Psoriasis, the stress that shows on your skin!

We often take our looks for granted, without knowing how much others are struggling for the things that we have effortlessly. Having a soft, velvety skin, that’s nice to the touch, is a must in the escorting business, but there is a skin condition, linked to stress and anxiety, called psoriasis, that affects the skin and its appearance, causing serious insecurities and affecting the self-esteem.

Psoriasis is an inflammatory, chronic condition that manifest itself through red, scaly plaque, that can occur anywhere on the body.

125 million people worldwide has psoriasis, this stress induced skin condition that can mess up with your mind and affect your quality of life!

And what’s terrifying is that psoriasis can appear all over the body, from scalp to intimate areas, knees and elbows, ears, and fingers.  Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder, an inflammatory condition that has, as its most common trigger, stress, and anxiety. And even if we manage to keep it at bay, during a stressful holiday season, a busy period of the year with lots of clients, or during a period when you’re under a lot of stress and feel overwhelmed, psoriasis symptoms tend to become more severe.

Other things that tend to aggravate psoriasis are dry and cold weather, sunburns, smoking and drinking alcohol. But, besides the treatment that the dermatologist will give you, there are also a few things you can do yourself to keep psoriasis in check.

Keep in mind that left untreated, psoriasis can turn into psoriatic arthritis, so its vital to go see a doctor if you feel tenderness or stiffness in your joints and constant itching sensations on your skin.

Besides the proper medication received from your dermatologist, there are also a few things you can do to take care of your psoriasis:

1. Keep your skin well moisturized

You can do that by having a humidifier in your room, to avoid dry air, take weekly baths with Epsom salts to smooth the skin and always use a hydrating skin lotion, especially during cold, winter months.

2. Fragrances NO, Salicylic Acid YES

When you buy yourself skin products make sure to always check the ingredients list and choose the ones that have no fragrances included, because these tend to irritate the skin. Also, try looking for skin products enriched with salicylic acid, because this helps with moisturizing and exfoliating the flaky skin. There are a lot of free apps you can use, to see what ingredients are good for you and what not, all you need to do is scan the label and the app will tell you if the product is ok to be purchased or it contains irritants or other bad ingredients for your skin.

3. Leave the flaky skin alone

Psoriasis manifests with flakiness of the skin and picking the dead skin that’s flaking is really tempting, but according to dermatologists, we must resist the urge to do that because we’ll only make things worse. Picking the dead, flaky skin can trigger bigger inflammation and scaling and can also lead to scaling in other areas that were not affected until then.

When dealing with psoriasis it’s important to have a strong connection with your dermatologist and your psychologist, because the body and the mind go hand in hand in treating this skin condition that can cause you so much pain and distress.