Psoriasis is a condition that has higher chances of affecting adults than children. It is a condition that occurs due to a problem in the immune system. Other triggers include infections, stress, and cold. Psoriasis leads to a formation of itchy and dry patches on your scalp as well as other parts of your skin. It can be slightly troublesome for you to manage psoriasis as the condition requires you to make a few changes in your lifestyle. However, these changes do not have a heavy impact on your life. Read on to know about some ways to effectively treat and manage psoriasis.
Managing psoriasis
Managing psoriasis is a daily process; you need to take care while taking warm showers, stepping out in the wind, as well as keeping a good track of your medication. Some medically-related forms of managing psoriasis include phototherapy and climatotherapy. Alternate techniques for management of psoriasis include exposure to sunshine, moisturizers, salicylic acid, and urea. Below-mentioned is the list of recommendations by dermatologists to effectively manage psoriasis:
- You can methotrexate as it has long-term effects and is well tolerated at the same time.
- Cyclosporine is used in most cases of psoriasis to include a clinical response towards the condition. It can be used in one or more courses over the period of three to six months.
- If you are thinking of transitioning from systemic therapy to a biological agent, you can do it as an overlap if you do not want a gap in the treatment. In some cases, transitioning the treatment along with overlapping is also done for safety reasons.
- Combination and continuous therapies can be helpful for you in managing psoriasis.
Self-management of psoriasis
Apart from the medication you are taking, you need to take some measures that can help you manage psoriasis by yourself. As psoriasis can lead to an agitated behavior due to the itching, meditation works best in keeping your mind calm and helping you get a control over your irritability. If you are unable to practice meditation at home, you can look for groups that meditate together. A healthy diet, exercise, losing weight, quitting alcohol and smoking, take care of your scalp, and keeping yourself hydrated are some effective ways of managing psoriasis by yourself.
Treating psoriasis
There is a huge variety of effective treatments for psoriasis. The type of treatment is chosen according to the stage and type of the condition. Topical treatments such as skin cream, lotions, and sprays are recommended for mild psoriasis. Mild psoriasis occurs when only 10% of the skin is affected by the condition. Along with this, an injection of steroids to the infected patch can be effective in treating the condition.
However, in the case of a moderate or severe psoriasis, you might have to resort to ultraviolet light treatments or systemic medications. A severe psoriasis can quickly turn into psoriatic arthritis if the treatment is not undertaken at the right time. Systemic medications are the ones that help in halting the progression of this condition.
Before you start any medication or treatment method, you must consult a doctor about these treatment options as they can have certain side effects. You might not be aware of these side effects; therefore, the doctor might run some tests that will help them curate a more suitable treatment method for you.
