The thing about skin is that everyone can see it. Your skin not only keeps all your organs and lovely blood vessels in your body it also provides protection from the elements. There are times when our skin goes out of control though. There are many people that suffer from skin conditions like skin tags, acne, dry skin and more. One of the more chronic, and sometimes embarrassing, skin conditions is psoriasis.
Psoriasis is caused when your immune system overreacts and causes your skin to inflame and skin cells to multiply in abundance. Not only is the flaky, red skin kind of embarrassing, it can be very painful as well:
These patches normally appear on elbows, knees, scalp and lower back, but can appear anywhere on the body. Most people are only affected with small patches but the skin can become itchy or sore.
NHS Choices said psoriasis affects around 2 per cent of people in the UK. It can start at any age, but most often develops in adults under 35 years old.
The condition occurs due to an over-reaction of the immune system, which causes inflammation and rapid growth of skin cells.
Skin cells are normally made and replaced every three to four weeks, but in psoriasis this process only lasts about three to seven days. The resulting build-up of skin cells is what creates the patches associated with psoriasis.
Experts have recommended five way to beat the painful skin condition.
Essential vitamins
Vitamin D, which people can get from the sun, is it vital for bone health as well as obesity and diabetes, but it can also help with psoriasis.
“Vitamin D can change the way cells grow,” said Shona Wilkinson, Nutritionist at SuperfoodUK.com.
“As those who suffer from Psoriasis tend to produce more skin cells, it can slow this process down and cause the plaques to become less scaly and thinner.
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Fish
Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation and Omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish oil can be very helpful in reducing it – according to experts.
However, not all fatty acids are the same – Omega 6, which is present in vegetable oils – might actually increase inflammation.
“Unfortunately, many people have much higher levels of omega 6 than omega 3 in their body, often due to the use of vegetable oils in cooking and the lack of oily fish consumption,” said Dr Marilyn Glenville, nutritionist and author of Natural Alternatives of Sugar.
Most sufferers tend to opt for covering up because the condition can be so chronic they’re at a loss at how to treat it. If you’ve read the article above you’ll see how much an altered diet can really have an impact on psoriasis.
Dealing with stress in a healthy way is also really important. The more we stress out and try to keep it all inside the more our bodies will react to it in a negative fashion.
Managing your psoriasis can be done! It just takes some planning and a little TLC.
