Psoriasis symptoms are scaly and dried skin. Thus in order to care for the skin conditions, one must take action to ensure the skin is moist at all time to reduce the formation of flacky skin.
Natural Dead Sea Salt
Take frequent bath to help remove scales especially on the scalp and to make the skin damp. Try to avoid harsh soaps, use soap-substitutes that are milder for your skin.
Unprocess Coal Tar
Add over-the-counter tar solutions, bath oil, oatmeal, Epsom salts and Dead Sea salts to your bath.
Moisturizer
Use moisturizers after bathing and periodically during the day. These may not clear the psoriasis, but will help reduce itching and retain moisture in the skin. A simple yet effective way is to apply petroleum jelly on the affected area to keep the skin moist.
Petroleum Jelly
Other natural products you can try as moisturizers are aloe vera gel, jojoba oil, vitamin E oil or natural vegetable oils. They are a natural and relatively inexpensive way to moisturize the skin.
Aloe Vera
Jojoba Seed
Take Vitamin C (2,000 to 5,000 mg a day) in divided doses. It is necessary for immune system function and for formation of collagen and skin tissue.
Vitamin C
Follow a healthy diet and stay at the right weight. Being overweight may make psoriasis worse.
Decrease or eliminate red meat and dairy products. They contain arachidonic acid, a substance that can cause inflammation and, in turn, make your psoriasis lesions swollen and red.
According to oriental medicine, avoid strong aroma beans such as peanuts and the seeds of parkia speciosa (also known as “stink bean” in Asia) , seafoods such as prawns and chicken meat.
As psoriasis are also link to auto immune reactions, try to eliminate certain foods to find out which food that can cause your psoriasis symptoms to worsen. One methods is to totally exclude certain group of food (example: meat) and then re-introduce one food item at a time to find out which particular food in the group can cause a negative reaction to your psoriasis.
Parkia Speciosa
Parkia Speciosa seeds
It is unknown why many psoriasis patients symptoms reduces (some even cleared) after they stop consuming chicken meat. It could be due to the use of growth hormone in paultry farming although it is yet to proven clinically.
Chicken Farm
Natural sunlight has been shown to sigificantly improve, or clear, psoriasis. Get regular daily doses, but keep them short and avoid the sun from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when the rays are strongest.
Mild Sun Exposure
Keep a record of your outbreaks. Psoriasis typically flares up and then improves. Write down what you were doing, eating, or what was going on in your life at the time of a flare-up. Triggers to flare-ups include stress, tension, illness, sunburn, certain drugs and alcohol.
Drugs
Alcoholic Products
The above self care is for mild and moderate psoriasis. See your doctor if you have severe psoriasis or if self care measures are not helpful.