Home Remedies for Psoriasis

Although there isn‘t a 100% cure for psoriasis, there are a lot of small and simple things you can do at home to prevent relapses as much as you can and to make your life much easier. These home remedies for psoriasis are simple yet most of the time effective. However, please keep in mind that the following should not be considered as medical advice. You should always consult your doctor when you need any suggestions or have any questions to ask.

Psoriasis is caused by the human immune system that sends erroneous signs to fasten skin cell regeneration. The resulting dead skin cell groups appear as white scales on red skin and are generally known as skin scales.

These white scales are normally the symptoms of the most common type of psoriasis: Plaque Psoriasis. In plaque psoriasis, the scales generally appear at joints including knees and elbows; however, some patients also have scales on their hands, scalps, soles and genitals (mostly males).

Genetics play a major role in psoriasis as the disease is generally passed down through generations. Young adults are most susceptible to develop psoriasis, but the skin condition can happen regardless of age and sex. Some male patients also develop skin lesions on their genitals.

To learn more about psoriasis, you can check our what is psoriasis page. It is important to understand the causes before deciding on any treatment for psoriasis.

Home Remedies for Psoriasis: The Basics

Prognosis is that psoriasis is a lifelong condition, and the treatments and home remedies for psoriasis are currently aimed to soothe the symptoms and prevent any infection on affected areas.

The main types of treatments are divided in two groups: topical and systemic. In some cases additional types of treatment like photo therapy, natural remedies, alternative methods and home remedies for psoriasis can be used with a certain degree of success.

Different types of treatment are suggested/applied depending on the level of severity. Topical medications like ointments are used for mild psoriasis, while moderate and severe cases of psoriasis are generally treated with photo therapy and pills and injections respectively. Unfortunately, home remedies for psoriasis are not good enough for severe cases.

There are also alternative therapy options which generally include natural treatments and diets.

Infection helps psoriasis spread, so you have to make sure you prevent it by keeping the skin around the scaly area clean at all times. This is the first step you have to take to fight psoriasis. In addition, keeping the skin moisturized by both taking baths and using moisturizers will make the scales much softer, and allow any medications or ultraviolet light to penetrate the skin; this will make them much more effective. The thick scales prevent medications from being absorbed into the skin, and greatly reduce their efficiency.

But as it is the case with all home remedies for psoriasis, you have to be careful with baths, as too much water will reduce the oil from the skin. We need oil to keep the moisture in; so you can use emollients after the baths to preserve the amount of oil present in your skin. Also you must avoid injuries to the skin as these are well known to trigger psoriasis outbreaks too.

You should also try and humidify your house as dry ambient does not help with psoriasis. It dries and makes the skin more prone to cracks, triggering more outbreaks. Also harsh soaps irritate the skin; therefore you should always go for mild soaps or even soap-free cleaners to prevent this effect.

Free Home Remedies for Psoriasis

Here are a few natural psoriasis treatments that can help alleviate psoriasis symptoms by removing dead skin in affected areas and also improve your immune system:

  • Olive oil
  • Aloe vera gel
  • Dead sea salts: Dead sea salt is known to have some effect as a natural psoriasis treatment with temporary effect, meaning the psoriasis in the affected areas can go away for a while but then come back.
  • Cod liver oil
  • Tea tree oil
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Epsom salt baths
  • Bitter gourd juice
  • Salt water bath and sea water bath
  • Wheat germ oil

You can obtain most of these natural psoriasis treatments and home remedies for psoriasis from any health food store.

Home remedies for psoriasis are not meant to be and should not be considered as cures. They merely help to soften the condition and to prevent further outbreaks. In any case, you should always be in touch with your physician to get the best treatment you can.