Winter weather presents unique challenges in the management and treatment of psoriasis.
Cold winter weather and dry and indoor heat can rob the body of needed moisture and cause psoriasis symptoms to flare or worsen. The condition becomes even more severe when the stress of the holidays and winter illnesses combine and compromise the immune system.
“The physical and emotional discomfort felt by those with psoriasis can be challenging throughout the year,” says dermatologist Mark Lebwohl, M.D., professor and chairman, department of dermatology, the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. “Due to winter’s effect on the skin, patients should diligently monitor their condition carefully.”
Psoriasis is most commonly characterized by areas of thick, red, white or scaly patches on the skin’s surface. Psoriasis is caused by the unusually rapid growth of skin cells that can build up on the skin’s surface -- usually around the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet or lower back -- and cause itching and severe discomfort.
Psoriasis treatments are often selected based on the patient’s health, age, lifestyle and symptoms.
* Topical medications applied to the skin are used to treat mild to moderate psoriasis. Topical tretament is usually begun at the first signs of the condition.
* Systemic medications treat the entire body and are often reserved for patients whose psoriasis is not responsive to topical medications or phototherapy.
* New biologic treatments, which target the precise immune responses involved in the development of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, are used to treat moderate to severe conditions forms of psoriasis.
* Phototherapy, or ultraviolet light treatment, is reserved for moderate to severe cases of psoriasis that do not respond to topical therapy.
“Patients with psoriasis should review their treatment options since many innovative treatments and therapies now exist that can greatly improve the quality of life for people with psoriasis,” adds Dr. Lebwohl. One of the more innovative approaches to psoriasis treatment is Psoriasis-ltd. The key to Psoriasis-Ltd is its simplicity. It delivers many well-known and well-documented anti-imflamatory minerals directly to the skin, without the side effects that accompany most psoriasis treatments.
