3 Natural Psoriasis Remedies for Your Skin

When it comes to skin conditions, psoriasis is a common one. Research from the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) suggests that around 7.5 million people in the United States have psoriasis, and it’s not something that’s limited to one age group. Psoriasis affects everyone, regardless of how old they are, but people between the ages 45 and 64 tend to experience it the most. 

Luckily, there are ways to reduce the effects of psoriasis, and those solutions aren’t just traditional methods. There are many natural psoriasis remedies that can improve your skin. And what’s so great about these products is that they don’t have bad ingredients or harmful chemicals. 

Good natural psoriasis remedies are organic, vegan, sustainably sourced, and packed with nourishing ingredients that help your skin instead of hurting it. But before uncovering what those remedies are, it’s important to start with the basics and understand everything there is to know about psoriasis. 

What is psoriasis? 

Simply put, psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease, a type of condition where your immune system mistakenly attacks your body. With psoriasis, in particular, a rapid buildup of skin cells occurs, creating scales and other blemishes on your skin. 

Usually, these cells exist and grow in the deepest layers of your skin but rise to the surface over time. Afterward, they fall off since their life span is typically around one month. 

However, if you have psoriasis, this process happens much quicker. Instead of taking a whole month, the production of skin cells occurs in only a few days. As a result, these cells don’t have enough time to fall off and start to build up and accumulate on your skin. 

What are the different types of psoriasis? 

Most people don’t know that psoriasis is an umbrella term. This skin condition includes five different forms, and it’s essential to know each one. That way, you can determine the best natural psoriasis remedy to use. Keeping that in mind, below are the five types of psoriasis.

1. Plaque Psoriasis 

This form of psoriasis is the most common. In fact, the National Psoriasis Foundation estimates that around 80-90 percent of people with psoriasis have plaque psoriasis. With this condition, it’s normal to see red, inflamed patches on your skin, and these patches are typically covered with whitish-silver plaques or scales. The plaques can also appear on your scalp, elbows, and knees. 

2. Guttate psoriasis 

Guttate psoriasis is most prevalent in children and leads to small pink spots on your skin. Specifically, you’ll most likely notice these spots on your arms, torso, and legs. However, these spots are not as raised or thick as plaque psoriasis.  

3. Pustular psoriasis 

This type of psoriasis is common in adults. Pustular psoriasis results in pus-filled, white blisters and red, inflamed skin. With pustular psoriasis, the effects are usually on your hands or feet, but its impact can spread to other parts of your body. 

4. Inverse psoriasis

Inverse psoriasis leads to bright areas of inflamed, shiny, and red skin. Usually, patches of inverse psoriasis appear under your breasts or armpits. But you can also see them on skinfolds in the genitals and the groin. 

5. Erythrodermic psoriasis 

Severe and rare, erythrodermic psoriasis covers large parts of your body all at one time. Your skin will look sunburned, and if you develop scales, they’ll fall off in large sheets or sections. Sometimes, people with erythrodermic psoriasis also become ill or get a fever. 

What are the causes of psoriasis? 

Regardless of the type of psoriasis you have, there are two reasons why this skin condition develops in the first place. The first one is the most obvious, and that’s the fact that psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. 

With this skin condition, white blood cells—called T cells—attack your skin cells. In someone who doesn’t have psoriasis, white blood cells only combat infections and destroy invading bacteria. But in someone with psoriasis, T cells mistakenly attack your skin cells, increasing the speed of skin cell production. 

However, the second reason you may develop psoriasis goes beyond a mistaken attack on your body. Sometimes, the cause of this condition comes down to genetics. If you have a family member with psoriasis, you have a higher chance of developing the skin condition. 

Still, that doesn’t mean you need worry or stress. Only 2-3 percent of people with the gene actually develop psoriasis. And the number of people with a genetic predisposition for the condition is small. 

What are the symptoms of psoriasis? 

If you develop psoriasis, there are a few symptoms that you’ll likely encounter. This article has already hinted at a couple of them. But for a cohesive list of side effects, here are the primary signs of psoriasis: 

• Dry skin that cracks
• Dry skin that bleeds
• Inflamed, raised patches of skin that can look red
• Gray scales on brown and purple patches
• Plaques on red patches
• Whitish-silver scales
• Burning around patches
• Swollen, painful joints
• Soreness around patches
• Pitted, thick nails

Of course, there is a chance that you may experience completely different symptoms of psoriasis. Not everyone’s side effects are similar. 

But one common thing to note is that people with psoriasis experience a cycle of symptoms. For a few days or weeks, their symptoms are severe but eventually clear up. However, the cycle repeats itself if something triggers the psoriasis or makes the condition worse. 

3 natural psoriasis remedies to soothe your skin

With natural psoriasis remedies, it’s more than possible to soothe and clear up your skin. These types of solutions are therapeutic and healthy, and they provide results with consistent use and patience. So if you’re interested in discovering natural psoriasis remedies that can enhance your skin and make it better, here are three ideas that you can use. 

1. Get some sunlight 

Enjoying some sunlight is not only rejuvenating and refreshing, but it’s also great at improving the appearance of your skin if you have psoriasis. The National Psoriasis Foundation indicates that 5 to 10 minutes of midday sun exposure once per day is an excellent place to start. Then, if you want to slowly increase the frequency to 30 seconds per day, you can do so. 

However, don’t forget to use sunscreen on the healthy parts of your skin. That way, you only expose the affected areas. Additionally, if you get sunburnt, don’t continue to expose your skin to sunlight. And don’t replace this tip with a tanning bed, as these mostly emit UVA rays.