Psoriasis is a non-infectious chronic skin disease that manifests itself in the form of peeling and rashes on the skin. It is characterized by an undulating course, with stages of remissions (improvements) and stages of exacerbations. The disease can develop at any age, but most often psoriasis affects young people. Fortunately, there are many ways to treat psoriasis on the legs and arms.
Reasons
Today in medicine there is no unambiguous position regarding the etiology of psoriasis. The main generally accepted reasons for the development of this pathology are considered to be, firstly, the proliferation of skin cells due to disturbances in their development and, secondly, changes in the functioning of the human immune system that affect the process of regeneration of the skin.
The following causes and factors can provoke the manifestation of psoriasis:
- Heredity. If the parents had a history of skin diseases, then the person may begenetically predisposed to the manifestation of similar problems, including psoriasis.
- Stressful situations and neuropsychiatric overload. As a rule, nervous overexcitation and emotional upheavals have a negative impact on the process of skin regeneration, and are accompanied by itching for an hour.
- Disruptions in the hormonal system and diseases associated with metabolic disorders.
- The negative impact of skin care products that led to excessive dryness of the skin.
- Post-traumatic lesions of the skin on the legs.
Stages
The disease gradually develops, increasing in size and increasing the intensity of the affected skin of the feet. So, the signs of foot psoriasis differ depending on its form. How to treat psoriasis on the legs also depends on the stage of the disease.
Initial stage
Pimples with redness and clearly defined contours pour out on the skin of the feet. From above they are covered with scales, itching appears. Single red spots may form, which after a while can peel off and dry out.
Dermatologists divide the initial stage of this disease into 2 groups:
- 1 type affects people due to their genetic predisposition - in about 60% of cases, patients have relatives (up to 4 generations) suffering from this disease. The treatment of hereditary psoriasis is quite lengthy and requires the use of drugs to prevent the spread of plaque from the feet to other areas of the body.
- 2 type is an acquired form of psoriasis that develops due to an unhe althy lifestyle. People over 40 years of age who are malnourished, drink alcohol, work in hazardous industries, or have experienced severe stress are susceptible to defeat. In this case, the initial stage proceeds quite sharply. After about a month, the hips and knees begin to be affected.
Progressive stage
At this stage, there are new, rather profuse in size rashes, located around the rash that arose earlier. Often they merge into groups.
Peeling is manifested mainly in the center of the rash. It is characterized by itching and a possible increase in body temperature. In most cases, this stage lasts 16-30 days. Nails can darken and fade, become ribbed and porous. When touching the affected areas of the skin, painful sensations occur.
Acute stage
At this stage of the disease, rashes appear when the skin of the feet is damaged - scratches, scratching, burns, injections and cuts. Old formations peel off, joints and hips swell.
Stationary stage
Affected skin is exfoliated, peeling and itching are reduced, new inflammations do not appear, the inflammatory process subsides. There is less pigmentation. The edges of the papule have keratinization, which reaches about 5 mm in diameter.
Regressing stage
Disappearance is typical for a disease at this stageinflammatory foci. The plaques are compared with the skin of the feet, they decrease in size, and may even disappear completely, the edges of psoriatic plaques have a white border. Usually, the patient's condition improves as the sun's rays hit the skin during the day.
In addition to external changes, with psoriasis of the feet, a person experiences discomfort - dryness, irritation, itching and swelling of the skin of the feet. The disease is characterized by the appearance of plaques that are denser in texture, which leads to the appearance of painful cracks.
After some time, when the remission phase passes, the patient may again experience symptoms of the disease. Psoriasis of the legs is fraught with exacerbations, in which the disease requires a long and rather complicated treatment.
Treatment
An experienced specialist should choose a method of treating psoriasis on the legs, taking into account the patient's condition, the stage of the disease and the individual characteristics of the patient. So how to treat psoriasis on the feet? Ointments in this case are an indispensable substance.
First symptoms
To treat the disease at this stage, ointments with anti-inflammatory and keratolytic effects are used, which renew the skin and promote its regeneration.
The average severity of this disease is expressed by severe peeling and the appearance of plaques. Treatment is carried out with means containing glucocorticoids. It also shows the use of emollient ointments that reduce the process of inflammation and swelling of the tissues of the legs.
In a severe form of the disease, complex treatment is necessary forthe following medications:
- immunostimulants;
- hormonal ointments;
- physiotherapy;
- antibacterial and antifungal agents.
If the patient has severe psoriasis, there is a risk of re-infection on the skin, so doctors recommend using antimycotic ointments to prevent the development of the fungus.
Moderate symptoms
How to treat psoriasis on the feet? If the symptoms are moderate, the following ointments are indicated:
- salicylic;
- with the addition of grease;
- tar;
- zinc.
These drugs have a rather powerful pronounced keratolytic effect, contributing to accelerated skin renewal.
Zinc and salicylic ointments are powerful antiseptics that significantly reduce the inflammatory process. An ointment with birch tar is also effective, which prevents the fungus from developing further, while reducing peeling and softening the top layer of the skin. Ointments with the addition of grease help reduce swelling and itching, effectively softening and moisturizing the skin, quickly restoring the epidermis of the skin of the legs.
Intense expression
How to treat psoriasis on the soles of the feet? If the symptoms of psoriasis are more pronounced, and large plaques form on the feet, the use of hormonal glucocorticoid ointments is indicated.
They relieve inflammation, reduce swelling of the epidermis and eliminate itching, preventing nail damage andjoints. It is very important that the choice of hormonal ointments is carried out exclusively by a doctor, since many of them have some unpleasant side effects and contraindications.
This type of remedy is used to treat acute forms of psoriasis, and for a short time. Then apply emollients and exfoliators. Preparations with the addition of coal tar prevent the growth of psoriasis plaques, while stopping the process of keratinization of the skin and reducing the number of papules.
To exfoliate existing scales, you can use salicylic acid, which not only cleanses the skin of the feet, but also makes it he althier.
Preventive drugs
Often people are interested in how to treat psoriasis on the legs as a preventive measure.
For this, antimycotics are prescribed ("Lamisil", "Clotrimazole") and "Levomekol" to prevent the appearance of a bacterial lesion.
The choice of medicines should be made by a doctor, after assessing the risk of infection of the epidermis.
Also, patients can be prescribed retinoids in the form of tablets, which reduce the severity of symptoms and prevent the progression of this disease. The use of sedatives (best of all herbal) preparations, vitamin complexes and immunostimulants is also shown.
Equally effective are physiotherapeutic methods that accelerate the regeneration of the skin of the feet and reduce symptoms. For psoriasis, laser therapy, light therapy, cryotherapy and ultraviolet irradiation are used.
The treatment of psoriasis is preferably performed in a complex manner, following some simple rules. In particular, you need to monitor the hygiene of the feet, do not overdry the skin, using special moisturizing therapeutic soaps and gels to wash them.
The risk of re-infection of the skin of the feet is increased by excessive sweating of the feet, for which additional drugs that reduce sweating should be used. But it should be borne in mind that such products can dry the skin somewhat, so you need to be careful with them.
Folk preparations
Talking about how to treat psoriasis on the legs, one cannot fail to mention folk remedies.
A variety of components are used. Each person can choose the most optimal remedy for his case. An ointment with the addition of burdock herb and sea buckthorn oil is very effective.
Equally important in the treatment of foot psoriasis is diet. It is known that the use of strong alcohol and smoking can provoke a relapse and a significant deterioration in the patient's condition.
Timely and correct treatment, observance of elementary and simple rules of foot skin hygiene will help to avoid the progression of psoriasis and the appearance of other, no less unpleasant symptoms and complications.
