Top 5 Best Skincare Tips For Psoriasis
Your skin condition can make or break your first impression. And guess what, you don’t get a second chance to make the first impression. A proper skincare routine can keep your skin healthy and glowing. But, it is not that simple for skin with psoriasis.
Generally speaking, psoriasis is a skin disorder that results in red patches (rash like feeling) with white scales covering it. The severe urge to itch on the affected skin areas is the main problem. It mainly affects the sensitive areas of the body like the face, elbow, knee, and belly. If not treated properly, it may cause lifelong black patches over the affected parts.
Being a medical professional, I recommend you observe the following skincare tips to help reduce the psoriasis flare-ups and promote healing.
1. Use Skin Moisturizers
No matter if your skin type is oily or dry, your skin requires daily moisture. As psoriasis may cause rashes, inflammation, itchiness, and blemishes, keeping your skin moist is the most effective way to reduce dryness, itching, and scaling. Try different ointments, lotions, and creams to know which one works for your skin.
Applying the moisturizer just after the bath or shower better locks-in the water on your skin. For more enhanced results, you can reapply the moisturizer when changing your clothes or washing your face. But, make sure to buy a fragrance-free product, otherwise, it may cause more harm than benefit.
2. Increase Your Sunlight Exposure
Sunbath or good sunlight exposure helps in cleaning the body. It boosts the production of vitamin D in the body which is quite beneficial to inhibit inflammation. It also significantly relieves itching. Moreover, the UV rays in the sunlight significantly inhibit the growth of abnormal skin cells, so sun exposure is a nice way to soothe and heal psoriasis lesions.
But make sure that you don’t overdose your healthy skin. You can also go safe and use sunscreens on your healthy skin before going for a sunbath.
3. Take Mildly Warm Baths
Regular warm baths can help soothe your psoriasis lesions. But don’t bathe for more than 15 minutes per bath. Note the difference between a hot bath and a warm bath. Hot baths literally worsen the situation, so don’t forget to check the temperature of the water before getting into it.
Also, remember not to use harsh soaps. Use soaps and products made for babies instead. Adding essential oils to your bath will be a plus point.
4. Do Not Scratch and Pick
Itching leads to scratching. But we’re here to find the cure and not to make things worse by scratching and picking on psoriasis lesions. Searching provides an open gateway for germs to enter our skin cells.
Scratching may give you temporary relief but it makes the psoriasis lesions expand and grow in size. Whenever you are feeling itchy, make yourself busy in other tasks or try to gently massage your lesions with your odorless lotion.
5. Avoid Perfumes and Fragrances
Most perfumes and fragrances contain harmful chemicals, mild acids, and alcohol which can potently irritate your sensitive skin. Try to use fragrance-free products like oil, soaps, lotion, deodorants. Use natural essential oils instead, to enjoy their elegant aroma.
Other Tips for Healthy Skin
- Drink More Water. Keeping your body and skin hydrated enhances the metabolism and neutralizes the skin toxins.
- Eat Healthy Foods. Consume more fish (for omega-3 fats), avocados (for vitamin c), sweet potatoes (for beta-carotene), broccoli ( for zinc), and green tea (for anti-aging), and other fresh fruits and vegetables. All these components of natural foods help your skin heal and alleviate the psoriasis symptoms.
- Home Remedies. Using avocado creams or homemade turmeric paste, salt baths, and some other home remedies can soothe and relieve your psoriasis symptoms.
Proper skincare routine can help relieve the symptoms of psoriasis lesions. Using skin moisturizers, sunbath, warm baths, avoiding fragrances, and not scratching the itchy lesions are some of the most beneficial tips for psoriasis skin lesions. Eating healthy foods, drinking more water, and some home remedies may also work well for such lesions.