Psoriasis is an Inflammation of the Skin

London Dermatology | 10 August 2024

Psoriasis is an inflammation of the skin which is neither infectious nor scarring nor cancerous.

Susceptibility to psoriasis is inherited. Psoriasis is coinherited with certain advantages, including rapid wound healing, rapid hair & nail growth and a slight protection against cancer. The majority of people who have psoriasis have a strong constitution and can expect to live a long and healthy life.

Psoriasis is worsened by vasodilatation of the skin (i.e. making the skin red or warm). When vasodilatation is avoided, psoriasis naturally improves.

Vasodilatation of the skin can be caused by general factors such as stress, alcohol, fever (especially with sore throats), weight and hormones. Puberty and the menopause bring hormonal changes and weight gain which explains why the skin is more susceptible to psoriasis at these ages. Weight reduction is important for those with psoriasis who are overweight. Psoriasis is worsened by foods which cause vasodilatation, so try to avoid excesses of alcohol or chillies.

Vasodilatation of the skin can also be caused by local factors such as knocks & scratches, wear & tear, (especially knees, elbows and fingernails) and local heat (hot parts of the body such as scalp, groins and base of spine). Overvigorous washing or brushing of the scalp may worsen scalp psoriasis so try to wash and dress the hair in a gentle way. Rubbing or scratching should be avoided as much as possible, so try to keep the fingernails short. Any itching should be controlled by antihistamines, such as Phenergan or Vallergan.

Psoriasis has been shown scientifically to improve with a diet rich in oily fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, herrings, sardines, pilchards), so try to eat a portion of oily fish three times a week. When oily fish cannot be eaten, an alternative is to take 5 MaxEPA capsules twice daily and 3 cod liver oil capsules twice daily. Eating fish frequently does not mean that you should ayoid dark meat. A balanced diet includes dark meat or bacon loz (25gm) each day, liver loz (25gm) each week, oily fish twice or three times a week, five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, some fibre each day, some nuts each week and two cups of coffee each day.

There are many effective treatments to clear psoriasis. One of the best is a two week sun and seabathing holiday. A light suntan improved psoriasis (but please be careful to avoid too much sun as sunburn worsens psoriasis and is damaging to the skin in other ways). Salt water bathing is helpful (sea water or one handful of salt in a bath).