Psoriasis
Consultation & Treatments At Pharmacy2U
What is Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a skin
condition that normally causes flaky red, raised
patches covered with scales that are often
referred to as plaques when on the skin. The
plaques normally appear on the scalp, knees,
elbows and lower back, but they can appear
anywhere including the hands and feet and even
the nails can be affected. The affected areas
are often itchy and painful. Psoriasis affects
about 1 in 50 people and men and women suffer in
equal amounts. It can start at any age but it’s
most usual for first signs to appear at under 35
years old.
The severity of symptoms can vary a great
deal from person to person but it usually comes
and goes in phases, worsening and causing
problems for a few weeks or months and then
improving or disappearing altogether for a
while. For some people, psoriasis is a minor
irritation whilst for other people it can be a
huge problem seriously affecting their life
because of the extent of the irritation,
complications that can come with bad cases and
embarrassment at the appearance of the skin.
Such complications include cracking and bleeding
of the skin and infections in the skin. About
30% of people with psoriasis will develop
psoriatic arthritis where joints become swollen,
painful and stiff. If you think you have
psoriasis you should always see your GP.
Once you have been diagnosed by your GP the
Pharmacy2U Online Doctor service can offer
convenient access to prescription strength
Psoriasis medication. Act now and start a
convenient and confidential Psoriasis
consultation with our UK registered GP.
The cause of psoriasis is not fully
understood but it is known to be related to the
activity of the immune system where the immune
system attacks healthy skin cells. It is also
known that genetics does play a role as
psoriasis can run in families. Many peoples’
psoriasis is started by or is made worse by
certain factors known as triggers. Some known
triggers are:
- Stress
- Smoking
- Drinking a lot of alcohol
- Damage to the skin such as sunburn, or a
cut, scrape or insect bite
- Hormonal changes especially in women
during puberty or the menopause
- Certain medicines such as lithium, some
anti-malarial medicines, anti-inflammatory
medicines including ibuprofen, ACE
inhibitors used to treat high blood pressure
and beta- blockers used to treat heart
failure
- Streptococcal throat infections.
Firstly, if you know your triggers you may be
able to avoid them and this can help to manage
your psoriasis by avoiding flare-ups. Unless you
have only mild psoriasis, even after taking this
sensible approach you are likely to need
medication.
A number of
non-prescription preparations are available to
buy to manage mild to moderate Psoriasis,
including moisturising creams and ointments
(emollients) and oils that can be added to bath
water. These ease the itching and scaling of
psoriasis and hydrate the skin. Products
containing coal tar to be applied to the skin
have been used for many years and these can also
be purchased without a prescription; they are
thought to work by reducing the rate of skin
cell production and treating inflammation, but
they are not suitable for everyone so it’s
important to read the product warnings before
use. For many people with mild symptoms, these
will be all that is needed to manage the
condition.
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