Mum Cures Her Psoriasis With 'Miracle' £4 Baby Cream

From pretty52.com

Kirsty Usher from Bristol has suffered with severe psoriasis for 20 years, but she has finally found a cream that has cured her condition.
Forty-six-year-old Kirsty was so self-conscious about the psoriasis on her legs that she would wear 100 denier black tights all the time - including during summer ever since the age of 27.
The mother-of-two has tried everything to cure her regular flare ups, including prescription medication and remedies such as UVB light treatment.
In December 2017, she saw a success story about Childs Farms products on Facebook, and after buying the £4 Baby Moisturiser she saw a noticeable difference in her skin within days.
Kirsty said: "For the past twenty years I have been so self-conscious about my legs that I have been wearing 100 denier tights, even in the middle of summer.
"The worst of my psoriasis has always been on my legs, but it also gets on my elbows and scalp too.

"I can tell people think it is contagious by the looks they give me, so I've always thought it was just easier to cover up rather than be made to feel uncomfortable by people staring.
"One evening I went out with my friends and they convinced me to leave the tights at home. At the bar, a man came up to us and ridiculed me for my legs. That was it then - I never went out without my tights on after that.
"When I saw the story about the Childs Farm Baby Moisturiser I just thought: 'why not?' I was desperate for something to work.

"I popped into Tesco to buy the cream and started using it, and within a couple of hours the itching had stopped. Within a week I could see my skin was no longer so red, and soon after my skin was really flat and I could see whole sections where my legs were a skin colour rather than bright red. I couldn't believe it."This summer marks the first time that Kirsty has gone out wearing dresses without tights for the first time in nearly 20 years.

She added: "This is the first time in nearly twenty years that I have worn a dress without tights. It feels amazing to finally have bare legs especially in this heat. Childs Farm has change my life and given me back my confidence."
Joanna Jensen, founder of Childs Farm, added: "We believe that everyone should feel happy in their skin and so it's fantastic to know that our Baby Moisturiser has offered Kirsty some relief, as well as giving her the confidence to step out without tights. We are constantly overwhelmed by the love and support we get for our brand and would like to wish Kirsty all the very best for the future."

http://www.pretty52.com/news/real-life-mother-cures-psiorisis-with-4-baby-cream-20180727

Mediterranean diet might help ease psoriasis

From reuters.com

(Reuters Health) - The Mediterranean diet might do more than help ward off heart disease, it may also help improve psoriasis, a new study suggests.
“Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease triggered by environmental factors,” said lead author Dr. Celine Phan, a dermatologist at Hopital Mondor, in Creteil, France.

“The Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by a high proportion of fruits, vegetables, cereals, fish, extra-virgin olive oil, etc., could reduce chronic systemic inflammation thanks to the anti-inflammatory properties of these foods,” she said in an email.

Some people seem to inherit a susceptibility to developing psoriasis, noted Dr. Laura Ferris, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“It’s a condition characterized by areas or patches of skin that is red and thickened and scaly,” Ferris said in an email. “It can really impair a patient’s quality of life because of discomfort and appearance. If there’s red flaking, scaling skin on the face and hands it really gets in the way of life.”
About 2 percent of the U.S. population has psoriasis, Ferris said.

Phan and her colleagues tapped into a large ongoing French health study that had collected dietary information on 158,361 volunteers over two years. The researchers sent all of the study participants a link to an online psoriasis questionnaire. Of the 35,735 who filled out the questionnaire, 3,557 reported they had psoriasis, with 878 saying it was severe.

Along with information on food consumption, the original study also collected information on lifestyle and health factors, such as gender, age, smoking habits, body mass index (BMI), physical activity levels, cardiovascular disease and depression symptoms.

The researchers rated volunteers’ eating habits according to how closely they followed the Mediterranean diet. Previous studies have found the diet is associated with a lower risk of chronic systemic inflammation, which has been linked to heart disease as well as conditions like psoriasis.
After taking into account other lifestyle and health factors that can raise the risk of psoriasis, researchers found that severe cases of the disease were less likely in people whose eating habits were more similar to the Mediterranean diet.

Compared to people whose eating habits scored lowest by Mediterranean diet standards, those who scored highest on Mediterranean diet adherence were 22 percent less likely to have severe psoriasis, and those whose diets were moderately Mediterranean were 29 percent less likely.

The study found no association between diet and the onset of psoriasis.
The researchers did, however, find an association between psoriasis severity and several other factors, including BMI, smoking, activity levels, heart disease, high triglycerides, high blood pressure, diabetes and depression.

While the study doesn’t prove that consuming a Mediterranean diet will lessen the severity of psoriasis, “it raises some interesting questions and is provocative,” said Dr. Jonathan Silverberg, an associate professor of dermatology, preventive medicine and medical social sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and director of the Eczema Center at Northwestern Medicine. “Other studies have suggested a connection. So this would be confirmatory of those studies.”

What an observational study like this one cannot show is whether the Mediterranean diet is causing improvement or whether there’s some factor shared by people who eat this way that is helping with psoriasis, said Silverberg, who was not involved in the new research.
But it takes studies like this to spur other researchers to do the randomized controlled clinical trials that could answer that question, Silverberg said. Even if it’s shown that the Mediterranean diet can help improve symptoms, “I doubt it would be effective enough to replace the myriad treatment options we now use in clinical practice,” Silverberg said. But doctors might be able to use it as an add-on treatment strategy, he noted. 

For now though, it might make sense to steer patients toward a Mediterranean diet because there’s little downside, Ferris said. Moreover, “there is an association between following the Mediterranean diet and other health benefits,” she explained. “And maybe it will help with psoriasis.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-psoriasis-mediterranean-diet/mediterranean-diet-might-help-ease-psoriasis-idUSKBN1KF26R

Unlike Beauty, Psoriasis Is More Than Skin Deep

From prweb.com

July 2018, Unlike beauty, psoriasis is more than skin-deep. In fact, recent research links the inflammatory skin disorder, in its more serious forms, to greater incidence of early death, says Christopher Byrne RPA-C, referring to a recent study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. Byrne is a certified physician assistant at New York- and New Jersey-based Advanced Dermatology PC and the Centre for Laser and Cosmetic Surgery.

“Authors of the study report that patients with 10 percent or more of their body covered by psoriasis were at double risk of dying. That finding is not surprising considering psoriasis’ link to increased likelihood of heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, life-threatening abdominal aneurysms, depression and even suicide,” says Byrne.

Calling psoriasis, a “complex, systemic, lifelong disorder,” Byrne advises patients to seek professional medical assistance should inflamed, raised, scaly, itchy patches characteristic of the disease begin appearing on the skin. The patches are the result of an over proliferation of skin cells, which, when scratched, may bleed and cause a burning or stinging sensation. Scratching also can lead to infection.

Psoriasis interrupts the body’s acquired immune system by causing antibodies and immune cells to attack, or interfere with, healthy tissue. The autoimmune reaction triggers an overproduction of T-cells, resulting in development of plaques on the skin. T-cells are the body’s defence again invaders like bacteria and viruses.

“Having a physician diagnose the condition in its earliest stages will ensure better management of the disorder, possibly slow or prevent certain disease-related processes and enhance a patient’s quality of life,” explains Byrne, adding that dermatologists, in particular, play an important role in screening patients for other diseases associated with psoriasis.

Early diagnosis is especially important since symptoms of eczema, a less serious skin problem, can sometimes be mistaken for those of psoriasis, Byrne says.

Considered the most prevalent autoimmune disease in the United States, psoriasis affects an estimated 7.5 million Americans and 125 million people worldwide. Between 10 percent and 30 percent of patients also will develop psoriatic arthritis, which promotes inflammation in and around the body’s joints.

The term psoriasis comes from a Greek word meaning “itchy.” Experts believe that people in biblical times may have oftentimes confused psoriasis with leprosy and isolated psoriasis patients even though the disorder is not contagious.

“Although the disease can develop at almost any age, it usually begins between the ages of 15 and 25,” Byrne says. “The most common form of the disorder is plaque psoriasis, which generates the appearance of scaly lesions typically on the scalp, knees, elbows and lower back.”

The disorder has no known cure, but treatments, including creams, corticosteroids, retinoids and other topical medications; photodynamic (light) therapy; biologic drugs for more moderate psoriasis; and systemic medications to attempt controlling serious flare-ups of the disease, can be effective in alleviating and minimizing recurrence of symptoms, Byrne says.

New research has given scientists a better understanding of psoriasis’ cellular and molecular mechanisms, which also underlie immunity system dysfunctions affecting the heart and other body organs, and Byrne says he is hopeful novel, more effective psoriatic treatments will be developed in the near term.

Meanwhile, Byrne emphasizes that patients can do much on their own to control psoriasis by avoiding “triggers” that aggravate symptoms or prompt recurrence of the disease and improving lifestyle. He offers these tips:

    Eat a well-balanced diet that includes omega-3 and vitamin D. Salmon, herring and walnuts are among sources of omega-3.

    Take short, warm – not hot – baths. Consider using fragrance-free bath oils or Epsom salts in the water to help reduce skin dryness and itching.

    Keep psoriatic skin moisturized. Use a topical ointment or cream, such as petroleum jelly. A moisturizer can be most effective when applied immediately after a bath.

    Try not to scratch that itch. Scratching further irritates the skin, and damaged skin can become infected.

    Reduce stress in your life. Stress can cause flare-ups of psoriasis.

    Avoid alcohol and stop smoking. Studies show both alcohol and smoking worsen symptoms of psoriasis and limit effectiveness of treatments.

Bio: Christopher Byrne RPA-C is a certified physician assistant at Advanced Dermatology PC and the Centre for Laser and Cosmetic Surgery.

https://www.prweb.com/releases/unlike_beauty_psoriasis_more_than_skin_deep/prweb15639587.htm

Psoriasis: How to deal with the frustrating, flaky skin condition

From marieclaire.co.uk

Counting eczema among its unsightly friends, psoriasis is another uncomfortable skin condition that can leave its sufferers feeling incredibly self-conscious.

It’s estimated that some 125 million people have psoriasis worldwide, according to the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations.

But you may not be 100% sure if you have it, or what exactly it is (we’re guessing that’s why you’re here, anyway).
We asked Dr Justine Kluk, Harley Street dermatologist, to answer the most common questions about the skin ailment below.

What is psoriasis?

‘Psoriasis is an inflammatory condition of the skin that affects approximately 2% of the population,’ Dr Kluk explains. ‘The outer layer of our skin is constantly generating new skin cells and replacing old ones.
‘But in psoriasis, this process is sped up significantly and occurs over days rather than weeks. This increase in cell turnover leads to the typical symptoms that we see.’

What are the symptoms of psoriasis?

‘Psoriasis causes salmon pink patches to appear on the skin. These often have silvery scale on the surface. Sometimes, they cause soreness, discomfort or itching and sometimes they don’t,’ explains Justine.
‘Any part of the skin can be affected, however the elbows, knees, belly button, scalp and ears are some of the most frequently affected sites. Psoriasis can occur on genital skin, between the buttocks and in the armpits, where the patches are typically smooth, red and shiny rather than flaky.
‘If the nails are affected, pits or ridges can appear on the surface, or the nails can become thickened and discoloured. In certain individuals, psoriasis can also affect the joints by causing swelling, pain and stiffness and this is known as psoriatic arthritis.’

What causes psoriasis?

There are a fair few factors that can contribute to a person developing and having the condition.
‘Your genes play an important role, meaning that if one or more of your parents or siblings has psoriasis you will have an increased chance of developing it compared to someone who doesn’t have any affected family members,’ Dr Kluk tells us.
‘Environmental factors, such as stress, smoking, infection and certain medication, such as beta blockers, can also act as triggers.’

Are there psoriasis treatments?

Unfortunately, like a lot of skin conditions, there is no ‘cure’ per se for psoriasis. The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to keep its prevalence under control.
‘The choice of treatment really depends on how severely you are affected and includes creams containing a steroid or vitamin D, tablets and injections that modify the immune system, and phototherapy, which is a form of outpatient light treatment carried out in hospital Dermatology Departments,’ our doctor explains.

‘Most psoriasis sufferers will benefit from frequent and liberal application of a moisturising cream or ointment, and scalp symptoms can improve with the regular use of a coal tar-based shampoo or scalp lotion containing coconut oil,’ she adds.
‘If you are suffering with psoriasis and are finding it difficult to put your feelings into words and get the right support from friends, family or even your doctor, charities like The Psoriasis Association or the website skinsupport.org.uk from the British Association of Dermatologists are a good place to start.’

https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/life/health-fitness/psoriasis-treatment-causes-605058