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Stress
-Breathe deeply and count to 10. Take a relaxing soak in the tub. Call up a friend to vent. Meditate. All are ways to bust stress and perhaps help keep psoriasis flares at bay.
-Studies have shown that stress can worsen psoriasis. When you're stressed, your body reacts.
-Focus on the positive and incorporate relaxation techniques into your daily routine. It just may help ease your psoriasis.
Allergies
-Are psoriasis and allergies linked? The immune system appears to play a key role in both.
-Researchers have found that people with psoriasis are more likely to have larger amounts of inflammatory mast cells (see left) -- the kind that trigger allergic reactions -- than people without it.
-If you also have allergies, avoid personal triggers, such as wool and dust.
Alcohol
-Put down your glass. Doctors say to avoid alcohol altogether to prevent psoriasis flare-ups. Although more research is needed, it's believed that heavy drinking can trigger flares in some people.
-Another reason to beware of booze? Some psoriasis medications and drinking don't mix.
-Instead, try a nonalcoholic thirst quencher, like iced tea. Or walk around the block to unwind. Getting exercise and up to 20 minutes of sunlight a day can soothe psoriasis.
Cold or Dry Weather
-Keep your skin well moisturized. Use thick, creamy lotions after showers and baths, and throughout the day.
-Look for lotions and soaps that are fragrance free and designed for sensitive skin to help reduce irritation.
-You can also use a humidifier in your home during dry months to help keep your skin moist.
Tattoos
-Tattoos can look cool, but to psoriatic skin the tattooing process can be a nightmare. Repeatedly piercing the skin and injecting it with dyes is a major trauma. Trauma to the skin can cause new lesions to appear, often 10 to 14 days later.
-Tattoos can also lead to infection -- another psoriasis trigger.
-Treat your skin with care. Avoid acupuncture and talk with your doctor about shots.
Medications
-Some drugs used to treat psychiatric disorders, heart disease, and arthritis can trigger psoriasis.
-Lithium, ACE-inhibitors, and beta-blockers are common offenders that can cause psoriasis flare-ups.
-Antimalarials such as Plaquenil, and hydroxychloroquine and NSAIDs, can also trigger psoriasis.
-Talk to your doctor if your medication is worsening your psoriasis.
Infections
-Common infections are doubly difficult for people with psoriasis. Yeast infections, thrush, strep throat, respiratory infections, and staph infections are all known psoriasis triggers.
-The good news? Once you treat the infection, your psoriasis flare may also calm down.
Cuts and Bruises
-Slice your hand in the kitchen or scrape a knee and -- pow! -- new lesions may appear where you were injured. This is called Koebner's phenomenon.
-Avoid skin injury and trauma when you can.
-Wear gloves while working in the garden. Prevent bug bites and sunburn. And use care when trimming nails and shaving.
Smoking
-Research shows smoking is directly linked to the severity of your psoriasis. The more you smoke the worse your skin.
-Kicking the habit may also reduce the number of psoriasis flares.
-You don't have to take on the challenge alone. Ask your doctor about ways to smooth the transition to becoming smoke free.
Hormones
-Psoriasis can start at any age in both men and women. But it seems to peak in people between 20 and 30 years old and between 50 to 60 years old. Because puberty and menopause seem to trigger psoriasis patches, hormones are often thought to be linked.
-Interestingly, one study found that high levels of estrogen during pregnancy seemed to improve psoriasis in some women.
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