Statistics show a colossal percentage of psoriasis patients worldwide - within 3-5%. The disease mainly affects the skin, which appears as a red rash, with a characteristic inflammatory reaction. In this case, the plate is covered with a silver scale on top. The main difficulty in treating the disease is the lack of medication for a complete cure. It is assumed that the main factors influencing the spread of psoriasis are: metabolic deviations, 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 cause the onset of psoriasis. These can be nervous, depressive, psycho-emotional abnormalities, poor quality clothing materials, mechanical skin damage, chemical poisoning, infectious diseases, etc. Methods for treating psoriasis are reduced in the transition of the disease from acute symptoms to asymptomatic manifestations. Of great importance is not only the behavior of a person during the recovery period, but also the prevention of psoriasis, for which prevention is responsible.
The main methods of preventing psoriasis
Preventing psoriasis consists of 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, as immunity is increased, and the body functions in a regular way, increases the likelihood of qualitatively resisting environmental stimuli.
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;
- Stay on a diet;
- Relaxing massage is recommended;
- Rejection of bad habits;
- Avoid stress and depression;
- Prevent the entry of corrosive chemicals into the skin and respiratory tract;
- Maintain the proper level of trace elements and vitamins in the body.
Skin care
Complete and quality skin care is required:
- Perform water procedures periodically, even in the cold season. For a hot season, you can use a fresh bath, pouring, and in a cold period, use warm baths with the addition of soda, salt, herbs, etc. ;
- It is important to take good care of your skin so as not to provoke irritation and cuts on it. Use soft sponges and it is better to completely reject hard sponges, otherwise a relapse is possible;
- Eliminate solid soaps from use. Also prevent the entry of solvents such as gasoline, kerosene; It is better to wash the hair on the head with special shampoos, which 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 taking a bath or shower it is important to hydrate the skin, for this use masks, creams, ointments, etc. This accelerates the restoration of the hydrolipid membrane and prevents increased water loss. It is necessary to use such tools 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. Moisturizers may be used;
- Increasing air circulation increases skin drying in air conditioners and streams. It is necessary to limit the time spent in such premises;
- Mechanical damage must be ruled out. Cuts, bruises, scratches, cracks in the skin often provoke a relapse;
- Chemicals, such as bath care, should be used sparingly and only with personal protective equipment, although prolonged exposure to the respiratory tract is harmful;
- Cut nails short to prevent accidental skin damage;
- Some types of cosmetics contain aggressive substances in their composition, which negatively affect the skin. You may need to switch to medical makeup.
Wellness massage application
Prevention of psoriasis becomes even more effective if massage is applied. Massage techniques that stimulate blood circulation are considered particularly beneficial. 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. Massage involves using your fingers to gradually stretch the skin around the plate. It is necessary to capture an area of 2-4 cm around the affected area. The plaques themselves should not be touched, it is fraught with exacerbation of the disease. A full body massage can be performed to prevent the formation of new plaque. Basically you need to work your back, then move on to massaging your limbs and bottom of your abdomen. The thoracic cage responds well to squeezing and rubbing. The duration of the procedure is 10-15 minutes.
Proper nutrition and diet
Nutrition plays a critical 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 give positive results, like the Pegano diet, but the essence is the same and is the elimination of harmful substances. It is due to the negative effects of food that relapse occurs. This is justified by the fact that liver damage in psoriasis is a characteristic course of the disease.
- Do not eat fried, spicy, salty or pickled foods at all. Also exclude canned food, semi-finished products can be consumed in small quantities, but only homemade. Eat foods that break down carefully. All this impairs the process of food processing in the digestive tract;
- Do not eat citrus fruits, as they are considered very 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 are possible due to 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 in addressing the inflammatory response;
- Fatty meats should be minimized, mainly pork and lamb. Replace with more dietary meats;
- Foods with many allergies 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 flow of biochemical reactions throughout the body is normalized. At the same time, a high calcium content helps eliminate inflammation as well as allergic manifestations;
- Treating and preventing psoriasis works well with plant-based foods like vegetables, fruits and herbs. However, they should be eaten raw. Carrots have beneficial properties, thanks to vitamin A. This component leads to the normalization of metabolism in the skin 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, including juices, water, including mineral water, teas, etc. ;
- If you have intolerance, prevent 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 greatly aggravated by drinking. It is also possible to generalize the common, vulgar form of the disease to a more severe form, for example, psoriatic erythroderma.
As for smoking, everything is somewhat simpler. It is noted that it can provoke both the disease itself and worsen the current form of the disease. People who smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day are particularly at 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, as well as suppresses antioxidant defenses.
Healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is one of the fundamental factors that affects the well-being of the skin. It is important to have a good daily routine, including getting enough sleep. Doctors advise more often to go out in nature, fresh air, go to the sea, resorts, sanatoriums.
Physical activity helps to restore a healthy state of the body, which is the key factor in preventing 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.
Antistress
Psychoemotional disorders and tension negatively affect the course of the disease and very often provoke its occurrence. Of great 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. Ancient practices like yoga and meditation, as well as extra sleep, can help with this. In more severe situations, they use sedatives or are accompanied by herbal teas.
If psoriasis involves disorders of the nervous system - headaches, sleep disturbances, irritability, then medication can be used. Effective - motherwort, valerian, Nervo-Vit. They allow you to normalize sleep patterns, increase the ability of the immune system and improve resistance to stress.
It is difficult to achieve a result without making your efforts, you need to take everything more calmly.
work
Some occupations are categorically inappropriate for a patient with psoriasis. Adverse factors include: high temperature, dryness or excessive humidity in the room, use of chemicals. Also, the choice of profession should not fall on specialties with high levels of nervous stress, as well as the risk of mechanical damage. It is best to stay away from highly allergic environments.
Use of vitamin complexes
Vitamins have an extremely beneficial effect not only on the course of the disease, but also on its prevention. Thanks to strong immunity, it is possible to prevent relapse, along with this, metabolism is improved, which has a beneficial effect on the skin condition. Important vitamins are:
- A - it is responsible for keratinization, which significantly accelerates skin regeneration;
- E - Mainly prized for its antioxidant effects. 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 structure, cellular;
- Group B - are actively involved in skin metabolism, improve oxygen uptake. The elements of the skin respond favorably to the presence of B vitamins, which is indicated by the normalization of the nervous system.
Most often used products with high content of vitamins or preparations. Recommended - Undevit, Geksavit and Dekamevit, but they should be used according to the doctor's recommendations.
medications
It is necessary to consult a doctor before taking the medication. In some cases, the agents, on the contrary, cause a worsening of the disease, which is manifested by an increase in symptoms. The use of lithium preparations as well as those containing gold and beta-blockers should be avoided.
Any disease, even the most harmless, at first glance, 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. Sea water also has a positive 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. During an irritation, you should not swim. The time for performing climatotherapy should be adjusted individually.
When sunbathing, you should use sunscreen. The attending physician will be able to tell if the sunbath will have a beneficial effect, otherwise there is a high risk of disease exacerbation.
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 scratches. Plaques often appear around the lesions. Prevent the formation of injuries as much as possible.
clothing
A factor such as high quality and appropriate clothing is one of the principles of preventing psoriasis or its recurrence. It is recommended to use clothes made of soft fabrics made of natural materials, it is better for them to have a light color. This will help avoid plaque damage and reduce skin pain. The lighter color will help make the silver scales less noticeable. Linen, cotton and other soft fabrics are ideal for bedding. Avoid wearing woolen sweaters and similar irritating materials.