Statistical data indicate a colossal percentage of patients with psoriasis worldwide - between 3-5%. The disease primarily affects the skin, which manifests as a red rash with a characteristic inflammatory reaction. In this case, the plate is covered by a silvery 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 affecting the spread of psoriasis are: metabolic deviations, external factors, stress, as well as heredity.
Most scientists agree that heredity plays one of the most important roles. In the presence of genetic abnormalities, any external stimulus can trigger the onset of psoriasis. They can be nervous, depressive, psycho-emotional abnormalities, poor quality clothing, mechanical damage to the skin, poisoning by chemical compounds, infectious diseases, etc. Psoriasis treatment methods are reduced to transitioning the disease from acute symptoms to asymptomatic manifestations. What matters most is not only a person's behavior during the relapse period, but also the prevention of psoriasis, for which prevention is responsible.
The main methods of preventing psoriasis
Preventing psoriasis is about maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eliminating negative factors. At the same time, prevention has a very general form, that is, it allows to prevent the development of other diseases, since immunity is increased and the body functions in a regular way, it increases the probability of qualitatively resisting environmental stimuli.
Prevention is a set of measures designed to maintain the body's health. 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
Complete, high-quality skin care is required:
- Perform water procedures periodically, even in the cold season. For a warm season, you can use a cold bath, pouring, 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. Use soft sponges, and it is best to refuse all hard sponges, otherwise a relapse is possible;
- Eliminate the use of solid soaps. It also prevents the entry of solvents such as gasoline, kerosene; It is best to wash the hair from the head with special shampoos, which contain the spread of the disease and can act as a treatment for psoriasis. This includes shampoos, balms and lotions;
- Avoid cracking the skin to rule out the likelihood of symptoms. After a bath or shower, it is important to moisturize the skin, using masks, creams, ointments, etc. This speeds up the restoration of the hydrolipid membrane and prevents further water loss. It is necessary to use these means once a day;
- The indoor humidity should be at an optimal level (50-55%). If the air is too dry, the skin starts to dry out and crack. Humidifiers can be used;
- Increased air circulation increases skin dryness in air conditioners and drafts. It is necessary to limit the length of stay in these facilities;
- Mechanical damage must be excluded. Cuts, bruises, abrasions, skin lacerations often trigger 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 your nails short to avoid accidental skin damage;
- Some types of cosmetics contain aggressive substances in their composition, which negatively affect the skin. You may have to switch to medical cosmetics.
Wellness massage application
Preventing psoriasis becomes even more effective if massage is applied. Massage techniques that stimulate blood circulation are considered to be particularly beneficial. Thanks to active blood circulation, the removal of metabolites, toxins is accelerated, and the skin regeneration process is accelerated, which prevents the disease from worsening. Massage involves using your fingers to gradually stretch the skin around the plate. It is necessary to capture an area of 2 to 4 cm around the affected area. The plates themselves should not be touched as this can aggravate the condition. A full-body massage can be performed to prevent new plaque from forming. Mostly, you need to process the back and then start massaging the limbs and the end of the abdomen. The rib cage responds well to compression and friction. The procedure takes 10-15 minutes.
Adequate nutrition and diet
Nutrition plays a critical role in preventing the development of nearly all chronic diseases, and psoriasis and its prevention are no exception. There are some diet plans that can produce positive results, like the Pégano diet, but the essence is the same and it 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 or pickled dishes. Canned foods are also excluded, semi-finished products can be consumed in small quantities, but only homemade. 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 to be 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;
- 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;
- Eating potatoes is acceptable, but it should be greatly reduced. This is due to the high potassium content. By reacting with sodium, they antagonize calcium. Calcium is important in treating the inflammatory response;
- Fatty meats should be minimized, especially pork and lamb. Substitute 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 cooked milk and cheese in 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 calcium content helps to eliminate inflammation as well as allergic manifestations;
- Treating and preventing psoriasis works well with plant foods such as vegetables, fruits and herbs. However, they must be eaten raw. Carrot has beneficial properties, thanks to vitamin A. This component leads to the normalization of the skin's metabolism and helps to carry out faster regeneration;
- The porridge must be present in the diet every day. The most useful cereals are: wheat, oats and buckwheat;
- For the quickest treatment of psoriasis, it is necessary to drink plenty of fluids, including juices, water, including mineral water, teas, etc. ;
- If you have an intolerance, avoid using allergens. This nuance is determined with the help of the treating physician.
stop drinking and smoking
There are no reliable data on whether alcohol can cause the disease, but it is known that in patients with developed psoriasis, the course of the disease is greatly exacerbated by alcohol consumption. It is also possible to generalize the common and common form of the disease to a more severe form, eg psoriatic erythroderma.
As far as smoking is concerned, everything is a little simpler. It is perceived that it can cause both the disease itself and aggravate the current form of the disease. People who consume 20 or more cigarettes a day are especially at risk. The main problem is the decreased activity of the immune system due to lack of oxygen and the weakening of muscle tone and vascular walls. It is also important that smoking worsens blood circulation through capillaries, as well as suppressing antioxidant protection.
Healthy lifestyle
A healthy lifestyle is one of the fundamental factors that affect the skin's well-being. It's important to have a good daily routine, including getting enough sleep. Doctors advise more often to go out into nature, clean air, go to the sea, resorts, sanatoriums.
Physical activity helps to restore the body to a healthy state, which is the main factor in preventing disease. Sports activities are great, especially fitness and swimming. This set of measures helps to strengthen the immune system, in addition to eliminating nervous tension.
anti-stress
Psycho-emotional disturbances and tensions negatively affect the course of the illness and often lead to its onset. Of paramount importance in prevention is the normalization and stability of the emotional state and 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 coexist with herbal teas.
If psoriasis involves disorders of the nervous system - headaches, sleep disturbances, nervousness - then medications can be used. Effective - 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 reach a result without making your own efforts, it is necessary to take everything more calmly.
Work
Some professions are categorically unsuitable for a patient with psoriasis. Adverse factors include: high temperature, too much dryness or humidity in the environment, the use of chemicals. Furthermore, the choice of profession should not fall on specialties with a high level of nervous stress, as well as with a risk of mechanical damage. It's best 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 a strong immunity, it is possible to prevent relapses, thereby improving metabolism, 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 - Mainly valued 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 cell structure;
- Group B - are actively involved in skin metabolism, improving oxygen absorption. The skin's elements respond favorably to the presence of B vitamins, which is evidenced by the normalization of the nervous system.
Most of the time, products with a high content of vitamins or preparations are used. Recommended - Undevit, Geksavit and Dekamevit, but they need to be used based on the doctor's recommendations.
Medicines
It is necessary to consult a doctor before taking medication. In some cases, the agents, on the contrary, cause an aggravation of the disease, 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 cause psoriasis. It is necessary to deal with the timely treatment of all diseases. Upper respiratory tract illness usually aggravates 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, combustion is unacceptable. Furthermore, sea water 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 must not swim. The climatotherapy performance time must be individually adjusted.
When tanning, it is necessary to use protective creams. The treating physician will be able to tell whether sunbathing will have a beneficial effect, otherwise there is a high risk of aggravation of the disease.
Trauma
Lesions are very dangerous manifestations that can cause psoriasis as well as aggravate it. This increases the risk of secondary infection due to cuts and abrasions. Plaques often appear around lesions. Avoid injury formation as much as possible.
clothing
Appropriate, high-quality clothing is one of the principles of preventing psoriasis or its recurrence. It is recommended to wear clothes made from soft fabrics of natural materials, it is better to have a light color. This will help prevent plaque damage and reduce skin pain. The lighter color will help make the silvery scales less visible. Linen, cotton and other soft fabrics are ideal for bedding. Avoid wearing wool sweaters and similar irritating materials.