Statistical data shows a whopping percentage of patients with psoriasis around the world - within 3-5%. The disease usually affects the skin, which manifests itself as a red rash with a characteristic inflammatory reaction. In this case, the top of the plaque is covered with a silvery scales. The main difficulty in treating the disease is the lack of drugs for a complete cure. It is believed that the main factors influencing the spread of psoriasis are: metabolic abnormalities, external factors, stress, as well as heredity.
Most scientists agree that heredity plays one of the most important roles. With genetic abnormalities, any external stimulation can trigger the manifestation of psoriasis. These can be nervous, depressive, psycho-emotional anomalies, inferior clothing material, mechanical skin damage, poisoning with chemical compounds, infectious diseases, etc. Methods of treating psoriasis are limited to the transition of the disease from acute symptoms to asymptomatic manifestations. Of paramount importance is not only a person's behavior during the period of relapse, but also the prevention of psoriasis, for which prevention is responsible.
The main methods of preventing psoriasis
Prevention of psoriasis consists in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eliminating negative factors. At the same time, prevention has a fairly general form, that is, it allows you to prevent the development of other diseases, since immunity is strengthened and the body works regularly, the likelihood of qualitatively withstanding environmental stimuli increases.
Prevention is a series of measures aimed at maintaining the health of the body. There are several areas of influence that can help prevent relapse:
- Quality skin care;
- Stick to a diet;
- A relaxing massage is recommended;
- Rejection of bad habits;
- Avoid Stress and Depression;
- Prevent harsh chemicals from getting into the skin and respiratory tract;
- Maintain proper levels of trace elements and vitamins in the body.
Skin care
High-quality and thorough skin care is required:
- Perform water procedures regularly, even in the cold season. In the hot season you can take a cool shower, watering, and in a cold season you can use warm baths with soda, salt, herbs, etc.
- It is important to take good care of your skin to avoid irritation and cuts. Use soft sponges, and it is better to completely refuse hard sponges, otherwise relapse is possible;
- Eliminate solid soaps from use. Also prevent the penetration of solvents such as gasoline, kerosene; It is better to wash the hair on the head with special shampoos that can contain the spread of the disease and act to treat psoriasis. These include shampoos, balms, and lotions;
- Prevent the skin from cracking to reduce the chance of symptoms. After bathing or showering, it is important to moisturize the skin, to do this, use masks, creams, ointments, etc. This will accelerate the restoration of the hydrolipid membrane and prevent increased water loss. It is necessary to use such funds once a day;
- The indoor humidity should be at an optimal level (50-55%). When the air is too dry, the skin begins to dry out and then crack. Humidifiers can be used;
- Increased air circulation increases skin dryness in air conditioners and drafts. It is necessary to limit the time spent in such premises;
- Mechanical damage should be excluded. Cuts, bruises, abrasions, cracks in the skin often provoke a relapse;
- Chemicals like bathroom care should be used minimally and only with personal protective equipment, although prolonged exposure to the respiratory tract is harmful;
- Trim the nails short to avoid accidentally injuring the skin.
- Some types of cosmetics contain in their composition aggressive substances that have a negative effect on the skin. You may need to switch to medical cosmetics.
Application of the wellness massage
Psoriasis prevention becomes even more effective when massage is used. Massage techniques that stimulate blood circulation are particularly beneficial. Thanks to active blood circulation, the removal of metabolites, toxins is accelerated and the process of skin regeneration accelerates, which prevents the exacerbation of the disease. During the massage, the skin around the plaque is gradually stretched with your fingers. It is necessary to cover an area of 2-4 cm around the affected area. The plaques themselves should not be touched, as this is fraught with exacerbation of the disease. A full body massage can be performed to prevent new plaque from building up. Most often you need to work the back, and then proceed to massage the limbs and at the end of the abdomen. The chest responds well to squeezing and rubbing. The duration of the procedure is 10-15 minutes.
Proper diet and nutrition
Diet plays a vital role in preventing the development of almost all chronic diseases, and psoriasis and its prevention are no exception. There are some diet plans that can produce positive results, like the Pegano Diet, but the gist is the same and is to eliminate harmful substances. Relapses occur due to the negative effects of food. This is justified by the fact that liver damage in psoriasis is a characteristic course of the disease.
- Do not eat fried, spicy, salty and pickled dishes at all. Also exclude canned food, semi-finished products can be consumed in small quantities, but only homemade. Eat perishable foods with caution. All of this affects the process of food processing in the digestive tract;
- Do not eat citrus fruits as they are considered highly allergenic fruits. Also in the composition of citrus fruits there is colchicine, which destroys folic acid and in turn is one of the important components of skin regeneration;
- It is not recommended to eat corn;
- Relapses are possible from bananas, mangoes, and strawberries;
- It is forbidden to eat sweets, as well as flour products;
- Eating potatoes is acceptable but should be greatly reduced. This is due to the high potassium content. By reacting with sodium, they antagonize calcium. Calcium is important to fight the inflammatory response;
- Fatty meat should be minimized, especially pork and lamb. Replace with dietary meats;
- Highly allergenic foods are: eggs, tomatoes, coffee, chocolate, honey and mushrooms;
- Dairy products are healthy because they are high in protein and fat. It is recommended to include cottage cheese, milk, fermented baking milk and cheese in the diet. Thanks to the most important amino acids, the process of biochemical reactions in the whole body is normalized. At the same time, a high calcium content helps to get rid of inflammation, as well as allergic manifestations;
- Treating and preventing psoriasis works well with plant foods such as vegetables, fruits, and herbs. However, they should be eaten raw. Thanks to vitamin A, carrots have positive properties. This component leads to the normalization of skin metabolism and helps to carry out faster regeneration;
- Porridge should be present in the diet every day. The most useful cereals are: wheat, oats and buckwheat;
- For the fastest treatment of psoriasis, you need to drink plenty of fluids, which include juices, water, including mineral water, teas, etc. ;
- If you have an intolerance, avoid using allergens. This nuance is determined with the help of the attending physician.
Quitting alcohol and smoking
There are no reliable data on whether alcohol can provoke the disease, but it is known that drinking greatly exacerbates the disease process in patients with already developed psoriasis. It is also possible to generalize the common, vulgar form of the disease into a more severe form, for example psoriatic erythroderma.
Everything is a little easier when you smoke. It is found that it can both provoke the disease itself and make the current form of the disease worse. People who consume 20 or more cigarettes a day are particularly at risk. The main problem is a decrease in the activity of the immune system due to lack of oxygen and a weakening of muscle tone and vascular walls. It is also important that smoking makes it difficult for blood to circulate through the capillaries and suppresses antioxidant protection.
Healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is one of the fundamental factors that affect skin wellbeing. It is important to have a good daily routine, including getting adequate sleep. Doctors advise more often to get out into nature, to the fresh air, to the sea, in resorts, sanatoriums.
Physical activity helps restore the body to a healthy state, which is the main factor in disease prevention. Sports activities are great, especially fitness and swimming. With such a series of measures, you can strengthen the immune system and eliminate nervous tension.
Anti-stress
Psycho-emotional disorders and tension have a negative effect on the course of the disease and very often provoke its occurrence. Of utmost importance in prevention is the normalization and stability of the emotional state and the nervous system. You should try to exclude external stimuli as much as possible. Old practices like yoga and meditation, as well as extra sleep, can help with this. In more severe situations, they use sedatives or get along with herbal teas.
If there are disorders of the nervous system with psoriasis - headache, sleep disorders, nervousness, drugs can be used. Effective - feverfew, valerian, Nervo-Vit. They allow you to normalize sleep patterns, increase the ability of the immune system, and improve stress resistance.
It is difficult to achieve a result without your own effort, you need to take it easy.
job
Some professions are categorically unsuitable for a psoriasis patient. Unfavorable factors include: high temperature, too much dryness or humidity in the room, the use of chemicals. The choice of occupation should also not focus on specialties with a high level of nerve stress and the risk of mechanical damage. It is best to stay away from highly allergenic environments.
The use of vitamin complexes
Vitamins have an extremely positive effect not only on the course of the disease, but also on its prevention. Thanks to strong immunity, relapse can be prevented, at the same time metabolism improves, which has a positive effect on the condition of the skin. Important vitamins are:
- A - it is responsible for keratinization, which significantly accelerates skin regeneration;
- E - Most valued for its antioxidant properties. It also prevents abnormalities in metabolism and acts as an integral part of DNA synthesis;
- D - is a regulating substance for the exchange of phosphorus and calcium. At the same time, it stimulates regeneration in the epidermis and normalizes the membrane and cell structure;
- Group B - are actively involved in the metabolism of the skin, improve oxygen absorption. Elements of the skin respond positively to the presence of B vitamins, which is reflected in the normalization of the nervous system.
Most often, products with a high content of vitamins or preparations are used. Recommended - Undevit, Geksavit, and Dekamevit, but must be used as recommended by the doctor.
Medication
Before taking any medication, it is necessary to consult a doctor. In some cases, however, the agents cause the disease to worsen, which is manifested by an increase in symptoms. The use of lithium supplements, as well as those with gold and beta blockers, should be avoided.
Any illness that seems harmless at first glance can cause psoriasis. It is necessary to deal with the timely treatment of all ailments. Upper respiratory diseases often make psoriasis worse.
Climate therapy, ultraviolet rays
Ultraviolet radiation has a beneficial effect on the course of psoriasis and its prevention. Patients are prescribed sunbathing for 5-10 minutes, a burn is unacceptable. Sea water also has a beneficial effect, especially from the Dead Sea, although this indicator is individual, on the contrary, it harms some. Skin wounds are a contraindication to swimming in sea water. You should not swim during an exacerbation. The time for performing climatic therapy should be adjusted individually.
When sunbathing, you need to use protective creams. The attending physician can determine whether sunbathing has a positive effect, otherwise there is a high risk of the disease getting worse.
trauma
Injuries are very dangerous manifestations that can cause psoriasis and make it worse. This increases the risk of secondary infection from cuts and abrasions. Plaques often appear around the lesions. Prevent injuries as much as possible.
clothing
A factor such as good quality and suitable clothing is one of the principles in preventing psoriasis or its recurrence. It is recommended to use clothes made of soft fabrics made from natural materials, it is better that they are light in color. This will help prevent injuries to the plaque and reduce soreness on the skin. The lighter color helps make the silvery scales less noticeable. Linen, cotton, and other soft fabrics are ideal for bedding. Avoid wearing wool sweaters and similar irritating materials.