By Danielle W Lee
Psoriasis is a chronic immune system disease that adversely affects the skin. It occurs when the immune system over-reacts and causes skin cells to grow at an abnormally fast rate. It is characterized by scaly patches that are red and silver.
Psoriasis is more common in people living in the northern hemisphere. It is also more prevalent among Caucasians than in other races such as Africans and Asians. Psoriasis is highly hereditary in nature. According to research, 30% of people with psoriasis also have family members who suffer from the disease. If both parents suffer from psoriasis, their children will have a 50% chance of inheriting the disease. Drugs, illness, and stress are the most common causes of the disease.
Because of the visible and chronic nature of psoriasis, there is much stigma surrounding it. Most people who do not have psoriasis themselves are uneducated about the condition. Thus, a psoriasis sufferer may be met with fear or disgust should he bare his skin in public. Apart from that, many also mistakenly believe that psoriasis is a contagious disease, which can make social situations awkward. Psoriasis sufferers are often banned from public pools or refused service at hair salons. They must deal with rude comments and handle discrimination and rejection on a daily basis. This can result in low self-esteem and a poor self-image.
Although over 7.5 million people suffer from psoriasis in the United States, most people who have it elect to hide their skin in order to avoid facing the painful reactions of others. Often, hiding psoriasis is much easier than explaining the condition.
Psoriasis and Social Situations
Public ignorance of psoriasis can be very damaging to psoriasis sufferers. Psoriasis patients mistakenly believe they are abnormal because of their skin's appearance and they may also have difficulty socializing with others. As a result, they may choose to spend their time alone or slowly withdraw from society, preferring to protect themselves from embarrassing social situations. Through this, they feel comfortable and at ease knowing that they won't be ridiculed by anyone. Eventually, being alone becomes their comfort zone, and many psoriasis sufferers cite a decline in their social life after the onset of their disease.
Public Awareness of Psoriasis
Despite what it looks like, psoriasis is not a contagious skin disease. Raising public awareness about psoriasis will help improve the quality of life that psoriasis patients currently have. An effort must be made to educate the public about the disease and expose the truth about psoriasis. Patients should not be ashamed of their condition or feel that they must hide psoriasis underneath long pants and turtlenecks all year around.
As a victim of psoriasis, you can do your part to eradicate ignorance about the affliction. When meeting someone new for the first time, calmly explain your condition and emphasize that it is not contagious but simply the result of an immune system malfunction. Enlightening people about psoriasis is one of the most helpful ways to change their views about the disease. Often, it can be a conversation starter and spare you from discrimination as well. Baring psoriasis to the public takes courage but it can inspire others by example.
If you are suffering from psoriasis, now is the time to come out of your shell. By simply explaining your affliction to the people around you, prejudice and discrimination can be prevented. Dealing with psoriasis is extremely stressful, so you'll need all the support you can get on your road to remission.
Thursday 19 November 2015
Tuesday 3 November 2015
Help for Chapped Winter Hands
By Patti Zimmerman
Lack of moisture is the main reason for this. When the season changes into winter, the humidity in the outside air plummets while inside things become drier due to the indoor heating. Compounding this issue is the more frequent washing of our hands we do to avoid catching a cold or the flu. This drains the natural oils in the skin resulting in your hands becoming dehydrated, leaving them to crack, peel and bleed.
Withstanding winter's harsh conditions and how well your hands will tolerate it depends on the strength of your skin barrier. The skin barrier is a mixture a proteins, lipids and oils which protects your skin. People with weak barriers are more susceptible to symptoms of sensitive skin, including itching, inflammation and eczema. Dry, chapped hands in winter are more likely to happen.
The first step to treating dry, parched, scaly hands is to replace the missing moisture that the skin is lacking. Our first thought is to drink more water but unfortunately that is not the answer. Applying a moisturizer directly to the skin keeps water from evaporating and gives the skin a healthy, dewy appearance. Using a moisturizer before your hands show signs of dryness is the best prevention of future problems.
In many cases moisturizer doesn't get applied in a timely basis. Dealing with cracked, dry skin on your fingers can be uncomfortable and may hinder using your hands especially if those cracks bleed. Not only is healing the skin important but also infections that could arise.
I recommend following these tips to heal dry, cracked skin on your hands and fingers.
These tips when followed can help with dry, cracked hands and fingers. If your symptoms persist or become severe contact your doctor or dermatologist. They may prescribe steroids to help heal the skin or uncover an underlying medical condition such as eczema, psoriasis or a fungal infection.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Help-for-Chapped-Winter-Hands&id=9215759
Lack of moisture is the main reason for this. When the season changes into winter, the humidity in the outside air plummets while inside things become drier due to the indoor heating. Compounding this issue is the more frequent washing of our hands we do to avoid catching a cold or the flu. This drains the natural oils in the skin resulting in your hands becoming dehydrated, leaving them to crack, peel and bleed.
Withstanding winter's harsh conditions and how well your hands will tolerate it depends on the strength of your skin barrier. The skin barrier is a mixture a proteins, lipids and oils which protects your skin. People with weak barriers are more susceptible to symptoms of sensitive skin, including itching, inflammation and eczema. Dry, chapped hands in winter are more likely to happen.
The first step to treating dry, parched, scaly hands is to replace the missing moisture that the skin is lacking. Our first thought is to drink more water but unfortunately that is not the answer. Applying a moisturizer directly to the skin keeps water from evaporating and gives the skin a healthy, dewy appearance. Using a moisturizer before your hands show signs of dryness is the best prevention of future problems.
In many cases moisturizer doesn't get applied in a timely basis. Dealing with cracked, dry skin on your fingers can be uncomfortable and may hinder using your hands especially if those cracks bleed. Not only is healing the skin important but also infections that could arise.
I recommend following these tips to heal dry, cracked skin on your hands and fingers.
- Treat deep cracks - if these are deep enough to bleed than treat them just like any open wound. Wash carefully with warm soapy water and dry gently. Apply bandages with an antibacterial ointment to help protect the cracks and keep them from getting infected.
- Use moisturizing cream - use a thick, greasy ointment or cream to maintain and increase the skin's natural internal moisture. This will help dry skin patches and heal cracks. Read product labels as some advertise for use on extra-dry skin but may not heal cracks or protect the hands from damage. Others may contain ingredients like alcohol or chemicals that can actually make matters worse. Find products that contain pure emollients and humectants which hydrate and protect the skin. I suggest these:
- Coconut oil and shea butter - these are both excellent for protecting the skin.
- Lanolin - this is a first-rate product for healing cracks.
- Jojoba oil - this mirrors the skin's natural oils. Can't go wrong with products listing this in their ingredients.
- Petroleum jelly - protects the skin by forming a seal that won't allow moisture to escape.
- Hand washing - though extremely important, understanding the proper technique and things to avoid will help alleviate dry, cracked hands. First, avoid excessive hand washing. Water and harsh soaps with strong chemicals tend to strip the skin of its natural oils leading them to dry and crack. Look for mild soaps or those that contain lotion. Second, water temperature is very important. Using hot water washes away the natural oils and dries out the skin. Warm water is recommended. Third, gently dry your hands by patting dry with a towel. Refrain from drying them roughly with a towel. Last but not least, apply cream immediately after washing your hands. Your skin loses moisture as water evaporates off your skin. Applying a cream or lotion helps retain that moisture.
- Protective cotton gloves - to help protect even further, wear light weight cotton gloves. Apply cream before putting on to help protect your dry, cracked skin from any further irritation. Wearing these at night after applying moisturizer helps keep the ointment on and lessens the chance of a mess while sleeping.
- Humidity - warm air tends to dry out hands. Using a bedroom or whole house humidifier puts water back into the air and decreases the risk of dry, cracked skin.
- Sunscreen - if you plan on being outdoors for extended periods of time apply a good sunscreen. Hands are more susceptible to being exposed to the sun's harmful rays than other parts of the body.
These tips when followed can help with dry, cracked hands and fingers. If your symptoms persist or become severe contact your doctor or dermatologist. They may prescribe steroids to help heal the skin or uncover an underlying medical condition such as eczema, psoriasis or a fungal infection.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Help-for-Chapped-Winter-Hands&id=9215759
Skin Care Is a Complex Issue - Here Are Some Answers to So Many Questions
By Josef Bichler
There are many questions often asked about different skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, these are just the most common ones. Skin conditions are not easy to pinpoint or known exactly what triggers or causes them. For instance, body acne is a common problem and often gets worse in the warmer weather. Many times, acne worsens when the pores of the skin get clogged with oil, sweat and dead skin cells. Most of the time body acne is the result of fluctuating hormones and overactive skin oil production that many lifestyle factors can exacerbate. Other factors that can worsen body acne include clothes that are too tight and not breathable, as well irritation caused by body care products, laundry detergents, and fabric softeners.
How to treat it?
Keep in mind everyone's reactions can vary, but coconut oil works most of the time. Coconut oil is anti bacterial and anti fungal. The oil is also an extremely good moisturizer and gentle on the skin. It helps to fight bacteria and reduces redness. Tea tree oil as well is a very powerful all natural remedy. To apply it, mix a small amount of tea tree oil with one equal amount of water and apply it with a cotton ball to your skin.
Avoid most if not all soaps and the use of other skin lotions unless organic. Lifestyle choices can help by changing to a well balanced fresh whole food diet. Taking a good natural supplement that includes fruits and berries rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Eczema and psoriasis is also a skin condition that is often triggered by wrong foods and different chemicals applied to the skin. What I mean by that is, showering too often and using chemical laden body washes and shampoos. Every time you are lathering your whole body when showering, soaps tends to remove the protective sebum which is full of beneficial fats that your body uses to protect your skin. Yet, most people regularly use hush soaps to wash their entire skin surface and remove this protective covering.
Sunshine will help!
Eczema and psoriasis respond well to moderated sunshine. Most have forgotten that the sun is a gift that we need daily. A big percentage of the western world population is vitamin D deficient because of wrong messages over decades, being told to keep out of the sun. The sun is our best source of vitamin D, which our body needs to function, and to keep good health. The skin will benefit from moderate sunshine. Many people spend most of the time in buildings and get only light from artificial sources.
Become aware of all the hidden dangers!
This is often the onset of things to come, when wrinkles appear and accelerating of skin aging has begun. Become aware of all the hidden dangers of skin creams and lotions. The cosmetic industry is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to toxin laden products. These creams and lotions may give short-term benefits, but they come with the risk of long-term health consequences. Not only creams and lotions can do damage, just using sun-block lotions, which is just as toxic.
Another thing to consider is, your skin damage could as well come from the inside of your body. This is another threat to the health and appearance of your skin which does damage: It's called 'free radicals'. These highly unstable oxygen molecules occur just naturally, but factors such as exposure to toxins and being on an unhealthy diet can increase their level. If free radicals get out of control that can wreak havoc on cells throughout your body, leading to dangerously high levels of inflammation. This will accelerate aging and a multitude of health problems as well as oxidative stress and inflammation.
Although, the good news is that our body has a protective build in mechanism that can use antioxidants to neutralize free radicals. The bad news is that most of us are lacking the antioxidant firepower to get the job done just by making some changes. Change your diet to natural whole foods and leave out some of the bad stuff that can do you damage. Instead use a good natural liquid supplement to help your body regulate any imbalances. It should contain fruits and omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, zinc and copper.
Avoid most lotions, creams, soaps etc. unless made from natural ingredients and/or organic. Such products are available in fact, a new anti-aging technology through a special cream that does something never seen before in skin care improvement. It can lift and refresh your skin while reducing wrinkles, without injections or costly trips to the doctor, and without pain. Pitted damaged skin is often the aftermath from acne and other skin related problems, which are now totally reversible thanks to naturally derived skin care.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Skin-Care-Is-a-Complex-Issue---Here-Are-Some-Answers-to-So-Many-Questions&id=9215258
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9215258
There are many questions often asked about different skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, these are just the most common ones. Skin conditions are not easy to pinpoint or known exactly what triggers or causes them. For instance, body acne is a common problem and often gets worse in the warmer weather. Many times, acne worsens when the pores of the skin get clogged with oil, sweat and dead skin cells. Most of the time body acne is the result of fluctuating hormones and overactive skin oil production that many lifestyle factors can exacerbate. Other factors that can worsen body acne include clothes that are too tight and not breathable, as well irritation caused by body care products, laundry detergents, and fabric softeners.
How to treat it?
Keep in mind everyone's reactions can vary, but coconut oil works most of the time. Coconut oil is anti bacterial and anti fungal. The oil is also an extremely good moisturizer and gentle on the skin. It helps to fight bacteria and reduces redness. Tea tree oil as well is a very powerful all natural remedy. To apply it, mix a small amount of tea tree oil with one equal amount of water and apply it with a cotton ball to your skin.
Avoid most if not all soaps and the use of other skin lotions unless organic. Lifestyle choices can help by changing to a well balanced fresh whole food diet. Taking a good natural supplement that includes fruits and berries rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Eczema and psoriasis is also a skin condition that is often triggered by wrong foods and different chemicals applied to the skin. What I mean by that is, showering too often and using chemical laden body washes and shampoos. Every time you are lathering your whole body when showering, soaps tends to remove the protective sebum which is full of beneficial fats that your body uses to protect your skin. Yet, most people regularly use hush soaps to wash their entire skin surface and remove this protective covering.
Sunshine will help!
Eczema and psoriasis respond well to moderated sunshine. Most have forgotten that the sun is a gift that we need daily. A big percentage of the western world population is vitamin D deficient because of wrong messages over decades, being told to keep out of the sun. The sun is our best source of vitamin D, which our body needs to function, and to keep good health. The skin will benefit from moderate sunshine. Many people spend most of the time in buildings and get only light from artificial sources.
Become aware of all the hidden dangers!
This is often the onset of things to come, when wrinkles appear and accelerating of skin aging has begun. Become aware of all the hidden dangers of skin creams and lotions. The cosmetic industry is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to toxin laden products. These creams and lotions may give short-term benefits, but they come with the risk of long-term health consequences. Not only creams and lotions can do damage, just using sun-block lotions, which is just as toxic.
Another thing to consider is, your skin damage could as well come from the inside of your body. This is another threat to the health and appearance of your skin which does damage: It's called 'free radicals'. These highly unstable oxygen molecules occur just naturally, but factors such as exposure to toxins and being on an unhealthy diet can increase their level. If free radicals get out of control that can wreak havoc on cells throughout your body, leading to dangerously high levels of inflammation. This will accelerate aging and a multitude of health problems as well as oxidative stress and inflammation.
Although, the good news is that our body has a protective build in mechanism that can use antioxidants to neutralize free radicals. The bad news is that most of us are lacking the antioxidant firepower to get the job done just by making some changes. Change your diet to natural whole foods and leave out some of the bad stuff that can do you damage. Instead use a good natural liquid supplement to help your body regulate any imbalances. It should contain fruits and omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B, zinc and copper.
Avoid most lotions, creams, soaps etc. unless made from natural ingredients and/or organic. Such products are available in fact, a new anti-aging technology through a special cream that does something never seen before in skin care improvement. It can lift and refresh your skin while reducing wrinkles, without injections or costly trips to the doctor, and without pain. Pitted damaged skin is often the aftermath from acne and other skin related problems, which are now totally reversible thanks to naturally derived skin care.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Skin-Care-Is-a-Complex-Issue---Here-Are-Some-Answers-to-So-Many-Questions&id=9215258
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9215258
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