Keep away acne this summer

Sun exposure and excessive heat in summer causes more sweating, skin burns, inflammation, tanning and sebum secretion. This in turn will induce acne due to deposition of excess sebum on skin, blocking of skin pores, adhesion of acne causing microbes.

Follow the tips to protect your skin this summer:                       

• Cover your skin as much as possible
• Use umbrella and sunglasses that protect against UV rays.
• Wear cotton dress and avoid tight dresses
• Reduce sun exposure during the times when the sun is at its strongest
• Select your sunscreen carefully. Choose a non-comedogenic, water-based, non-oily quality sun screeners

Apart from these, to keep acne away this summer, follow the below mentioned tips:

Maintain a healthy skin care regimen!

·         Cleanse your skin twice a day (morning and night) with cold water using a cleanser that is gentle and suited to your skin type. 

·         Avoid rubbing your skin when cleansing  and gently tap it dry with a soft towel.

• Drink lots of water to keep your skin well-hydrated and healthy.
• Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in the form of salads and fresh juices( Ideally without sugar)
• Avoid eating oily and sugary foods which may cause build up of sebum in the skin

Don’t prick your pimple!

·         Pimples and blackheads shouldn’t be pricked, scratched or pierced. Popping a pimple leads to inflammation and the spread of germs on neighbouring skin.

·         Moreover, pricking pimples increases the risk of scarring.

Summer Skin and Hyperpigmentation

 Those first few days of sunny weather might be great news for your social calendar but not so much for your skin, especially if uneven pigmentation, dark spots, melasma or dry skin are already a concern. Hyper-pigmentation and skin dryness  worsen during the summer months.

Sun exposure triggers the production of skin pigment, melanin. Along with that, excessive heat  triggers skin dryness and inflammation. Therefore, your sunscreen may not be able to protect you fully and you need a moisturizer as well.

How to manage?

• Wearing a high factor sun screen  lotion with high SPF (15 and more)
• Using light water based moisturisers and  creams with in built sun protection
• Covering your skin including face, arms and legs, when you are out
• Incorporate a daily skincare routine that will leave your skin feeling healthy and rejuvenated.
• Correct course of treatment from a specialist skin care clinic

Taking these simple steps can really help you go a long way in managing your skin pigmentation this summer.

Impact of Psoriasis on Quality of Life of Psoriatic Patients

Psoriasis has an influence on many spheres of patient's life. It influences the mental image the patients have of themselves, indirectly shapes their personality traits as well as it defines the quality of their lives.

Various factors may contribute to the lower quality of life of patients with psoriasis. The chronic nature of the disease and the lack of control over unexpected outbreaks of the symptoms are among the most bothersome aspects of psoriasis.

Numerous studies have shown that psoriatic patients experience more anxiety and depression symptoms in comparison to general population. Thus psoriasis affects patients’ social life and their daily activities.

Treatment of psoriasis, as it may be associated with risk for adverse effects, is also an important component of the quality of life of psoriasis patients. Disease-specific measures may be sensitive enough to detect and quantify small changes that are important to clinicians and patients.

In order to achieve treatment success, it is important to improve patients’ compliance and it is in the hand of the dermatologists who should develop greater insight into the lives of psoriasis patients and also their relatives as psoriasis does not just affect the quality of life of patients alone but it also affect the interpersonal relationships and may also give rise to issues related to the practical care of the patients.

Skincare For Psoriasis

Treating psoriasis is tricky enough on its own 

Put Together a Skincare Routine for Psoriasis

•  Do not do anything to irritate your skin, as this will only make matters worse.
•  Avoid using harsh cleansers, abrasive  scrubs, hot water bath
• Stop using fragranced products, whether the scent is synthetic or natural. This will       go a long way toward improving how your skin looks and feels.
• Use of moisturizer lotion, creams can help you out in preventing extreme dryness.

If you are using a prescription retinoid product to combat the symptoms of psoriasis, topical medications, such as a vitamin D, cortisone, coal-tar, or an over-the-counter or prescription retinoid product, apply them before your sunscreen during the day and before your moisturizer at night. And always pay close attention to how your skin responds. Retinoid are potent and you never want to tip the scales in favor of irritation.

Topical prescription treatments to control the symptoms of psoriasis can be worked into your routine, as directed by your doctor, and you shouldn’t experience any compatibility issues by adding such products to your usual skincare routine.

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Severe Psoriasis - Managing a flare-up

Psoriasis is one of the most baffling and persistent of skin disorders. It's characterized by skin cells that multiply up to 10 times faster than normal. As underlying cells reach the skin's surface and die, their sheer volume causes raised, red plaques covered with white scales.

Most common symptoms of plaque psoriasis include:

• red, raised, inflamed patches of skin
• silver-white scales or plaques on the red patches
• dry skin that may crack and bleed
• soreness around patches
• itching and burning sensations around patches
• thick, pitted nails
• painful, swollen joints

Taking your medication as directed by your doctor is the first step in preventing psoriasis flare-ups. But you can do other things to minimize symptoms and get relief quickly.

Keep Your Skin Moisturized

Keeping your skin lubricated with oils, creams and ointments can go a long way in preventing or worsening dry, itchy skin caused by a psoriasis flare-up. It can also help reduce redness and heal the skin, making your flare-up easier to manage.

Stay on Top of Scalp Irritation and Itching

Try to resist the urge to scratch or rub your scalp during a flare-up. Use of gentle moisturizer soap and shampoo can be helpful for avoid scratching the scalp.

Avoid Stress

Psoriasis and stress are intricately linked. Although psoriasis is a genetic condition, environmental triggers such as a stressful life event often trigger it, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. And having psoriasis is stressful in itself, which can trigger future flare-ups. Oral medication that can help you manage stress and anxiety and also corrects the imbalance in thermoregulation due to poor cutaneous barrier effect can be the drug of choice.

Eat a Nutritious Diet

Nutritional supplements or foods containing omega-3 fatty acids may also help with your psoriasis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to a decrease in inflammation.

Cutaneous Fungal Infections- How to treat them and Why?

Cutaneous fungal infections involve the skin, hair, and nails. The cutaneous mycoses are mainly caused by dermatophytes (such as Trichophyton sp., Microsporum sp. and Epidermophyton sp.) or by Candida sp. 

The desquamated stratum corneum (top layer of skin) cells form an ideal substrate for these fungi to colonise and multiply. 

The common symptoms are

• Peeling, cracking, and scaling
• Redness, blisters or softening and   breaking down of the skin
• Itching, burning or both
• Hypopigmentation

Therefore to treat cutaneous fungal infection, a topical therapy which 

• has antifungal activity and treat the infection
• removes the stratum corneum cells and nullify the fungal adhesion
• helps in reducing the associated problems and has no side effect can be effective.   

The incidence of cutaneous mycoses and the resistance to the antifungal agents  is growing in an alarming proportion all over the world. 

Hence, a new treatment approach with broad range of activity is obviously required to reduce the incidence of fungal infection sooner than ever.

Our Experts Advice to use:- JRK's Anti-Fungal Cream

Scalp psoriasis

Scalp psoriasis is a common skin disorder that makes raised, reddish, often scaly patches. It can pop up as a single patch or several, and can even affect the entire scalp. It can also spread to the forehead, the back of neck or behind ears.  It causes severe itching and discomfort.

WHAT HAPPENS IN SCALP PSORIASIS?

• Occurs when the immune system sends faulty signals and scalp cells grow too quickly.
• Causes a silvery sheen and dry scales .
• Can be very mild, with slight, fine scaling.
• Can also be very severe with thick, crusted plaques covering the entire scalp.

WHOM DOES IT AFFECT?

• 50% of people who have psoriasis have it on their scalp too.
• Normally develops between the ages of 15-20 years or later between 50-60 years.
• Around 75% of patients are affected before the age of 40.

SOLUTION FOR SCALP PSORIASIS

Special medicated oils containing Wrightia tinctoria ( proven to be effective in the treatment of psoriasis) as a herbal ingredient can be applied on the scalp and can then be given sun exposure for five to ten minutes to get faster relief from psoriatic symptoms like excessive scaling of scalp cells.

Medicated herbal shampoos prescribed for scalp psoriasis can then be used to exfoliate the dead scalp scales and remove the sebum. They also give the additional benefit of making the hair soft, smooth and lustrous.