Statistics show a colossal percentage of psoriasis sufferers worldwide - within 3-5%. The disease mainly affects the skin, which manifests as a red rash, with a characteristic inflammatory reaction. In this case, the plate is covered with a silver shell at the top. The main difficulty in treating the disease is the lack of drugs to completely cure it. It is assumed that the main factors influencing the spread of psoriasis are: metabolic deviations, external factors, stress, as well as heredity.
Most scientists agree that heritage plays one of the most important roles. In the presence of genetic abnormalities, any external stimulation can cause psoriasis. These can be nervous, depressive, psycho-emotional abnormalities, poor quality clothing material, mechanical damage to the skin, poisoning by chemical compounds, infectious diseases, etc. Methods of treating psoriasis are reduced to the transition of the disease from acute symptoms to asymptomatic manifestations. Of the greatest importance is not only the behavior of the person in the period of relapse, but also the prevention of psoriasis, for which prevention is responsible.
The main methods of psoriasis prevention
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 improved, and the body functions on a regular basis, increasing the likelihood of qualitative resistance to 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;
- Stick to the diet;
- A 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 an adequate level of trace elements and vitamins in the body.
Skin care
Quality and thorough skin care is required:
- Occasionally perform water procedures, even in the cold season. For the hot season, you can use a cold shower, watering, and in the 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 cause irritation and cuts on it. Use soft sponges, and it is better to completely reject hard sponges, otherwise recurrence is possible;
- Discard solid soaps. Also prevent the entry of solvents such as gasoline, kerosene; It is better to wash the hair on the head with special shampoos, which prevent the spread of the disease and can act as a cure for psoriasis. These include shampoos, conditioners and lotions;
- Prevent cracking of the skin to rule out the possibility of symptoms. After bathing or showering, it is important to moisturize the skin, use masks, creams, ointments, etc. This accelerates the renewal of the hydrolipid membrane and prevents increased water loss. It is necessary to use such means once a day;
- Indoor humidity should be at the optimal level (50-55%). If the air is too dry, the skin begins to dry 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 ruled out. Cuts, bruises, scratches, lacerations of the skin often cause 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 your nails to prevent accidental skin injuries;
- Some types of cosmetics contain aggressive substances that negatively affect the skin. You may need to switch to medical cosmetics.
Application of wellness massage
Prevention of psoriasis becomes even more effective if massage is applied. Massage techniques that stimulate blood circulation are considered especially useful. Thanks to the active blood circulation, the removal of metabolites, toxins is accelerated, the process of skin regeneration is accelerated, which prevents the worsening of the disease. The massage involves using your 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 must not be touched, this is overwhelmed by the worsening of the disease. A full body massage can be performed to prevent the formation of new plaque. It is usually necessary to process the back, then move on to massaging the limbs and finally the abdomen. The chest responds well to squeezing and rubbing. The duration of the procedure is 10-15 minutes.
Proper nutrition and diet
Diet plays a key 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, such as the pegano diet, but the essence is the same and is to eliminate harmful substances. Precisely because of the negative effects of food, 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 and sour foods at all. Also exclude canned food, semi-finished products can be consumed in small quantities, but only homemade. Eat perishable foods with caution. All this disrupts the process of food processing in the digestive tract;
- Do not eat citrus fruits, because they are considered highly allergenic fruits. Also in the composition of citrus is colchicine, which destroys folic acid, and it is, in turn, one of the important components of skin regeneration;
- It is not recommended to eat corn;
- Relapses are possible due to bananas, mangoes and strawberries;
- It is forbidden to eat sweets, as well as flour products;
- Consumption of potatoes is acceptable, but it should be significantly 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 kept to a minimum, primarily pork and lamb. Replace with diet meat;
- Highly allergenic 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 introduce fresh cheese, milk, fermented baked milk and cheese into the diet. Thanks to the most important amino acids, the course of biochemical reactions in the whole body is normalized. At the same time, the high content of calcium helps to eliminate inflammation, as well as allergic manifestations;
- Treatment and prevention of psoriasis works well with herbal foods such as 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 in 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, it is necessary to drink a lot of fluids, which includes juices, water, including mineral water, teas, etc. ;
- If you have intolerance, prevent the use of allergens. This shade is determined with the help of the attending physician.
Alcohol and smoking cessation
There are no reliable data on whether alcohol can cause 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 into a more severe form, for example, psoriatic erythroderma.
As for smoking, everything is a bit simpler. It has been observed that it can cause both the disease itself and exacerbate the current form of the disease. People who consume 20 or more cigarettes a day are especially at risk. The main problem is the reduction of the activity of the immune system due to the lack of oxygen and the weakening of the muscle tone and vascular walls. It is also important that smoking impairs blood circulation through capillaries as well as suppressing antioxidant protection.
A healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is one of the basic factors that affect the well-being of the skin. It is important to have a good daily routine, including enough sleep. Doctors advise more often to go out in nature, fresh air, go to the sea, resorts, sanatoriums.
Physical activity helps to restore the healthy state of the organism, which is the main factor in the prevention of 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.
Antistress
Psycho-emotional disorders and tension negatively affect the course of the disease and very often provoke its appearance. Of the greatest 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 that. In more difficult situations, they use sedatives or go well with herbal teas.
If psoriasis includes disorders of the nervous system - headaches, sleep disorders, nervousness, then medications can be used. Effective - lemon balm, valerian, Nervo-Vit. They allow you to normalize your sleep, increase the ability of the immune system and improve resistance to stress.
It is difficult to achieve a result without your own efforts, you have to take everything more calmly.
Work
Some professions are categorically unsuitable for patients with psoriasis. Harmful factors include: high temperatures, too much dryness or humidity in the room, 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 allergenic 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 the strong immunity, it is possible to prevent recurrence, and the metabolism is improved, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin. Important vitamins are:
- A - is responsible for keratinization, which significantly accelerates skin regeneration;
- E - Primarily appreciated for its antioxidant effects. It also prevents metabolic abnormalities and acts as an integral part of DNA synthesis;
- D - is a substance that regulates the exchange of phosphorus and calcium. At the same time it stimulates the regeneration of the epidermis and normalizes the membrane, the cellular structure;
- Group B - are actively involved in skin metabolism, improve oxygen absorption. The elements of the skin react favorably to the presence of vitamin B, which is shown by the normalization of the nervous system.
Products with a high content of vitamins or preparations are most often used. Recommended - Undevit, Hexavit and Decamevit, but they should be used based on the doctor's recommendations.
Medications
A doctor should be consulted before taking medication. In some cases, the agents, on the contrary, cause the disease to worsen, 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, even the most harmless, at first glance, disease can cause psoriasis. It is necessary to deal with the timely treatment of all ailments. Upper respiratory tract disease often worsens psoriasis.
Climatotherapy, ultraviolet radiation
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, it harms some. Wounds on the skin are a contraindication for bathing in sea water. You should not swim during the exacerbation. The time for performing climatotherapy should be individually adjusted.
When sunbathing, it is necessary to use protective creams. The doctor will be able to tell if sunbathing will have a beneficial effect, because otherwise there is a high risk of worsening the disease.
Trauma
Injuries are very dangerous manifestations that can cause psoriasis, but also make it worse. This increases the risk of secondary infection due to cuts and scratches. Plaques around the lesions often appear. Prevent injuries as much as possible.
clothing
Such a factor as 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 to have light colors. This will help avoid plaque injuries and reduce skin pain. A lighter color will help make the silver scales less visible. Linen, cotton and other soft fabrics are ideal for bedding. Avoid wearing woolen sweaters and similar irritating materials.