Severe Psoriasis - Managing a flare-up

Psoriasis is one of the most baffling and persistent of skin disorders. It's characterized by skin cells that multiply up to 10 times faster than normal. As underlying cells reach the skin's surface and die, their sheer volume causes raised, red plaques covered with white scales.

Most common symptoms of plaque psoriasis include:

• red, raised, inflamed patches of skin
• silver-white scales or plaques on the red patches
• dry skin that may crack and bleed
• soreness around patches
• itching and burning sensations around patches
• thick, pitted nails
• painful, swollen joints

Taking your medication as directed by your doctor is the first step in preventing psoriasis flare-ups. But you can do other things to minimize symptoms and get relief quickly.

Keep Your Skin Moisturized

Keeping your skin lubricated with oils, creams and ointments can go a long way in preventing or worsening dry, itchy skin caused by a psoriasis flare-up. It can also help reduce redness and heal the skin, making your flare-up easier to manage.

Stay on Top of Scalp Irritation and Itching

Try to resist the urge to scratch or rub your scalp during a flare-up. Use of gentle moisturizer soap and shampoo can be helpful for avoid scratching the scalp.

Avoid Stress

Psoriasis and stress are intricately linked. Although psoriasis is a genetic condition, environmental triggers such as a stressful life event often trigger it, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. And having psoriasis is stressful in itself, which can trigger future flare-ups. Oral medication that can help you manage stress and anxiety and also corrects the imbalance in thermoregulation due to poor cutaneous barrier effect can be the drug of choice.

Eat a Nutritious Diet

Nutritional supplements or foods containing omega-3 fatty acids may also help with your psoriasis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to a decrease in inflammation.

Cutaneous Fungal Infections- How to treat them and Why?

Cutaneous fungal infections involve the skin, hair, and nails. The cutaneous mycoses are mainly caused by dermatophytes (such as Trichophyton sp., Microsporum sp. and Epidermophyton sp.) or by Candida sp. 

The desquamated stratum corneum (top layer of skin) cells form an ideal substrate for these fungi to colonise and multiply. 

The common symptoms are

• Peeling, cracking, and scaling
• Redness, blisters or softening and   breaking down of the skin
• Itching, burning or both
• Hypopigmentation

Therefore to treat cutaneous fungal infection, a topical therapy which 

• has antifungal activity and treat the infection
• removes the stratum corneum cells and nullify the fungal adhesion
• helps in reducing the associated problems and has no side effect can be effective.   

The incidence of cutaneous mycoses and the resistance to the antifungal agents  is growing in an alarming proportion all over the world. 

Hence, a new treatment approach with broad range of activity is obviously required to reduce the incidence of fungal infection sooner than ever.

Our Experts Advice to use:- JRK's Anti-Fungal Cream

Scalp psoriasis

Scalp psoriasis is a common skin disorder that makes raised, reddish, often scaly patches. It can pop up as a single patch or several, and can even affect the entire scalp. It can also spread to the forehead, the back of neck or behind ears.  It causes severe itching and discomfort.

WHAT HAPPENS IN SCALP PSORIASIS?

• Occurs when the immune system sends faulty signals and scalp cells grow too quickly.
• Causes a silvery sheen and dry scales .
• Can be very mild, with slight, fine scaling.
• Can also be very severe with thick, crusted plaques covering the entire scalp.

WHOM DOES IT AFFECT?

• 50% of people who have psoriasis have it on their scalp too.
• Normally develops between the ages of 15-20 years or later between 50-60 years.
• Around 75% of patients are affected before the age of 40.

SOLUTION FOR SCALP PSORIASIS

Special medicated oils containing Wrightia tinctoria ( proven to be effective in the treatment of psoriasis) as a herbal ingredient can be applied on the scalp and can then be given sun exposure for five to ten minutes to get faster relief from psoriatic symptoms like excessive scaling of scalp cells.

Medicated herbal shampoos prescribed for scalp psoriasis can then be used to exfoliate the dead scalp scales and remove the sebum. They also give the additional benefit of making the hair soft, smooth and lustrous.