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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Women: Psoriasis

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Psoriasis

Psoriasis

Relief for Achy, Flaky Skin

Women don't refer to it as the heartbreak of psoriasis for nothing. This serious skin condition can be so bothersome that you probably wish you could unzip your skin and climb out of it. The hallmark symptoms of psoriasis are not pretty: the dry, red, cracking skin; the silvery scales that shed everywhere you don't want them to and the round, raised, itchy plaques. They can affect your scalp, elbows or knees, even your stomach, groin or your entire body.

MAKE IT BETTER

Why is your skin acting up, and what can you do to soothe it?

"With psoriasis, the skin cells experience a too-rapid turnover, so they build up on the skin's surface. Instead of shedding off in fine little particles, the skin cells tend to clump together and come off in big chunks. The result is thick, inflamed patches of skin along with redness and silvery scales," says Kristin Leiferman, M.D., professor of dermatology at the Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota.

Psoriasis isn't contagious, but no one knows what causes it, says D'Anne Kleinsmith, M.D., a staff dermatologist at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. "It tends to come and go. So even though today it may look bad, it can fade again for a month or two," she says. It frequently flares up in the winter months and improves in the summer.

"Some women notice that it's worse just before their menstrual periods," says Karen K. Deasey, M.D., chief of dermatology at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Pennsylvania.

STUBBORN BUT TREATABLE

Here's what women dermatologists recommend you do to mend your cracking, flaking skin.

Target your skin with tar. Check out your drugstore skin-care shelf for bath oils, cream preparations and lotions containing ingredients made from coal tar, which can soothe psoriasis. "People might find relief from taking a coal-tar bath or rubbing a coal-tar cream or lotion into their psoriasis patches," says Dr. Deasey. She and Dr. Kleinsmith recommend Psorigel, Fototar and Balnetar. Ask your pharmacist to order them for you. Follow product instructions and do not apply to blistered, oozing, infected or raw skin.

When To See A Doctor

Women dermatologists say that you should consult your doctor if:

* You have severe psoriasis on your palms and soles, or if it covers a lot of your body.

* You see blistering or pus-filled blisters or little whiteheads that burst easily.

* Your skin develops any sign of infection: yellow crusting, pus or honeycomb-shaped blotches of redness.

You should see a doctor quickly if you develop a rapidly spreading rash that covers most or all of your body. You may have a streptococcus infection or other serious condition.

"Try different products until you find what works for you," says Dr. Deasey.

They're messy but effective, says Dr. Kleinsmith. Always read instructions carefully before using.

Soak, then moisturize. Soaking in a bath can help hydrate skin, says Dr. Leiferman. But hold off on the bath oil; if you add it at the beginning of your soak, it may actually do more harm than good. "Bath oils tend to coat your skin and block out water. And if water can't penetrate your skin, it can't hydrate your cells," she says. "Soak for ten minutes to allow your skin to absorb water first, and then add oil for the last five minutes of your bath to seal in the water," she recommends. "Bath oils make the tub slippery, so step out carefully."

Moisturize right after bathing. "It's important to apply moisturizer right after you get out of the bath or shower, to seal in the water that your skin has just absorbed," says Dr. Leiferman. Moisturizing keeps your skin hydrated so that it's less likely to crack. "For best results go for a heavier cream or ointment moisturizer, which really coats the skin. Lotions evaporate too quickly to really benefit super-dry skin," she says.

Coat your skin with cortisone cream. Over-the-counter 1 percent hydrocortisone creams, such as Cortaid, can help quell itching and swelling, says Dr. Kleinsmith. But use them only when you really need them. Prolonged regular use of hydrocortisone cream can thin skin and even cause stretch marks.

Try special shampoos. "Psoriasis is particularly stubborn in the scalp. You can't get rid of it, but you can get it to calm down for a while with the use of special shampoos," says Dr. Deasey. "Check drugstores for shampoos containing either coal tars or salicylic acid, or even for everyday dandruff shampoos."

Switch shampoos frequently. "A number of doctors I have talked with recommend rotating shampoo products to produce better results," says Dr. Leiferman. "It seems that the skin on your scalp gets tolerant of one set of ingredients, so they become less effective. But if you switch off to something different, you'll see results again."

When you finish one bottle, switch to a different brand. "Go try a whole bunch of shampoos. Find four or five that you like and then just rotate them on and off," Dr. Leiferman recommends.

Take a short cut. "A long or elaborate hairstyle makes it difficult to apply daily scalp treatments," says Dr. Leiferman. She recommends short, carefree styles for women with psoriasis.

Spend a few minutes in the sun. Since psoriasis seems to improve with exposure to ultraviolet light, some dermatologists think this is one skin condition that merits a soak in the sun. "In the summer I tell women with psoriasis to go out in the sun and stay out just long enough to get the benefit of the ultraviolet light, but not long enough to burn--no more than 15 minutes or so," says Dr. Deasey.

"I do caution people to wear sunscreen on their faces and in areas where they don't have psoriasis, to protect their skin," says Dr. Kleinsmith.

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