesses like skin asthma, eczema, and psoriasis. In this article, we tackle the different treatment options for psoriasis and what you can do to manage its symptoms.

Who are at risk?

Your genes play a major role in measuring your risk level for psoriasis. If both your parents have psoriasis, then there is a 40% chance that you will develop this skin condition. If only one of your parents suffered from psoriasis, then that number is reduced to 15%. Medical research shows that the exact cause of psoriasis is yet to be fully understood.  

Treatment options

Psoriasis may be treated accordingly depending on the severity of your condition. Having psoriasis can also be compared to another common skin condition called eczema since your skin is highly sensitive and very dry. The symptoms of eczema and psoriasis may be treated with topical medications like creams, ointments, and lotions to help moisturize the affected areas. There are also other treatment options for psoriasis like:

• Phototherapy – ultraviolet light is involved and a course of treatment usually takes 8-10 weeks.
• Internal treatments – in some cases, your doctor may prescribe some pills and injectable medications to manage your symptoms, additional blood tests may be conducted before and after to determine results.

Prevention, after care

Since there is no known definite cure for psoriasis, living a healthy lifestyle is one of your best bets in preventing future flare-ups. Aside from sticking to your prescribed medication schedule, here some other lifestyle changes that you should consider:

• Avoid getting stressed.
• Stop smoking.
• Eat a balanced diet, avoid junk food.
• Exercise regularly to maintain your ideal body weight.
• Reduce alcohol consumption.
• Schedule and show up for follow-up checkups with your doctor.
• Seek help from family and friends who understand your condition. Some patients with psoriasis are prone to suffer from depression due to low self-esteem so it’s important that you have the support that you need.

General disclaimer

Always consult your doctor before drinking or applying any kind of medication, including vitamins. Keep in mind that your physician is in the best position to prescribe the right kind of treatment for your condition. Immediately stop using a product if you experience negative side effects.

Sources:

• Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. (2013). Psoriasis: Overview. [online] Available at: ncbi.
• Bad.org.uk. (2005). [online] Available at: http://www.bad.org.uk/shared/get-file.ashx?id=178&itemtype=document.
• Feingold, K. and Grunfeld, C. (2012). Psoriasis: it's more than just the skin. Journal of Lipid Research, 53(8), pp.1427-1429.
• Langley, R. (2005). Psoriasis: epidemiology, clinical features, and quality of life. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 64(suppl_2), pp.ii18-ii23.
• M.G., G. (2013). A Clinical and Epidemiological Study of Psoriasis and its Association with Various Biochemical Parameters in Newly Diagnosed Cases. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH.
• Smith, C. and Barker, J. (2006). Psoriasis and its management. BMJ, 333(7564), pp.380-384.