Psoriasis

  

Psoriasis is one of the 10 most common skin condition in Singapore, affecting 50,000 to 80,000 of the population, usually starts to happen at age 15-25 equally between the sexes.  Of these, more than 80% have scalp psoriasis.  This disease is not contagious unlike other skin diseases like eczema, hives and acne.

Characteristics

+  The inflammatory skin condition causes patches of skin on the legs, knees, arms, elbows, scalp, ears and back to turn red to brown, thick and scaly. If it is mild, only small areas of rash appear. For moderate or severe, the skin gets inflamed with raised red areas topped with loose, silvery, scaling skin. In severe condition, the skin becomes itchy and tender. When large patches are formed the person may feel uncomfortable. Scalp psoriasis is more severe with raised and red patches extending beyond the scalp to the neck and shed more skin flakes.

+  When psoriasis flares, it can cause severe itching and pain especially on the finger, knee and ankle joints. Occasionally the skin cracks and bleeds. When trying to sleep, cracking and bleeding skin can wake a person frequently and cause sleep deprivation. A lack of sleep can make it difficult to focus at school or work.

+  When the weather is dry and stress at work is especially intense, the itch becomes overwhelming and can be shed flakes of skin in clouds.  The stigma can causes patients to be increasingly stressed and depressed, aggravating the condition.

+  Some people develop the negative feelings of embarrassment, anger and self-esteem. In fact, depression tends to be higher in people who have psoriasis than in the general population.

Causes

For normal skin, the cells pass from the bottom layer to the epidermis and flake off about every 28 days. New skin cells grow to replace the outer layers of the skin as they shed. However, in psoriasis new skin cells move rapidly to the surface of the skin in about 8 days only and never mature. The quick build up results in thick patches called plaques, with size ranging from small to large depending on how fast it spread.

Medical world has not found the cause but believe the fault lies in the genes or DNA to initiate the auto-immune reaction.  It is found that in a person with psoriasis, the T cells (a type of white blood cell that fights unwanted invaders such as bacteria and viruses) mistakenly trigger a reaction in the skin cells. Unlike some autoimmune conditions, it appears that many genes are involved in psoriasis.

However, it is observed that not all who inherit such genes experience this problem. To happen, the person must inherit the ‘right’ mix of genes and be exposed to a trigger eg. nervous tension, illness, injury, surgery, cuts, bacterial infection, sunburn, overuse of drugs or alcohol, beta blockers etc.

HIV or AIDS sufferers tend to have severe psoraisis.  The buildup of toxins in an unhealthy colon also has been linked to it.

Cure/prevention

There is no known cure yet for psoriasis but there are effective treatments like steroid lotions and oral medication to help patients control the condition.  For milder cases, the use of tar shampoo and steroid cream should be sufficient. Hence, preventive measures should be taken to avoid anything that can cause psoriasis symptoms to flare up or make the condition worse, including -

+  Acidic foods. Red meat and dairy products contain arachidonic acid (AA), a natural substance that promotes the inflammatory response and responsible for turning the lesions of psorasis red and swell. Also abstain from fried foods, citrus fruits, processed foods and saturated fats. Go for a diet composing 50% raw foods including fruits, grains and vegetables.

+  Skin injury. Any skin injury can cause psoriasis patches to form anywhere on the body, including the site of the injury. This includes injuries to your nails or nearby skin while trimming your nails.

+  Stress and anxiety. Both can cause psoriasis to flare up or worsen the symptoms.

+  Viral Infection. Even strep throat can cause psoriasis to appear suddenly, especially in children.

+  Drug medication. Some medicines like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), statins and lithium can make psoriasis symptoms worse.

+  Overexposure to sunlight. Short periods of sun exposure reduce psoriasis in most people, but excessive sunburns can trigger flares of psoriasis.

+  Alcohol/smoking. Both are detrimental to health and thus worsen psoriasis symptoms.

Conclusion

Psoriasis is a chronic (lifelong) medical condition. Symptoms often disappear, even without treatment, and then return. Some people have frequent flare-ups that occur weekly or monthly whilst others have occasional flare-ups.

Severe or pustular psoriasis with pus-filled spots developing on the skin requires specialised attention as early as possible. All psoriasis condition should be brought under control to enable the patients to manage it more easily and have a better quality of life.

Source: Extract from The Straits Times, Mind Your Body, 28^th Oct 2010 and Apr 7 2011; Prescription to Natural Healing, PsorasisNet

VIVA corner

Vivashield contains 4 potent antioxidants that have synergistic effects of  protecting the skin tissue and neutralising free radicals from damaging it.  They are important for the formation of collagen and skin tissue, and enhancing the function of the immune system. VIVA Omega 3 contains ingredients that interfere with the production and storage of arachidonic acid (AA), as mentioned above. 

For prolonged and acute cases, VIVA Germanium and Selguard are useful to slow the spread and chance of recurrence.  Their wide-ranging benefits include the effects on fighting against free radicals, replenishing our cells with oxygen supply, strengthening and restoring a balanced immune system rapidly.

Trying out the rich VIVA Rebuild Serum Protein Complex with its therapeutic formula can help to rehabilitate the skin from damage by creating a turnover of new cells with minimal irritation and stress.