Statistical data indicates a colossal percentage of psoriasis patients worldwide, between 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 scale on top. The main difficulty in treating the disease is the lack of drugs 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 trigger the manifestation of psoriasis. They can be nervous, depressive, psycho-emotional disorders, poor quality clothing, mechanical damage to the skin, poisoning by chemical compounds, infectious diseases, etc. Methods for treating psoriasis boil down to transitioning the disease from acute symptoms to asymptomatic manifestations. The most important thing is not only the behavior of a person during the relapse period, but also the prevention of psoriasis, for which prevention is responsible.
The main methods of preventing psoriasis.
Psoriasis prevention 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 improves and the body works regularly, the probability of qualitatively resisting environmental stimuli increases.
Prevention is a set of measures designed to maintain health in the body. There are several areas of influence that can help prevent relapse:
- High-quality skin care;
- Follow a diet;
- Relaxing massage is recommended;
- Rejection of bad habits;
- Avoid stress and depression;
- Prevent corrosive chemicals from entering the skin and respiratory tract;
- Maintain the proper level of trace elements and vitamins in the body.
Skin care
High-quality, comprehensive skin care is required:
- Periodically carry out water procedures, even in the cold season. For a hot season, you can use a cold shower, 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 cause irritations and cuts in it. Use soft sponges, and it is better to refuse hard sponges completely, otherwise a relapse is possible;
- Eliminate use solid soaps. It also prevents 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, balms, and lotions;
- Avoid cracking 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 further water loss. It is necessary to use such means 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 skin dryness in air conditioners and drafts. It is necessary to limit the time spent in these premises;
- Mechanical damage must be excluded. Cuts, bruises, abrasions, tears of the skin often cause a relapse;
- 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;
- Cut nails to avoid accidental injury to the skin;
- Some types of cosmetics contain aggressive substances in their composition, which adversely affects the skin. You may need to switch to medical cosmetics.
Wellness massage application.
The prevention of psoriasis becomes even more effective if a massage is applied. Massage techniques that stimulate blood circulation are considered particularly beneficial. Thanks to the active blood circulation, the elimination of metabolites, toxins is accelerated and the skin regeneration process is accelerated, which prevents the exacerbation of the disease. The massage consists of using the 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 plates themselves should not touch, it is fraught with aggravation of the disease. A full-body massage can be done to prevent the formation of new plaque. Mainly you need to process the back, then move on to massaging the extremities and the end of the abdomen. The rib cage responds well to squeezing and rubbing. The duration of the procedure is 10 to 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 produce positive results, like the Pegano diet, but the essence is the same and it is to eliminate harmful substances. It is due to 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 pickled dishes. Canned food is also excluded, semi-finished products can be consumed in small quantities, but only at home. Eat perishable foods with caution. All of this impairs the food processing process in the digestive tract;
- Do not eat citrus fruits, as they are considered highly allergenic fruits. Also in the composition of citrus fruits is colchicine, which destroys folic acid and, in turn, is one of the important components of skin regeneration;
- Eating corn is not recommended;
- Relapses 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 cut down considerably. 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, mainly pork and lamb, should be minimized. Replace with more diet meats;
- 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 cottage cheese, milk, fermented baked milk and cheese into the diet. Thanks to the most important amino acids, the course of biochemical reactions throughout the body is normalized. At the same time, a high content of calcium helps to eliminate inflammation, as well as allergic manifestations;
- Treatment and prevention of psoriasis work well with plant-based 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 the normalization of metabolism in the skin and helps to regenerate faster;
- Porridge should be present in the diet every day. The most useful cereals are: wheat, oats and buckwheat;
- For the fastest psoriasis treatment, you should drink plenty of fluids, this includes 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.
Quit 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 usual vulgar form of the disease in a more severe form, for example, psoriatic erythroderma.
Regarding smoking, everything is somewhat simpler. It is observed that it can provoke both the disease itself and aggravate the current form of the disease. People who consume 20 or more cigarettes a day are at special risk. The main problem is a decrease in the activity of the immune system due to the lack of oxygen and the weakening of muscle tone and vascular walls. It is also important that smoking aggravates blood circulation through capillaries, as well as suppressing antioxidant protection.
Healthy life style
A healthy lifestyle is one of the fundamental factors that affect the well-being of the skin. It is important to have a good daily routine, including getting enough sleep. Doctors most often advise going out into nature, fresh air, going to the sea, resorts, sanatoriums.
Physical activity helps to restore a healthy state of the body, which is the main 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.
Anti-stress
Psycho-emotional disorders and tension negatively affect the course of the disease and very often provoke its appearance. 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. Ancient practices like yoga and meditation, as well as extra sleep, can help with this. In more serious situations, they use sedatives or get along with herbal teas.
If psoriasis involves nervous system disorders (headaches, sleep disorders, nervousness), medications can be used. Cash: motherwort, valerian, Nervo-Vit. They allow you to normalize sleep patterns, increase the capacity 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 slowly.
Works
Some professions are categorically unsuitable for a psoriasis patient. 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 better to stay away from highly allergenic 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. Thanks to strong immunity, it is possible to prevent relapses, along with this, the metabolism improves, which has a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin. The important vitamins are:
- A: it is responsible for keratinization, which significantly accelerates skin regeneration;
- E: appreciated primarily for its antioxidant effects. It also prevents abnormalities in metabolism and acts as an integral part of DNA synthesis;
- D - is a regulatory substance for the exchange of phosphorus and calcium. At the same time, it stimulates regeneration in the epidermis and normalizes the membrane, cell structure;
- Group B: actively participate in the metabolism of the skin, improve the absorption of oxygen. The elements of the skin respond favorably to the presence of B vitamins, which is demonstrated by 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 should be used as recommended by the doctor.
Medicines
Consultation with a physician is required before taking medications. In some cases, the agents, on the contrary, cause an aggravation 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 cope with the timely treatment of all ailments. Upper respiratory disease often exacerbates psoriasis.
Climatotherapy, ultraviolet rays
Ultraviolet radiation has a beneficial effect on the course of psoriasis and its prevention. Patients are prescribed to sunbathe for 5-10 minutes, burning is unacceptable. In addition, seawater 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 seawater. During an exacerbation, you should not swim. The time of completion of the climatotherapy must be adjusted individually.
When sunbathing, you should use sunscreen. 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
The lesions are very dangerous manifestations that can cause psoriasis, in addition to aggravating it. This increases the risk of secondary infection due to cuts and abrasions. Plaques often appear around the lesions. Prevent injury formation as much as possible.
clothing
A factor such as appropriate and high-quality clothing is one of the principles to prevent psoriasis or its recurrence. It is recommended to wear clothes made of soft fabrics made of natural materials, it is better to have a light color. This will help prevent plaque injury and reduce skin pain. The lighter color will help make the silver flakes less visible. Linen, cotton, and other soft fabrics are great for bedding. Avoid wearing wool sweaters and similar irritating materials.