Health Boards
Fri-11-11-2011, 15:15 PM
Is Psoriasis Remission Possible?
There is no cure for psoriasis — but it's possible that your symptoms could simply disappear, either with effective treatment or without any treatment at all. How does this happen, and will it last?
By Diana Rodriguez
Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH
The news that you have a chronic disease like psoriasis is understandably hard to handle. And a lifetime of psoriasis symptoms — skin that's often red, scaly, flaky, itchy, and painful — seems like an unfair burden to bear.
But some people have long periods with no symptoms, known as psoriasis remission, when their psoriasis treatment is successful.
Spontaneous remission is also possible; this is when your symptoms clear up without treatment. Your immune system attacks the skin cells mistakenly, which is what triggers psoriasis in the first place, but in some cases, the body relents and allows the cells to heal.
Psoriasis Remission: How It Can Happen
No medicine will keep symptoms away forever. German scientists were recently able to isolate part of the immune system response that causes psoriasis, which could one day lead to more effective remedies, but for now the focus is on managing the condition and minimizing symptoms. With the right treatment, though, you may enter psoriasis remission and have no visible symptoms for a period of time.
However, the reality is that even if symptoms go away, they’re likely to come back. And when they do, you have to be ready to squelch them before your skin flares up too badly.
What to Do if Psoriasis Returns
When psoriasis strikes again, the best recourse is to start treating it — pronto. If your previous treatment was successful, talk to your doctor about resuming the same course. Sometimes skin becomes resistant to a certain treatment, and what was once useful is no longer effective in managing psoriasis symptoms. In that case, you’ll need to try a new approach.
There is a range of treatments available for psoriasis, including:
Phototherapy with ultraviolet light
Oral medications that target the immune system and treat the whole body
A cortisone or retinoid cream or ointment
A salicylic or lactic acid cream
Coal tar or anthralin creams
Antibiotics (if skin has become infected)
You might never be able to completely control your psoriasis and hold off a flare-up indefinitely. But you can certainly try to keep psoriasis in remission as long as possible. There are plenty of steps you can take to try to prevent your psoriasis from acting up again.
Preventing the Return of Psoriasis Symptoms
Once your skin returns to its healthy color and texture and no longer itches or flakes, you can try to ward off a flare of psoriasis symptoms with these strategies:
Moisturize and protect. Don't let your skin get too dry, as that can trigger the return of your psoriasis. To stay in psoriasis remission, use a rich moisturizer all over your body every day. It's also important to protect skin from the elements, so don't expose it to extremely cold or dry weather.
Get a little sun. Don't allow yourself to get burned — that skin damage could cause psoriasis to act up again. But a little bit of sun exposure can help keep mild psoriasis symptoms at bay — just be sure to use sunscreen.
Say "ohm." Stress is thought to be a trigger for some people with psoriasis, so find ways to relax and manage stress levels to keep red skin from flaring.
Don't scrub. You'll want to take a shower or slip into a bath each day to keep skin clean, but don't give it a vigorous scrubbing. Roughing up your skin can irritate it and trigger a psoriasis flare. Wash gently and pat dry.
Detox your body. Keeping your insides healthy will reflect well on the outside. That means you should avoid infections, restrict your alcohol intake, and definitely kick the cigarette habit.
Even if there's no cure, psoriasis remission offers the next best thing — freedom from visible psoriasis symptoms. Try different treatments to find out what works best to bring you relief from psoriasis for as long as you can keep it subdued.
There is no cure for psoriasis — but it's possible that your symptoms could simply disappear, either with effective treatment or without any treatment at all. How does this happen, and will it last?
By Diana Rodriguez
Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH
The news that you have a chronic disease like psoriasis is understandably hard to handle. And a lifetime of psoriasis symptoms — skin that's often red, scaly, flaky, itchy, and painful — seems like an unfair burden to bear.
But some people have long periods with no symptoms, known as psoriasis remission, when their psoriasis treatment is successful.
Spontaneous remission is also possible; this is when your symptoms clear up without treatment. Your immune system attacks the skin cells mistakenly, which is what triggers psoriasis in the first place, but in some cases, the body relents and allows the cells to heal.
Psoriasis Remission: How It Can Happen
No medicine will keep symptoms away forever. German scientists were recently able to isolate part of the immune system response that causes psoriasis, which could one day lead to more effective remedies, but for now the focus is on managing the condition and minimizing symptoms. With the right treatment, though, you may enter psoriasis remission and have no visible symptoms for a period of time.
However, the reality is that even if symptoms go away, they’re likely to come back. And when they do, you have to be ready to squelch them before your skin flares up too badly.
What to Do if Psoriasis Returns
When psoriasis strikes again, the best recourse is to start treating it — pronto. If your previous treatment was successful, talk to your doctor about resuming the same course. Sometimes skin becomes resistant to a certain treatment, and what was once useful is no longer effective in managing psoriasis symptoms. In that case, you’ll need to try a new approach.
There is a range of treatments available for psoriasis, including:
Phototherapy with ultraviolet light
Oral medications that target the immune system and treat the whole body
A cortisone or retinoid cream or ointment
A salicylic or lactic acid cream
Coal tar or anthralin creams
Antibiotics (if skin has become infected)
You might never be able to completely control your psoriasis and hold off a flare-up indefinitely. But you can certainly try to keep psoriasis in remission as long as possible. There are plenty of steps you can take to try to prevent your psoriasis from acting up again.
Preventing the Return of Psoriasis Symptoms
Once your skin returns to its healthy color and texture and no longer itches or flakes, you can try to ward off a flare of psoriasis symptoms with these strategies:
Moisturize and protect. Don't let your skin get too dry, as that can trigger the return of your psoriasis. To stay in psoriasis remission, use a rich moisturizer all over your body every day. It's also important to protect skin from the elements, so don't expose it to extremely cold or dry weather.
Get a little sun. Don't allow yourself to get burned — that skin damage could cause psoriasis to act up again. But a little bit of sun exposure can help keep mild psoriasis symptoms at bay — just be sure to use sunscreen.
Say "ohm." Stress is thought to be a trigger for some people with psoriasis, so find ways to relax and manage stress levels to keep red skin from flaring.
Don't scrub. You'll want to take a shower or slip into a bath each day to keep skin clean, but don't give it a vigorous scrubbing. Roughing up your skin can irritate it and trigger a psoriasis flare. Wash gently and pat dry.
Detox your body. Keeping your insides healthy will reflect well on the outside. That means you should avoid infections, restrict your alcohol intake, and definitely kick the cigarette habit.
Even if there's no cure, psoriasis remission offers the next best thing — freedom from visible psoriasis symptoms. Try different treatments to find out what works best to bring you relief from psoriasis for as long as you can keep it subdued.