Psoriasis cream treatments can be a valuable addition to any
program of care for this debilitating skin condition, but it is important to
realize that for optimum results the condition needs to be treated both internally
and externally. To understand the reasons for this, you will need to be able to
see how the human immune system can cause skin problems.
The exact cause of the condition is unknown, because no-one
can determine exactly why the immune system should suddenly regard the skin as
a threat. The phenomenon is fundamentally similar to the way the body reacts
when there is a food allergy, but that is easier to understand as it is a
reaction to a foreign body. What is known is that the immune system reacts to
something, and causes the skin to be renewed at a far faster rate. This, in
turn, leads to flaking and pink skin coming loose. The red skin underneath can
also be extremely sore and painful, and this can often mean that you will need
to modify your lifestyle and work habits. There is also a known hereditary
factor, in that people from the same family as a psoriasis sufferer are far
more likely to develop the condition.
Although creams can be used to soothe the skin, and lessen
the effect of an attack when it happens, they can only play a small part in the
overall management of psoriasis. There is much more which will need to be done
if the incidence of attack is to be reduced to the minimum. You will need to
start by making sure that the body is not exposed to any more risk factors than
it needs to be. The most obvious risk factor is anything which can injure the
skin, even if the potential injury is a long way from the area where the
psoriasis typically flares up.
Sunlight can also affect the skin dramatically, if it is
strong enough and sustained for a long time. If you are someone who needs to
work outside, make sure that you use as much skin protection as you can, and
cover up any sensitive areas. This is even more important if you have a
psoriasis of the scalp, where it will be directly in the glare of the sun. The
head will need to be protected, even if that means wearing a cap which stops
air getting to the scalp.
While psoriasis cream can help greatly to lessen the effects
of sunburn on the affected areas, it will have far more effect in combating the
actual condition if there is no sunburn to deal with. Cream will also be far
more effective if it is used in conjunction with sound dietary and lifestyle
practices. It is never a good idea to rely on a cream to be a cure all, and
especially not to cope with any bad habits you may need to eradicate. Smoking,
heavy drinking, late nights mind overworking, and poor diet are all risk
factors which need to be eliminated.
If you have managed to eliminate the risk factors from your
diet, and started to base your food consumption on fresh food, you will already
be taking large quantities of the essential vitamins and minerals into your
body. It can never do any harm, though, to supplement this with dietary supplements.
Interestingly, many of the creams which are used in the treatment of psoriasis
are also based on the same vitamins, especially vitamins A and D. These creams
will never cure the condition, and they can only do so much, but if the body is
fundamentally healthy their effect will be enhanced.
These psoriasis cream treatments can be especially effective
in situations where the psoriasis is mild. Where it is severe, it will need to
be controlled with drugs or with ultraviolet lighting. Your physician will
usually prescribe drugs which are milder than steroids in the first instance,
and then only switch to steroids when these don't prove strong enough to handle
the symptoms. Steroids are not to be used any more often than is absolutely
necessary. This is because extended use can cause the condition to actually
worsen. If you suspect this is happening, switch to another treatment
immediately.
You can still apply a psoriasis cream no matter how many
drug treatments you are using, as these will attempt to operate from the
inside. If you are having ultraviolet light treatments, though, you will need
to leave out any treatments which may aggravate the skin. Hopefully, the skin
condition can be improved enough to allow you to manage it with safer methods
in the future. If this happens, you can always resume your treatments with
cream, whether you are using drugs internally or not. The new biologic drugs
can be used in conjunction with any psoriasis cream.
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