Psoriasis can be a difficult condition to manage, but what can you do to stop it getting worse? We take a look at strategies to stop psoriasis from spreading.
It’s important to start off with noting that psoriasis is not contagious. You can’t catch it off anyone else, and you can’t give it to people either. This also means that you can’t spread it from one part of your body - ie your scalp - to another, such as your knees, by touching or ‘transferring’ the psoriasis.
But psoriasis patches can and do increase, and parts of your body that were unaffected one week can suddenly be scaly and rough the next. So what’s going on and how can you stop it?!
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease involving the way your immune system and your skin react to triggers. Those triggers can be topical (such as perfume in cosmetics), or physiological (such as stress hormones). When a new patch of psoriasis appears on your body, it hasn’t spread in the way that fungal or bacterial infections like ringworm or impetigo spread, even though they can look similar; what’s happening is that your body’s immune system is struggling and the psoriasis flare is getting worse.
When a flare worsens, the area of affected skin can increase in size, making what started as a small patch of psoriasis much larger. The psoriasis can also start appearing on different parts of the body; the most common form of psoriasis (plaque psoriasis) might start as a small patch of itchy, scaly skin on your elbow, but end up affecting your hairline, knees or hands.
What can you do?
The best strategy for stopping the spread of psoriasis is to manage the flare up as quickly and as effectively as possible! As soon as a patch of psoriasis appears, act holistically: this means taking your overall well-being seriously. Psoriasis is more than skin-deep; it is affected by stress, diet and your general health, as well as what you put on your skin.
Read psoriasis campaigner Jude Duncan’s blog How To Manage Your Psoriasis Triggers for more information and suggestions on how you can do this, but briefly, it’s all about identifying and then avoiding the things that affect your psoriasis.
What your triggers are might not be the same as everyone else’s, because everyone is different, but do consider the following ways to manage your psoriasis:
Recommended products for psoriasis-prone skin:
We recommend a trio of Balmonds products used in tandem to help manage skin prone to psoriasis. There’s a balm, an oil and a cream, all three natural, unfragranced and full of nutrients to keep skin in soft, well-nourished condition.
Balmonds Skin Salvation balm with beeswax, hemp & chamomile (from £7.99 for 30ml) for softening and protecting skin during an intensive flare-up
Balmonds Daily Moisturising Cream with shea butter, hemp & calendula (from £13.99 for 100ml) for daily maintenance, to nourish and replenish thirsty skin
Balmonds Bath & Body Oil with hemp, lavender & chamomile (£12.99 for 200ml) to support healthy regeneration of skin prone to plaque
