Living with psoriasis

You can reduce the chances of getting a flare-up by doing simple things for yourself. It sounds obvious, but the main thing to remember is to avoid anything that you know is going to make it worse (“a trigger”) if possible.

Click here to download the Headlines diary which offers useful tips and advice for living with psoriasis and is designed for you to capture your thoughts and feelings and help monitor your condition.

Stress can worsen psoriasis and increase itching. Some people can even trace their first outbreak to a particularly stressful event.

Having psoriasis is, in itself, stressful and treating it can also add to the stress. When the everyday strain of living with psoriasis is compounded by a difficult event at work, a personal crisis, or an especially hectic time, the stress can feel overwhelming.

Many people find that counseling or joining a support group can reduce stress. Other people prefer relaxation techniques such as meditation. Exercise also can help reduce stress.

Some people develop psoriasis for the first time or experience a flare-up after taking certain medication. It is important to tell your doctor if you have psoriasis even if you have not had a flare up for some time. Medication that can trigger psoriasis include:

• Anti-malarial drugs.
• Beta-blockers (medication used to treat high blood pressure) and heart medication.
• Indomethacin (non-steroidal medication used to treat arthritis and other inflammatory conditions) can worsen psoriasis in some people.
• Lithium (used to treat manic depression and other psychiatric conditions).

Smoking can be a really important trigger for causing flare-ups. So, if you smoke, make every effort to stop. This can be very difficult but the rewards are enormous – and not only for reducing your scalp psoriasis. These days, there’s lots of help available to make quitting easier. For example, why not visit the NHS Smoke Free website: http://gosmokefree.nhs.uk. They say that you’re up to four times more likely to succeed if you use NHS support along with stop-smoking medicines such as patches and gum to manage your cravings for nicotine.

Drinking alcohol can also be something that makes scalp psoriasis worse. If you can’t cut it out altogether, try to cut down. For example, instead of having a pint of beer you could drink halves or make the pint into a shandy. There are also low-alcohol alternatives to full-strength beers and wines.

Ordinary shampoos, soaps and shower gels tend to dry out the skin which can make the condition worse. There are various medicated shampoos which can treat your psoriasis as well as clean your hair. Your GP will be able to advise you on the most appropriate product.

When you’ve washed your hair don’t cause more irritation by rubbing it hard with a towel; just pat it dry. If you’ve got long hair, try wrapping it round in the towel like a turban and let it dry over a few minutes. It’s a good idea to comb and brush your hair to remove scaling as long as you don’t scratch the scalp.

Having scalp psoriasis shouldn’t prevent you perming or colouring your hair as long as gentle products are used. It’s probably best to ask your hairdresser about the alternatives available. Also, if you are going to have any cosmetic treatments done to your hair, try to choose a time when there’s no broken skin on your scalp because the chemicals could irritate it. If you are self-conscious about an area of scalp psoriasis around the hairline, you could ask your hairdresser to suggest a style that will help to hide it.

If you are worried about the appearance of falling scales on your shoulders, wearing light-coloured clothing means that these skin flakes are not so noticeable.

Some people find that their scalp psoriasis is itchy and the flaking skin can become an irritation in itself. However, try not to scratch, pick or rub the affected areas because this can make it worse and cause the skin to become infected.

Cold weather is a common trigger for psoriasis in many people. Cold winter weather is dry, and central heating can deprive the skin of moisture so using humidifiers in the home may help.

Although sunlight can help some psoriasis sufferers, don’t expose the affected areas to strong sunshine if you find this makes it painful and never allow yourself to get sunburnt. Always remember to take a hat with you in the summer if you’re going to spend any time outdoors. It’s worth remembering that the sun is strongest during the hours of 11am to 3pm and you can sometimes get burnt even on a cloudy day.

When you get a new treatment, always read the instructions fully and carefully and give it time to work before looking into alternatives. Tell your doctor if your treatment isn’t working or if it is causing you problems; what works for some people doesn’t work for others so don’t be afraid to discuss the available options with your GP or dermatologist. New treatments are being introduced all the time, so make sure you’re up to date with all the latest developments.

For more information, why not download our treatment table? It contains a list of all the available treatments as well as the questions you should ask your doctor.