Help against other health problems

By psoriasis there are discrete bright red macules, papules or patches, ofren cowered with lamellated silvery scales.

The symptoms most often appear on the scalp, knees and elbows, but often also on the buttocks, chest and back. The condition is chronic, or recurrent.

Psoriasis also often give inflammatory reactions in the joints.

Somtimes  even rheumatoid arthritis occur together with psoriasis.

The cause of psoriasis are not fully understood. There is an inheritary causal component. The core process in the disease is an increased proliferation of epidermal cells. there are two theories about this excessive cell proliferation. One theori is that it is caused by a genetic fault.

Another theory is that it is a secondary consequence of an autoimmune attack at the epidermial cells. It is thought that T cells (which normally help protect the body against infection) migrate to the dermis and trigger the release of cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha TNFα, in particular) which cause inflammation and the rapid production of skin cells. It is not known what initiates the activation of the T cells, but this can also be a genetic factor.

The first outburst of psoriasis sometimes occur after physical or mental stress, skin injury, or streptococcal infection. Conditions that have been reported as accompanying or worsening the disease include infections, stress, and changes in season and climate. Treatment of diseases with Certain medicines, including lithium salt and beta blockers, have been reported to trigger or worsen the disease. Excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and obesity may aggarvate psoriasis or make psoriasis difficult to treat.

THE TREATMENT OF PSORIASIS

There is no definite cure for psoriasis, but a clever combination of treatments can often take away most symptoms. Psoriasis has periods where the disease fleares up and periods where it retreats again. It the periods of worsening intensive treatment can drive back symptoms. In the stiller periods, more gentle treatment can be used to hinder the disease to flare up again and to lessen the symptoms when this still occur.

There are many kinds of treatment against psoriasis, and the treatment plan for psoriasis must be indiviualized.

Many treatment methods for psoriasis are effective, but also hurt the skin so much that they by now have gone out of use. Also many treatments for psoriasis of contemporary use give dangerous side effects and must be used with caution.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Fowlers solution, a blending containing arsenic compounds was used by dermatologists as a cure for psoriasis. It went out of use because of the toxic and cancerogenic effects.

In the middle of the 19th century ultra-soft x-rays were popular as a psoriasis treatment. Such rays kill cells, and thereby slow down the growth of plaques. However, they also cause cancer, damage the skin and accelerate the aging process of the skin. This treatment has therefore been dropped and replaced by ultraviolet rays.

Coal or wood  tar is a traditional treatment for psoriasis still in use. Tar is a product made by heating coal or wood. Tar slows the rapid proliferation of skin cells. when the plaques are worn away, the normal appearance of the skin will therefore be restored.  Tar can also help reduce the inflammation, itching and scaling of psoriasis. Tar can be applied through creams, through shampoos, through soap or added to bath water.  Tar can however irritate and redden the skin and it is to some extend cancerogenic.

Anthraline or steroid creams are used. Steroid cream can however make the skin thin and damaged in the long run.

Crams containing vitamin D3 or A-vitamin-variants called retinoids can help for psoriasis by reducing cell proliferation and inflammation.

Sulphur was a common treatment for psoriasis in the victorian age, but was dropped because more effective treatments emerged. However, these more effective treatments have shown to carry great risks for development of cancer. Sulphur treatment has therefore got modern again, and has shown to be useful without great risk of side effects.

Natural topical creams against psoriasis contain ingredients working from several angles: They contain ingredients that soften the plaques so that they more easily can be removed. Ingredients like squalane and glycerine diffuse into the plaques and make them soft so that they more easily can be scrubbed or teared away. They have ingredients that reduce cell proliferation and inflmmation. They typically contain vitamin D3 and A-vitamin variants to reduce cell proliferation and inflammation. They typically also contain herbs that stimulate the skin to repair damage, but yet do not trigger the abnormal cell proliferation, like for example Aloe vera. They furter contain herbs or oils that soothe and reduce itching.

Cytostatica, for example methothrexate, is used in severe cases as a cure for psoriasis. Cystostatica slow the cell divisions or kill cells that are dividing and thus inhibit the growth of plaques. Cytostatica can damage structures in the body and increase the chance of getting cancer.

Ultraviolet light or sun-baths are also effective treatments. Ultraviolet wavelengths are subdivided into UVA (380–315 nm), UVB (315–280 nm), and UVC (< 280 nm).  The epidermis absorbes ultraviolet B (UVB) (315–280 nm) and this band works  beneficial against psoriasis.

Narrowband UVB (311 to 312 nm), is that part of the UVB spectrum that is most helpful for psoriasis. Exposure to UVB several times per week, over several weeks can effect a remission from psoriasis.  However this treatment can in the long run damage the skin and give cancer.

Individual loclized plaques can simply be planed away surgically, and the plaque seldome come back at the same spot. Such localized surgery is a very effective treatment for strictly localized psoriasis. Localized individual spots can nearly be cured this way.