Psoriasis of the Face – Psoriasis on face – Treatment for facial, Hand and Nail psoriasis

It goes without saying that: a person with psoriasis of the face agonizes over two things: (1) he has psoriasis, and (2) it is highly visible. This, along with psoriasis of the nails, will send the sufferer on an urgent quest to get it corrected, if possible, at any cost. If the alternative route outlined in this book is taken long enough, chances are good that the psoriasis will clear up anywhere and everywhere. That includes the face and the nails. The following, however, should interest you.

Psoriasis and eczema patients can use plain soap and water or a good deodorant without any antiperspirant. This may also have an effect on psoriasis of the scalp.

First, apply lots of moisturiser because this will help keep the scaling under control as well as making your face more comfortable. A weak topical steroid will often help. Psoriasis on the hairline will respond to a weak coal tar preparation such as

Exorex, but it is best not to use this type on your face as it can cause discomfort. Tacalcitol (Curatoderm) and calcitriol (Silkis) are two of the vitamin D creams that are thought to be suitable for use on the face without too much irritation. Whichever treatment you use on your face, be very careful not to get it in your eyes. If the psoriasis on your face does not respond to either of these treatments, it is worth consulting your doctor again in case there is a fungal or yeast component to the psoriasis (known as seborrhoeic psoriasis). If this is the case, you will need an antifungal cream or perhaps an antifungal and steroid cream combined.

If you have tried the above treatments and they are not working, there are two further things that you might like to discuss with your doctor. The first is to consider using specialist camouflage make-up, which the Red Cross can teach you how to use. This service is provided free of charge, and your GP can refer you, although you will have to pay a prescription charge for the makeup. These techniques are very successful, and you may find that covering up your psoriasis in this way gives you the confidence to get out and about again.

Psoriasis on the Hands, the Feet, and, the Nails

1. Psoriasis on the hands, the feet, and the nails has long been recognized as one of the most treatment-resistant forms of the disease.

2. More demands are placed on the hands, the feet, and the nails than on any other pan of the human anatomy. To be afflicted with psoriasis on these areas can be more devastating than having it anywhere else on the body, except for the relatively rare instance when it appears on the face. This is true from a visual as well as a mechanical point of view with regard to the hands. The effects of weight bearing make lesions on the feet excruciatingly painful.

People with psoriasis on the hands are extremely self-conscious and do whatever they can to avoid exposing their hands during business or social engagements. True, psoriasis is not contagious, but how many people know that? Or even care? They look upon it as unsightly and possibly contagious, so the sufferer feels compelled to hide his hands as much as possible. In the case of psoriasis on the feet, even though the feet are not ordinarily exposed, the awkward, pained gait one assumes is a dead giveaway that all is not right.

The following measures are proven to be very effective for psoriasis of the hands and the feet:

1. Soak the hands or the feet in a comfortably hot Epsom salts bath, preferably in a home whirlpool, for twenty minutes.

2. Pat dry and immediately massage warm peanut oil (or a combination of peanut oil and olive’ oil) well into the hands or the lower limbs and the feet, whatever the case may be .. Castor oil can be used in the same way with equal effectiveness, as can Vaseline cocoa butter or coconut oil,

3. Place a small plastic bag over the hands or the feet after they have been massaged, and put on white gym socks. Or eliminate the bags and use only the gym socks. leave the socks on for at least thirty minutes or, better yet, overnight.

When the scales are very hard, sharp, and crusty on the sales and the heels of the feet, I have advised the following, with very gratifying results.

Necessary Items

• Epsom salts
• Peanut oil
• Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
• Castor oil
• Small plastic bags or cotton or disposable plastic gloves
• White gym socks

Procedure

l. Begin by bathing the hands or the feet in a comfortably hot Epsom salts bath, preferably in a whirlpool for fifteen to twenty minutes.
2. Massage warm peanut oil into the affected areas.
3. After the oil is absorbed, make a paste of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and castor oil and massage it into the affected
areas.
4. Place plastic bags over the feet, followed by white gym socks, and leave these on for at least one-half hour, or better yet,overnight. The same procedure applies to severely affected hands. For the hands, disposable plastic gloves may be used, if desired. Remember, the plastic bags may be eliminated in favor of using only the white gym socks for both the hands and the feet, after they have been massaged with the oils. The plastic wrap or plastic gloves may cause an irritation under the skin in both psoriasis and eczema cases because of the sweating it causes.

If the Epsom salts bath and/or the baking soda and castor oil mixture prove to be too irritating to open sores, wash the hands or the feet off in plain warm water and avoid using this procedure until the cracks and sores heal over. In such cases, my advice is to use only plain warm water in the whirlpool, followed by a massage with peanUt oil or castor oil only (without the baking soda), and then to cover with a bag and/or a sock. This is to be followed until the underlying sores and cracks are healed over.

When Washing Dishes

It is best to use rubber gloves when washing dishes. Contact with dishwashing or laundry detergent can cause fiery irritation in psoriatic or eczematous skin. Sometimes, however, the rubber gloves themselves can cause such irritation, even if they are on for only a few minutes, If this occurs, cotton gloves should be worn under the rubber gloves.

Nail Psoriasis

One of the most unsightly features of the disease is when it appears on the fingernails and the toenails. It could get so thick under the nails (hyperkeratosis) that the nail bed lifts the nail right off its foundation. Yet I have seen complete regeneration of the nails and the surrounding structures take place. Admittedly, they take much longer to heal than lesions elsewhere on the body. It may take six months for a fingernail to regenerate and as much as a year or longer for toenails. Nevertheless, it can be done, and it has been done.

To summarize, first be sure the condition is diagnosed by a dermatologist as psoriasis and is not a fungus, then:

1. Keep nails trimmed.
2. Follow the diet suggested here.
3. Take one packet of Knox unflavored gelatin (or agar agar, in the case of vegetarians) per day, in water, juice, or anything that will make it palatable.
4. Take omega-3 fish oil or flaxseed oil supplements each day, as directed on the label.
5. Soak the hands (and the feet, if toes are also involved) in a large basin filled with comfortably hot water for fifteen to twenty minutes. (A small, portable whirlpool bath is preferred to a basin.)
6. Dry the hands and the feet (if involved) and vigorously apply any of the following throughout each nail: castor oil, olive oilpeanut oil mixture, emu oil, Bag Balm, Vaseline, Aquaphore, or Aveeno lotion. Undoubtedly there are other products that can be effective, but these are the ones that I found work best.
7. Place a pair of white gym socks OVEr the hands or the feet and retire for the night. This is to be done about four times per week, but no more.
I have seen time and again that following these relatively simply rules can bring about incredible results. There are three key words to practice: patience, patience, patience!

To reiterate, all other things being equal-that is, diet, spinal adjustments, enemas, and so forth-the best external treatment for people with psoriasis on the hands and the feet is hot soaks in an Epsom salts bath or a home whirlpool for about fifteen to twenty minutes, followed by thorough massages with peanut oil, castor oil, an olive oil-peanut oil mixture, cocoa butter, or coconut oil applied deeply into the hands or from the knees down in involvement of the feet. Plastic bags may be placed over the area being treated, followed by white gym socks, and left on for at least thirty minutes, often overnight.

At first, these measures are carried out every night. After improvement takes place, treatment is cut back to three times per week, then to once a week, and is eventually eliminated altogether. In Cases of psoriatic arthritis , the hands and the feet are usually affected. The same treatment has proved equally beneficial in the vast majority of these cases but, invariably, more time is needed.

Tagged as: face, face psoriasis, hands, nail psoriasis