For people with psoriasis — and there are plenty given that the skin condition affects more than eight million adults in the United States — managing flare-ups is a top priority.
In many people with psoriasis, winter is the tricky season to navigate thanks to drier and cooler air, but springtime can also have its challenges.
So, if your psoriasis routinely flares up during the spring, our team at Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center can help. Here, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Juan-Carlos Caballero takes a closer look at why this may happen, and what to do next.
If you’re reading this, we assume you know a bit about psoriasis, but we want to quickly review this common condition just in case you’re recently diagnosed.
There are different types of psoriasis, but we’re discussing the most common type: plaque psoriasis, which accounts for 80% to 90% of cases. With plaque psoriasis, your autoimmune system malfunctions and creates inflammation in your skin, which triggers a build up of cells that becomes evident on the skin surface.
Under normal circumstances, your skin cells turnover in about 30 days. With a psoriasis flare, skin cells turnover in three or four days, causing old and new skin cells to pile up on your skin and create psoriasis plaques.
Psoriasis has no cure, which makes management the key to navigating this common condition.
If your psoriasis tends to flare in the spring, there are several possible explanations, including:
More than 25% of adults in the U.S. have seasonal allergies and this number likely includes many people with psoriasis. While the two conditions are entirely separate, if pollen triggers your immune system, it can also trigger your psoriasis.
If winter doesn’t loosen its grip and we’re still experiencing cold, dry weather in the spring or you’re still firing up the dry heat inside the house, you may experience a psoriasis flare.
Going in the other direction, if we experience an unusually warm spring and you’re taking advantage and getting outside to exercise, the sweat and heat can lead to psoriasis flare-ups.
As you likely know, managing psoriasis triggers is one of the best lines of defense against flares. For example, if your psoriasis gets triggered by seasonal allergies, you might want to pay more attention to pollen counts and adjust your activities and time outside accordingly.
You should also make sure that your psoriasis toolkit is in order. There are many treatments that we can use to better manage flare-ups and the overall disease, such as:
To determine which tools you should have in your kit to manage springtime psoriasis flares, it’s a great idea to come in and go over your options with Dr. Caballero or a member of his expert team.
To set that in motion, call Warrenton Dermatology & Skin Therapy Center in Warrenton, Virginia, at 540-341-1900 today, or request an appointment online at your convenience.
