Psoriasis treatment should include emotional support

It isn't enough that psoriasis sufferers have to endure the chronic itching, burning and scaly dry skin plaques that are associated with psoriasis, or that few psoriasis options will give them relief. Add to it all, the public stigma attached to such a disfiguring skin condition and the common misconception that the lesions are contagious, and you have a recipe for intensely awkward social situations. Shielding lotions can often facilitate the needed healing and result in improved self-image as a result.

If you are lucky enough to have one of the forms of psoriasis that is not on exposed skin, such as Inverse Psoriasis afflicting the underarms, groin region and folds of skin, discovery of your condition may be avoided, but for all forms of psoriasis, having friends, family and partners who are supportive and understanding can really ease the emotional distress associated with psoriasis.

According to a recent survey by a psoriasis resource group, Beyond Psoriasis, more than half of people with the affliction say that the disease affects their self-confidence. Add to it the fear, anger or hopelessness that so often psoriasis sufferer's experience. But psoriasis doesn't have to rule the emotions if psoriasis treatments properly address the emotional side effects.

Here are just a few ideas the resource group recommends to help sufferers manage emotions:

Take Good Care of Yourself: When you take the steps to manage your psoriasis by taking good care of your skin, eating well, getting plenty of rest, minimizing stress, and keeping your skin hydrated with a good shielding lotion, your psoriasis flare ups will likely be less frequent, helping you to feel better about yourself.

Managing Fear & Stress: When you have fears about flare-ups of your condition, you may actually exacerbate the psoriasis. Don't focus on how you think others view your psoriasis; focus instead on how capable you are at certain things. Try relaxing to soothing music and natural environments to minimize your anxieties, exercise to release endorphins, or find something that makes you laugh. Reducing stress will likely help your psoriasis and allow you to cope better with your symptoms. Research has shown that chronic stress affects the immune system and hinders health and healing in the body.

Managing Anger: Expressing feelings of anger is important and healthy - it just needs to be handled the right way. Instead of lashing out at someone who speaks inappropriately about your psoriasis, try educating him or her about your condition. If you don't think you can express your feelings appropriately, it might help to go for a walk, work out at the gym, play ball, or talk with a friend.

Managing Feelings of Hopelessness: When overwhelmed by the feelings of hopelessness over your condition, remember, you're not alone - 4.5 million Americans have psoriasis. Reach out to family and friends or get support from a source like the National Psoriasis Foundation, to help you recognize and change some of the self-defeating thoughts and beliefs you may have.

How Helping Others Can Help You: Helping and supporting others can increase your self-esteem. By focusing on others you can lessen feelings of depression and hopelessness. Offer to run an errand for an elderly neighbor; pick up a friend; open a door for a complete stranger.

Educating Others: The reactions of others can cause self-doubt and feelings of shame or embarrassment in people with psoriasis. People often react negatively toward things they don't understand. The solution:

- help them to understand! Share informational literature about psoriasis
- this can make a significant difference in helping others understand the impact of the disease.

For most, talking about psoriasis gets easier with time.

By following your doctor's suggested treatment and daily skin-care regimen, protecting your dry cracked skin with a quality shielding lotion, maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle, getting plenty of rest, and reducing stresses in your life can help you beat the blues from psoriasis.

The Causes of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a condition of the skin that is little understood. The underlying cause appears to be an autoimmune disorder that causes the body to produce new skin cells at an accelerated rate that leads to the inflammation and itching that is characteristic with psoriasis. Normally skin cells take 28 to 30 days to grow to maturity, but in people who have an outbreak of psoriasis this process is shortened to 3 to 6 days. The scaling, itching and inflammation of the skin is caused by the over build-up of skin cells.

It is believed that the main cause of psoriasis is driven by a certain type of white blood cell known as a T-cell. T-cells are one of the body’s defenses against disease and infection, but in the case of psoriasis they leap into action unintentionally and begin to trigger other immune systems which accelerate the creation of new skin cells. Because the skin cells grow and mature quicker then normal they also die off much faster, creating a build up of dead skin cells on the surface. This build up of dead skin cells forms the characteristic plaques, or flaky patches, that sufferers of psoriasis are familiar with. The redness and inflammation of the underlying skin is a product of the increased blood supply needed to feed the new skin cells that are growing at an accelerated rate below the plaques.

While anyone at any age can suffer from psoriasis researchers have found that people in their thirties and sixties are more likely to develop this skin condition than people in other age groups. Why this is the case no one knows. It is also apparent that heredity can be a marker for an increased chance of contracting psoriasis. Children who have one parent who suffers from psoriasis have a ten percent chance of contracting the disease. That percentage goes up dramatically to fifty percent if both parents have this condition. Scientists, who have done studies on families afflicted with psoriasis, have been able to identify genes that are known links to the condition.

The exact causes of psoriasis remains something of a mystery but there are known triggers that are linked to outbreaks. Many people who suffer from this disease notice that there are times the condition is worse and times it seems to get better. Reactions to certain drugs, such as lithium and beta blockers, have been shown to trigger a psoriasis outbreak and in extreme instances make the condition worse.

Because psoriasis is caused by a faulty immune system anything that stimulates the body’s defenses can bring about an outbreak. An injury such as a cut or bruise or an infection, particularly strep, can all cause an outbreak.

Another factor that can cause an outbreak of psoriasis is stress. People who suffer from psoriasis have noticed that as their stress levels go up so does the potential for a severe outbreak of their skin inflammation. Psoriasis in and of itself also causes stress leading to a self perpetuating problem of continual outbreaks that increase in severity as a person’s stress level increases.

One way that psoriasis cannot be caught is through contact with someone who suffers from the disease. It is not a contagious skin condition, and although it is unsightly and can cause repulsive reactions from those who do not suffer its affects it is important to remember that those who suffer from it need the reassurance and support of friends and family along with proper treatment to help them live a normal life.

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