I have had Psoriasis for around 2 years now but only started receiving treatment for the skin condition a year and a half ago.
For those of you who don’t know what Psoriasis is; Psoriasis is a skin disease marked by red, itchy, scaly patches and can appear on any part of your body. For example, I have psoriasis in my scalp and on my forehead whilst I know people who have it on their back, arm or legs.
Oh hey Psoriasis on my forehead – this is it on a good day!
Psoriases can be itchy, annoying and, as it can be very noticeable on the skin, it can make people feel subconscious about how noticeable it is. As I have it on my forehead I am very aware of this as people are not afraid to ask about it or point out that “I have something on my face”. So, to try and help anyone else out there who has psoriasis here are my top 5 tips for dealing with it!
Tip 1 – Watch your diet
A bad diet can increase the severity of your psoriasis. Eating junk food and drinking lots of alcohol can all contribute to the irritation of your psoriasis. I’m not saying don’t eat junk food or drink alcohol (No one loves Pizza as much as I do) however you should watch the quality of your diet to ensure that your skin and psoriasis will not flare up as much.
Tip 2 – Drink lots of water
Dehydration is bad for your skin period. If your body is dehydrated it will dry out your skin and if you have psoriasis this will cause it to flare up and become more inflamed.
Tip 3 – Keep your skin moisturised
The worst thing you can do is not apply moisturiser to the area of your skin affected by psoriasis. Dry skin will make the area more irritated and itchy than it needs to be. Ask your Doctor for a moisturise that they recommend or try an organic moisturiser especially for psoriasis to help keep the skin and area moisturised.
Tip 4 – Watch when bathing
Keeping your hygiene in top condition is a very important part of life, however, some of your usual bathing techniques may be causing your psoriasis to flare up. To ensure you don’t cause problems when bathing you should ensure you are not using piping-hot water; Luke warm water is better for psoriasis and will cause less irritation. You should also pat dry your skin instead of towel drying as this will not only scratch the area but will also cause it to become more inflamed, irritated and itchy.
Tip 5 – Go to your local GP
This may be the most obvious tip but if you think you have psoriasis or you have psoriasis and feel your treatments aren’t working then you should go and see if your local GP can help. They are able to prescribe the correct medicine and creams you may need but can also refer you to the dermatologists if your psoriasis is severe or won’t go away. If you go to the GP and the treatments they give you don’t work or show visible improvements after 6 weeks go back! It took me 5 GP trips before I got the best treatments that work on my skin. Everyone’s skin is different and it may take a few tries to get the correct treatment for you – Don’t give up!
If you have any other tips for Psoriasis then please leave them in the comments – I would love to read all your tips!
these are wonderful tips! i have friends who have this and they’d find this really useful :)
from helen at thelovecatsinc.com
Thank you! You should pass these tips on to them and see if it helps them as well! x
i find applying moisturiser that the doct prescribed for me and leaving it on for half hour ,then applying the two other topical creams on top of that has helped me I noticed a difference in a week with my psoriasis . As I’ve had psoriasis for over twenty years and I know how much it can affect u in ur day to day Life , as I said doing this morning and night has helped me hope it helps other people .
I have had psoriasis since I was 8 months old, and I am 44 now. I wish there was this awareness as I was growing up as it is a horrible feeling when people stare & point and it makes you feel isolated.
Although this comes and goes I do however manage to control this, I lost my dad 12 months ago next month and ive had a flare up during his illness and only just getting on top of this now. I use creams from my doctor and am open to try anything, I have even used aromatherapy products in the past (as well as sunbeds)
It has took me a long time to ignore the comments & stares, and be the person who I am now.
I think this web page is brilliant, keep up the good work :-) x