Statistics show a colossal percentage of patients with psoriasis worldwide - within 3-5%. The disease mainly affects the skin, which manifests itself as a red rash, with a characteristic inflammatory reaction. In this case, the poster is covered with a silver scale on top. The main difficulty in treating the disease is the lack of drugs for complete cure. It is assumed that the main factors influencing the spread of psoriasis are: metabolic disorders, external factors, stress, and heredity.
Most scientists agree that heredity plays one of the most important roles. In the presence of genetic abnormalities, any external stimulation can trigger the onset of psoriasis. These can be nervous, depressive, psycho-emotional disorders, poor quality clothing material, mechanical damage to the skin, chemical poisoning, infectious diseases and more. Methods of treating psoriasis are reduced to the transition of the disease from acute symptoms to asymptomatic manifestations. Of the utmost importance is not only the behavior of a person 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 the negative factors. At the same time, prevention has a fairly general form, ie it allows you to prevent the development of other diseases, as immunity is strengthened and the body functions regularly, the likelihood of quality resistance to environmental stimuli increases.
Prevention is a set of measures aimed at maintaining health in the body. There are several areas of influence that can help prevent relapse:
- High quality skin care;
- Stick to a diet;
- A relaxing massage is recommended;
- Rejection of bad habits;
- Avoid stress and depression;
- Prevent corrosive chemicals from entering the skin and respiratory tract;
- Maintain the correct level of trace elements and vitamins in the body.
Skin care
High quality and thorough skin care is needed:
- Periodically perform water treatments, even during the cold season. For the hot season you can use a cool shower, pouring, and in the cold period to use warm baths with the addition of soda, salt, herbs and more. ;
- It is important to take good care of your skin so as not to provoke irritation and cuts on it. Use soft mushrooms and it is better to completely refuse hard mushrooms, otherwise recurrence is possible;
- Eliminate hard soaps from use. Also prevent the penetration of solvents such as gasoline, kerosene; It is better to wash the scalp with special shampoos that contain the spread of the disease and can act as a treatment for psoriasis. These include shampoos, conditioners and lotions;
- Prevent cracking of the skin to rule out the possibility of symptoms. After a bath or shower it is important to moisturize the skin, so use masks, creams, ointments and more. This accelerates the recovery of the hydrolipid membrane and prevents increased water loss. It is necessary to use such funds once a day;
- Indoor humidity should be at an optimal level (50-55%). If the air is too dry, the skin begins to dry out and then crack. Humidifiers can be used;
- Increased air circulation increases the dryness of the skin with air conditioners and drafts. It is necessary to limit the time spent in such premises;
- Mechanical damage must be ruled out. Cuts, bruises, abrasions, tears of the skin often provoke recurrence;
- Chemicals, such as bathroom care, should be used minimally and only with personal protective equipment, although even prolonged exposure to the respiratory tract is harmful;
- Shorten nails to prevent accidental skin injury;
- Some types of cosmetics contain aggressive substances in their composition, which has a negative effect on the skin. You may need to switch to medical cosmetics.
Apply wellness massage
Prevention of psoriasis becomes even more effective if massage is applied. Massage techniques that stimulate blood circulation are considered particularly useful. Thanks to the active blood circulation, the removal of metabolites, toxins is accelerated and the process of skin regeneration is accelerated, which prevents the exacerbation of the disease. The massage involves the use of fingers to gradually stretch the skin around the plaque. It is necessary to capture an area of 2-4 cm around the affected area. The plaques themselves should not be touched, this is fraught with aggravation of the disease. The whole body can be massaged to prevent the formation of new plaque. Most of all, you need to process the back, then move on to massaging the limbs and the end of the abdomen. The back responds well to squeezing and rubbing. The duration of the procedure is 10-15 minutes.
Proper nutrition and diet
Nutrition plays a crucial 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 lead to positive results, such as the Pegano diet, but the essence is the same and is to eliminate harmful substances. It is because of the negative effects of food that relapses occur. 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 sour dishes at all. Also exclude canned foods, semi-finished products can be consumed in small quantities, but only home-cooked. Eat perishable foods with caution. All this disrupts the process of food processing in the digestive tract;
- Do not eat citrus fruits, as they are considered highly allergic fruits. Also in the composition of citrus fruits there is colchicine, which destroys folic acid, and it in turn is one of the important components of skin regeneration;
- It is not recommended to eat corn;
- Recurrences due to bananas, mangoes and strawberries are possible;
- It is forbidden to eat pastries as well as flour products;
- Eating potatoes is acceptable, but should be significantly reduced. This is due to the high potassium content. By reacting with sodium, they antagonize calcium. Calcium is important in dealing with the inflammatory response;
- Fatty meats should be kept to a minimum, especially pork and lamb. Replace with more dietary meats;
- Highly allergic foods are: eggs, tomatoes, coffee, chocolate, honey and mushrooms;
- Dairy products are healthy because they contain a lot of protein and fat. It is recommended to include cottage cheese, milk, fermented baked milk and cheese in the diet. Thanks to the most important amino acids, the course of biochemical reactions in the body is normalized. At the same time, the high calcium content helps to eliminate inflammation as well as allergic manifestations;
- The treatment and prevention of psoriasis works well with plant foods such as vegetables, fruits and herbs. However, they must be eaten raw. Carrots have beneficial properties, thanks to vitamin A. This component leads to normalization of metabolism in the skin and promotes 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, this includes juices, water, including mineral water, teas and more. ;
- If you have an intolerance, avoid the use of allergens. This nuance is determined with the help of the attending physician.
Quitting alcohol and smoking
There is no reliable data on whether alcohol can provoke the disease, but it is known that in patients with already developed psoriasis, the course of the disease is significantly worsened by drinking. It is also possible for the usual vulgar form of the disease to generalize to a more severe form, such as psoriatic erythroderma.
When it comes to smoking, everything is a little simpler. It has been observed that it can provoke both the disease itself and worsen the current form of the disease. People who consume 20 or more cigarettes a day are at particular risk. The main problem is the decrease in the activity of the immune system due to lack of oxygen and weakening of muscle tone and vascular walls. It is also important that smoking impairs blood circulation through the capillaries and suppresses antioxidant defenses.
Healthy life style
A healthy lifestyle is one of the main factors that affect the well-being of the skin. It is important to have a good daily routine, including getting enough sleep. Doctors advise to go out more often in nature, in the fresh air, to go to the sea, resorts, sanatoriums.
Physical activity helps to restore the health of the body, which is the main factor in preventing the disease. Sports activities are great, especially fitness and swimming. Such a set of measures allows you to strengthen the immune system, as well as eliminate nervous tension.
Anti-stress
Psycho-emotional disorders and stress negatively affect the course of the disease and very often provoke its appearance. Of paramount importance in prevention is the normalization and stability of the emotional state and the nervous system. You should try to exclude as many external stimuli as possible. Ancient practices such as yoga and meditation, as well as extra sleep, can help with this. In more severe situations, they use sedatives or are understood with herbal teas.
If psoriasis involves disorders of the nervous system - headache, sleep disorders, nervousness, then drugs can be used. Effective - motherwort, valerian, Nervo-Vit. They allow you to normalize sleep, increase the ability of the immune system and improve resistance to stress.
It is difficult to achieve a result without making your own efforts, you need to take everything more calmly.
Work
Some professions are definitely unsuitable for a patient with psoriasis. Adverse factors include: high temperature, too much dryness or humidity in the room, the use of chemicals. Also, the choice of profession should not fall on specialties with a high level of nervous stress, as well as the risk of mechanical damage. It is best to stay away from highly allergic environments.
The use of vitamin complexes
Vitamins have an extremely beneficial effect not only on the course of the disease, but also on its prevention. Due to the strong immunity it is possible to prevent recurrence, along with improving metabolism, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin. Important vitamins are:
- A - it is responsible for keratinization, which significantly accelerates skin regeneration;
- E - Mainly valuable for its antioxidant effects. It also prevents metabolic abnormalities and acts as an integral part of DNA synthesis;
- D - is a regulatory substance for the metabolism of phosphorus and calcium. At the same time stimulates regeneration in the epidermis and normalizes the membrane, cell structure;
- Group B - actively involved in skin metabolism, improve oxygen absorption. The elements of the skin respond favorably to the presence of B vitamins, which is manifested by the normalization of the nervous system.
Products with a high content of vitamins or preparations are most often used. Recommended - Undevit, Geksavit and Dekamevit, but they should be used based on the doctor's recommendations.
Medications
It is necessary to consult a doctor before taking medication. In some cases, the agents, on the contrary, cause a worsening of the disease, which manifests itself with an increase in symptoms. The use of lithium preparations as well as those containing gold and beta-blockers should be avoided.
Any, even the most seemingly harmless, disease can provoke psoriasis. It is necessary to deal with the timely treatment of all diseases. Upper respiratory tract disease often worsens psoriasis.
Climatotherapy, ultraviolet rays
Ultraviolet radiation has a beneficial effect on the course of psoriasis and its prevention. Patients are prescribed sunbathing for 5-10 minutes, burning is unacceptable. Also, sea water has a positive effect, especially from the Dead Sea, although this indicator is individual, on the contrary, harms some. Skin wounds are a contraindication to swimming in sea water. You should not swim during exacerbations. The time for climatotherapy should be adjusted individually.
When sunbathing, you should use sunscreens. The attending physician will be able to say whether sunbathing will have a beneficial effect, otherwise there is a high risk of exacerbation of the disease.
Trauma
Injuries are very dangerous manifestations that can cause psoriasis as well as make it worse. This increases the risk of secondary infection due to cuts and abrasions. Plaques often appear around the lesions. Prevent injuries as much as possible.
clothing
Such a factor as high-quality and appropriate clothing is one of the principles for preventing psoriasis or its recurrence. It is recommended to use clothes made of soft fabrics made of natural materials, it is better to have a light color. This will help avoid plaque injury and reduce skin soreness. A lighter color will help make the silver scales less visible. Linen, cotton and other soft fabrics are ideal for bed linen. Avoid wearing wool sweaters and similar irritating materials.