Living with Psoriasis
You don’t just have to live with psoriasis, you can live well with it. The key is to understand what makes your psoriasis better, and what makes it worse.
The following tips may help improve your skin, and avoid flare-ups, those times when symptoms are at their worst:
- Follow a healthy lifestyle. Eating a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water, getting regular exercise, and getting enough sleep is good advice to follow no matter what. But if you have psoriasis, a healthy lifestyle can help your body fight off infections that can aggravate the skin.
- Take good care of your skin. Regular use of moisturizers—such as Dermarest® Psoriasis Medicated Moisturizer—can help prevent dryness and cracking, and the itch and pain of dry skin. Also, taking daily baths helps remove scales and calm inflamed skin. Make sure the water is lukewarm and you use mild soaps.
- Treat the itch. Dermatologists say that one of the best ways to stop the itch is to treat the psoriasis. When the psoriasis clears, the itch usually disappears. Dermarest® Medicated Skin Treatment relieves itching, plus it reduces the scales and redness of psoriasis. Soaking in a warm oatmeal bath may also relieve itching.
- Get some sunlight. A little sun can improve psoriasis. Just be careful not to overdo it, since too much sun can cause sunburn, which can trigger psoriasis. Also make sure you protect your skin with a sunscreen.
- Learn your triggers. Not everybody’s triggers are the same. But research shows that certain infections, some medications, stress, and winter weather are common triggers for psoriasis.
- Quit smoking. Smoking may also trigger psoriasis. So, this is another good reason to quit if you do smoke. Research suggests that quitting smoking may even clear the skin. If you’re trying to quit, don’t use a nicotine patch without talking with your doctor. Nicotine patches can aggravate psoriasis.
- Limit alcoholic beverages. Studies show there may be a link between severe psoriasis and heavy drinking. Also, alcohol may interfere with certain medications or cause serious side effects. Talk with your doctor if you drink and are on a psoriasis medication.
- Keep track of flare-ups. If you keep a record of your flare-ups, when they occurred, and what you were doing, it may reveal information that may be helpful to you and your doctor. For example, were you feeling really stressed out at the time? Were you out in cold weather?
- Try to control your stress. You can’t avoid stress, since it a natural part of life. But you can learn ways to control it, so it doesn’t control you! Exercise, yoga, listening to music, meditating are ideas to help you relax. Some people find joining a psoriasis support group helps.
- Don’t scratch! You may have a strong urge to itch, but itching makes things worse. Scratching can break the skin, allowing bacteria to enter and cause an infection. Instead, treat your psoriasis. You’ll feel less itchy.
Talk to your dermatologist about Dermarest®—to help your skin look its best.