t  015395 59364 • m +44 (0)7704 507748

Tips / Treatments

A few things to try that perhaps may be beneficial to help relieve the symptoms of Psoriasis, Eczema and Dermatitis. Obviously, these should never take the place of a proper treatment programme and are only meant as help.

Try not to make your skin condition a full-time occupation that dictates your entire life, shaping what you do or don’t do each day. Change the focus from the skin to actively thinking about how you can improve your overall health

If you plan to make a change or try something new, take things one step at a time. Avoid doing too much at one go, making it much easier to identify products or choices that are making a difference to the skin, either for the better or worse

Be patient. It isn’t a popular concept to someone with inflamed skin, but it really is vital to give the body time to manifest the results of positive changes you make in any area of your life

No matter what anyone says or what you may read to the contrary, diet is an important factor in dictating skin condition. Our diet is the body’s fuel and if we run it on poor fuel, we must be prepared for poor health. Seek help with your diet or spend time researching this yourself

Take time to rest and relax. Proper ‘down-time’, both mentally and physically, underpins good health. It is also important to set aside some time each day, even if it is only 20 minutes, to do something you really enjoy doing, no matter what your commitments or circumstances

If the skin is inflamed, it is best to go to bed early if you can. This gives the body more time to rest and repair

Keep well hydrated throughout the day (preferably with water) and minimise coffee and tea, which will only flush the water your body so badly needs. Dry, hot or itchy skin thrives on something cool and moist and water is as good as it gets. In the case of Psoriasis, lesions lose moisture up to 7 times faster than normal skin making good hydration absolutely vital, moreso if the lesions cover a large area

If you are going to sit down to formulate your own treatment plan, make sure that it is relevant and easily assimilated into your lifestyle. If it isn’t, it is likely to fail

Avoid a ‘scattergun’ approach to buying products – products ultimately won’t sort out a skin problem, they are simply a ‘sticking plaster’ to give you temporary relief. If you are tempted by something, buy it and give it a month or two of proper use as suggested in the instructions – don’t give up after a few days and consign it to your cupboard

Don’t plaster the skin with large amounts of cream as this can keep heat in that is trying to escape via the skin. If you use cream, use the absolute minimum you can get away with in order to moisturise, but not trap heat

Common items that can trigger or irritate Psoriasis are – tomatoes, mushrooms, yeast products, alcohol (particularly wine), pickled/smoked foods. This is by no means a full list, but the most common ones that I have encountered over the years. Be aware if you consume any of these and monitor your skin condition in the hours following and the next day too

Common items that can trigger or irritate Eczema or Dermatitis are – rubber, nickel, coins (particularly Euros), hair-dyes, plants, elastic, adhesive resins, perfumed soaps/ bubble baths / shampoos, washing powder, detergents. Food-wise, be cautious with cow’s dairy and wheat products in particular. Be aware, if you use or consume any of these, and monitor your skin condition in the hours following and the next day too

Always try to get plenty of fresh air, especially if the skin is inflamed. If you are worried about how you look, wait until it is dark and go for a walk then. Even if you just sit by an open window or sit in your garden, it will help

Be positive. Skin can heal, given the right conditions. The body is always in a state of flux, so do all you can to make better, healthier choices and things can only improve

If your scalp is scaly, itchy or inflamed, take care to avoid anything that lists SLS, SLES etc. in its ingredients. These are foaming agents that are irritating to skin conditions and very common in soaps and shampoo

Anything you put on your skin or any foods you consume have a potential to affect its condition – always be aware and try to identify any kind of link to a food or product that either helps or worsens the condition

If you need to scratch lesions, make sure your nails are short to minimise chances of causing bleeding or, better still, poke around the area you want to scratch with a blunt instrument (try the blunt end of a pen) as this can sometimes help stop the sensation.

PLEASE NOTE, THE ABOVE IS ONLY A VERY GENERAL GUIDE AND ADVICE MORE SPECIFIC TO YOUR CASE SHOULD ALWAYS BE SOUGHT