How to tackle the flare-ups of psoriasis?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 30-year-old chemical engineer struggling with psoriasis in a high-risk work environment. The constant exposure to chemicals makes my skin condition dramatically worse. I have tried protective gear and special clothing, but nothing seems to help. My flare-ups are becoming more severe, and I am worried about long-term health impacts. Working in a laboratory requires precision, but the constant skin irritation makes it challenging to focus. My colleagues are becoming concerned about my ability to perform my job effectively. I have consulted multiple dermatologists, but finding a solution that allows me to continue my career seems impossible. The stress of potentially losing my job is making my psoriasis even more unpredictable. Please guide me on how to tackle this situation and my flare-ups.

Kindly help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

Understanding the disease better helps you to manage it effectively, let me give you an overview of your condition.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in your skin. Symptoms of psoriasis include thick areas of discolored skin covered with scales. These thick, scaly areas are called plaques.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition, which means it can flare up unexpectedly, and there is no cure. An over-reactive immune system that creates inflammation in your skin causes psoriasis.

If you have psoriasis, your immune system is supposed to destroy foreign invaders, like bacteria, to keep you healthy and prevent you from getting sick. Instead, your immune system can mistake healthy cells for foreign invaders. As a result, your immune system creates inflammation or swelling, which you see on the surface of your skin as skin plaques.

It usually takes up to 30 days for new skin cells to grow and replace old skin cells. Your over-reactive immune system causes the timeline of new skin cell development to change to three to four days. The speed of new cells replacing old cells creates scales and frequent skin shedding on top of skin plaques.

Psoriasis runs in families. There may be a genetic component to psoriasis because biological parents may pass the condition down to their children.

An outbreak of psoriasis, or a flare-up, causes symptoms of psoriasis as a result of contact with a trigger, which could be an irritant or an allergen. Psoriasis outbreaks differ from person to person. Common triggers for psoriasis flare-ups include:

Emotional stress.
An infection (streptococcal infection).
A skin injury like cuts, scrapes, or surgery.
Certain medications, such as lithium and beta-blockers.
Changes in body temperature due to the weather.

So, as mentioned above, the prime trigger is stress. If you are stressed, then it will worsen your condition. To feel your best with psoriasis, take medications as instructed.

Use moisturizer regularly, especially after bathing. Avoid harsh soaps. Use medicated shampoo for scales on your scalp. Talk to your healthcare provider about lowering your risk for related conditions, such as heart disease, depression, and diabetes.

Lower your stress with meditation, exercise, etc. Do regular skin self-exams to notice any changes in your skin.

I hope this helps.

Kindly follow up if you have more concerns.

Thank you.