A large percentage of the world's population suffers from psoriasis. All ages are sick with this disease, because, having appeared once, the disease will never be cured again.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the causes and symptoms of psoriasis in adults, and discuss human and drug treatment methods, and find out what experts in the field of psychosomatics think about it.
Causes
According to statistics, most of the time the first symptoms of psoriasis can appear between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five in the case that a person has a predisposition to psoriasis. Psoriasis is chronic. This means that no matter what stage the sick person is in, what drugs are used for therapy, and for how long, it will not be possible to get rid of the disease completely and forever.
The main cause of psoriasis is still unknown. There is an opinion among scientists that if psoriasis appeared before the age of twelve, the hereditary factor plays the main role in this case. If an elderly person suffers from psoriasis, psoriasis is associated with the work of the immune system, as well as with the negative effects of bacteria and viruses. There are the following main causes of psoriasis in adults:
- Inheritance. According to studies, most people with psoriasis have patients with the same disease in the family or who have other chronic skin diseases.
- Genetic disorders that appear when special viruses and bacteria enter can cause a change in the structure of chromosomes. The risk of this process increases with violations of the immune system.
- Secondary skin infection, purulent inflammation increases the risk of disease occurrence.
- Violation of protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism. If the indicators deviate from the norm according to the biochemical blood test, then the risk of developing the disease increases. There are also changes in the functioning of the endocrine and cardiovascular systems.
- Chronic inflammatory process in a patient, such as tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis media. Patients with psoriasis have a high level of lymphocytes and leukocytes in the blood.
- In unsuitable climatic conditions for the patient's skin, that is, with dry or too humid air, violations in the division of skin cells are observed.
- Stress, depression, and anxiety can lead to the development of psoriasis.
- Taking antibiotics, immunomodulators leads to the appearance of psoriasis symptoms.
- Alcohol and tobacco abuse increases the risk.
- Other disorders of skin cell division.
- Insufficient amount of vitamins and minerals entering the body.
- Inadequate diet, intake of foods with many allergens.
- Over weight.
These factors cause the appearance of psoriasis. Diseases of the internal organs also contribute.
In the event that the patient notices the appearance of skin rashes, dryness, roughness, he should consult a doctor for a diagnosis, since the external symptoms of most skin diseases at the beginning of their development are Similar.
To assume what kind of disease the patient develops before diagnosis, you need to look at photos of psoriasis symptoms in adults on forums or in a special section of the site, after which you should definitely consult a doctor, because self-diagnosis it may turn out to be wrong, and wrong self-selection of drug remedies can worsen health.
If a person suffers from psoriasis, drugs are prescribed to maintain the state of remission, recommendations are indicated so that a relapse does not occur.
But even in this case, a relapse still occurs in a couple of years, and various factors such as stress, anxiety, diseases of the endocrine system, contact with chemicals, taking antibiotics, hormonal and immunomodulatory agents, bad habits, deterioration of the operation of the system. The immune system can speed it up and other reasons.
The disease is seasonal and can recur each year at certain times of the year. Usually psoriasis in patients returns during the winter season, when the skin does not have enough sunlight and when it warms up, the symptoms disappear. A change in weather conditions can contribute to relapse.
According to psychosomatics, psoriasis in adults is associated with their position in life. The more positive a person is about everything, the easier his psoriasis is.
Symptoms
Symptoms in many patients vary in their activity, but the general characteristics of the disease remain.
First of all, the main symptom of psoriasis is a red rash on the skin, the photo of which can be seen in the section. At the beginning of the disease, pink or red papules appear on the skin, which can be shed.
If the patient does not take adequate measures at this stage, then the affected area may increase, as a result of which the skin becomes red, swollen, and excruciatingly itchy, so the patient scratches the affected areas. An infection can penetrate the scratches and cause a secondary infection.
After that, wounds form in the combed areas, which can begin to bleed with additional combing. The skin becomes hard, dry, and white or gray patches form on the skin. Often psoriasis develops not only on the skin, but even on the nails.
Then the rashes become redder, the affected areas become more noticeable, the plaques are larger. The boundary between healthy and diseased skin is remarkable. Diseased areas may rise slightly above healthy ones.
Patients experience itching, pain, and skin irritation. In the event that the patient neglected the doctor's recommendations and did not start the prescribed course of treatment, the symptoms will not only not disappear, but will also worsen.
If the patient follows all the advice of a dermatologist, the symptoms will disappear, the itching and irritation will disappear, the redness will gradually subside. The skin will be hydrated and smoothed. Here the disease goes into remission.
But after that, a relapse of psoriasis may occur, which is characterized by the appearance of new areas of damage. The plates reappear, a thermal film may appear under the plates, which tears and bleeds when scratched. Again, a secondary infection can penetrate the wounds. Cracks appear on dry skin.
The disease is localized in different parts of the body, but generally psoriasis appears on the scalp, elbows and knees, feet, palms.
A pregnant woman can also get psoriasis. She must be twice as careful with her health, because a disease without proper treatment can lead to miscarriage.
Psoriasis treatment
Treatment of psoriasis begins with the fact that the treating physician first diagnoses the disease. Since many skin diseases have similar symptoms, especially early in the development of the disease, special studies will be required for diagnosis.
The patient must be assigned to donate blood for analysis and a skin biopsy is also performed for a more detailed study of the skin cells. Many experienced dermatologists determine the disease only by external signs, but research provides more detailed information on the condition of the patient's skin.
First of all, a patient with psoriasis is prescribed a special diet that excludes any allergens from the diet, helps to stop the production of histamine, and as a result, alleviates the symptoms of skin disease.
It is imperative to give up fast food, because it lacks vitamins and minerals useful for health and immunity, which are required by psoriasis patients. Patients should give preference to those products in which there is a sufficient amount of vitamins and nutrients.
You can not eat sweet, spicy, fried, smoked, salty and pepper grains, strong coffee and tea, fruits and vegetables with a red pigment.
Home remedies for adults
Traditional methods remain popular to this day among many psoriasis patients, although doctors do not recommend resorting to them, because the consequences of such therapy are unknown. It is imperative to visit the treating physician throughout the treatment, because tests must be carried out to verify the effectiveness of the treatment process.
Home medicine methods typically include the following products to relieve psoriasis symptoms:
- Various medicinal herbs that patients collect and dry both by themselves and buy ready-made in a pharmacy, which is more recommended. Herbs are made and compresses are made, an external skin treatment is performed.
- Homemade ointments are also widely used by patients. Patients choose products such as propolis, solidol, sea buckthorn oil for ointments. After mixing, these components should be applied to the affected areas. The mixture will eliminate inflammation, relieve itching, skin irritation.
- Baths are used everywhere for the treatment of dermatological ailments. Doctors also prescribe them as part of complex therapy. Ingredients such as sea salt, celandine juice, calamus root, and many other medicinal herbs are added to the baths. Typically, the patient is allotted about twenty minutes of bathing. During this time, the substance added to the water will eliminate inflammation, normalize blood circulation and improve the condition of the dermis. Sea salt is also used in the form of a compress, which can be used when the disease is localized to a small area of the skin.
- Tar ointments are also effective in treating psoriasis symptoms. Variants of ointments include a tar-based ointment, sea buckthorn oil, and salicylic alcohol, taken in equal proportions. The resulting mixture is applied to the affected areas and covered with polyethylene. Then wash off the ointment with water.
Home remedies are generally used as part of complex therapy to increase the effectiveness of medications. Independently, folk recipes rarely help to eliminate the symptoms of psoriasis.
Medicines
Researchers from around the world have developed a unique treatment regimen for various dermatological ailments. According to her, therapy should be carried out with the following objectives:
- Eliminate the main symptoms of skin diseases. In the case of psoriasis, it involves redness and scaling of the skin.
- Inflammation of the skin.
- The unpleasant appearance of the skin, redness and gray plaques often lead to the fact that patients have complexes on the skin. The quality of life of patients with psoriasis is usually lower than that of healthy people.
Usually a wide range of various medications are prescribed to clear psoriasis. Treatment can take a long time, and psoriasis may reappear after a while and then it will need to be treated again. It is recommended to follow preventive measures to minimize the risk of relapse.
The complex for the treatment of skin psoriasis in adults includes not only drugs, but also recipes for traditional medicine, which increase the effectiveness of drugs. A special diet for psoriasis patients should also be followed, which excludes allergens from the diet.
It is recommended to attend physiotherapy, which also has a preventive effect.
Patients are prescribed drugs of various groups.
Antihistamines block the production of histamine, as a result of which symptoms such as itching, swelling, skin irritation, redness, that is, everything associated with an allergic reaction, are eliminated.
Sedatives can reduce irritation, redness, itching, and other symptoms of psoriasis.
Preparations that eliminate inflammation and relieve pain.
Necessarily, the treatment complex includes preparations in the form of an ointment for psoriasis on the skin in adults. They can be non-hormonal, that is, they include only natural ingredients that do not provide systemic side effects, or hormonal, containing an active ingredient in the composition, which effectively relieves the symptoms of psoriasis.
Non-hormonal agents include salicylic, tar, and ichthyol ointments. There are non-hormonal products in the form of creams, solutions.
It is recommended to take sorbents - activated carbon.
In case of complications, many patients are prescribed immunomodulators, that is, drugs that correct the functioning of the immune system.
It is also recommended to take physiotherapy courses, for example, ultraviolet radiation, cryotherapy, laser radiation.
Prophylaxis
If a person has been diagnosed with psoriasis, he should start treatment immediately, following all the doctor's recommendations. The sooner a person reaches remission, the faster they can return to the old rhythm of life.
It is also recommended to participate in supportive care or follow preventive measures that will protect you against relapses.
Skin contact with external irritants and aggressive substances should be limited. For example, do not come into contact with chemicals and, if necessary, wear protective equipment.
You should not be exposed to direct sunlight for a long time, as excess UV radiation can cause a relapse.
It should also prevent the patient from being involved in stressful situations that contribute to relapse. To avoid stress, it is advisable to drink those herbal preparations that the neurologist prescribes.
In addition, it should not allow a sharp drop in temperature or humidity. Air that is too dry or humid causes aggravation.
You should also take care of the skin, moisturize it with skin care products.
A visit to the sea is recommended, since there is salt water, which has a positive effect on the skin, especially in psoriasis.
It is recommended to follow proper nutrition and consume vitamin and mineral complexes.