How to Take Care of Your Skin at Home

Psoriasis isn’t the kind of disease you can forget about between visits to the doctor’s office. This systemic illness waxes and wanes over a lifetime and requires different treatments at different times. When you do find a combination that works, sometimes it’s not for long.

“It often takes a long period of trial and error to find a treatment that will work for you,” says Nicora Gardner, health education manager at the National Psoriasis Foundation.

This is why it’s important to address psoriasis on many fronts—including at home. By supplementing prescription medication, injections, and creams with home treatments, you can help ease symptoms and have fewer outbreaks. Here are a few tools to add to your psoriasis tool kit:

Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
Doctors and patients agree that keeping your skin hydrated is a key to reducing itching and redness. “When used regularly, any moisturizing treatment will help remove scales and reduce thickness,” says Robert E. Kalb, MD, clinical associate professor of dermatology at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine in Buffalo, N.Y.

This is certainly true for Derrick Thompson, 49, from Fayetteville, N.C., who has had psoriasis for five years on his scalp and back. Immediately after showering, he slathers Vaseline on his back before putting on a soft cotton T-shirt. “That really stops the itching,” he says, enough so that Thompson, who runs a psoriasis support group, doesn’t think about his skin all day.

Since everybody has different results, no one product is right for everyone: “Whichever one works best for you is the best one,” says Steven Feldman, MD, PhD, professor of dermatology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The most important thing, Thompson says, is to avoid products that contain alcohol or are overly scented, which tend to dry and irritate the skin. Moisturize within a few minutes of getting out of the bath or shower to lock the moisture in.

Other ways to keep the skin moist include adding a few drops of oil to your bath, using only mild soaps and lotions, and carrying around a jar of your favorite moisturizer to apply throughout the day. Wearing soft clothing made of natural fibers also helps. (For more tips see our Psoriasis Skin-Care Product Guide.)