Psoriasis

Clothing

Choosing the right clothing can help to avoid skin irritations. Natural materials such as cotton or linen textiles or modern, soft fibres should primarily be worn. It is more important, however, to ensure that the clothing does not rub against the skin, or exert pressure on it. New psoriasis focal points could form at these places.

Discoloration of clothing with Dithranol

• Dirty laundry is best treated with a conventional liquid washing powder, if necessary by adding a stain remover. To enhance the effect, the agent should be applied directly to the discoloration. White cotton clothing can be treated with bleaching agents.
• To avoid discolorations, the application should be done in the evening if possible and clothing that is already 'written off' should be worn.

Diet

• The topic of diet in connection with psoriasis is a controversial one. A psoriasis diet has no scientific basis. So as not to put too much of a strain on your body, you should, however, precisely monitor whether special foods make the psoriasis worse. Otherwise, a balanced diet is recommended. It is a fact that alcohol and being overweight are unfavourable factors.

Job

• Generally, there is no demonstrable link in most cases between a certain occupational activity and the start of psoriasis. The diseases also usually do not occur until the persons affected have started work. In the choice of profession, however, the workplace conditions must be taken into consideration. These include e.g.:
  
  • Heat/dirt (gas furnaces, iron processing, smithy)
  • Constant rubbing, chafing, the effects of cold and water (building industry, professions with very close-fitting occupational clothing)
  • Intensive contact with chemicals, cleaning products (hairdressers) .

Psyche

• Stress and dissatisfaction can make psoriasis worse. That is why methods for relaxation such as e.g. autogenous training are often used.
• It is important for a balanced psyche to speak openly with other people about the skin disease. It helps to know that others suffer from similar problems. An open discussion contributes to gaining a better acceptance of yourself and encourages you to forge new paths. A first step towards this can be making contact with a patient group near you. There are now also many Internet forums in which you can make contact with other people with the same problem (e.g. on the website of the Psoriasis Network)