Since the last blog post my psoriasis calmed down for a few months and has again had s major flare up, but during that time I took notes on changes to my lifestyle, diet and treatment to try and find things to avoid a flare up.
For those of you who don't know what scalp psoriasis is, it's like a much more severe, painful version of having dandruff. It can cause lumps, burning, itching, scales and flaking. In extreme cases it can cause hair loss. I actually lost 30% of my hair 3 years ago because of it.
Since then I've only dyed my hair twice and use next to no product in my hair or near my scalp to avoid irritation. Like I mentioned it cleared up for a few months and i picked up on a few things that helped.
TIPS FOR SOOTHING THE SCALP
- Dont use anything other than shampoo or your treatment on scalp.
- Wash your hair as often as possible (keeps irritation to a minimum)
- Blowdry your hair after washing. I find any moisture on my scalp causes lumps.
- Use a light hand when brushing to avoid scraping the scalp
- Dont tie your hair too tight
Whilst my scalp was much better, I've recently had a bad flare up again. To be honest, there was no one single thing that caused it but I have noticed some things that trigger it and wanted to share them for anyone else who is going through the same.
SCALP PSORIASIS TRIGGERS
- Having the cold or flu - Psoriasis is caused by autoimmune dysfunction which basically means your body struggles to fight off bugs and flu's going around. I find that when I have a cold or any sort of bug, my scalp really flares up.
- Change in diet - I'm not saying healthy eating helps, but having a consistent diet helps. I find if I change my diet, after a few days my scalp starts to react, but re-settles again after a few weeks of eating the same way.
- Stress. Goes without saying really, stress affects every part of our bodies and the scalp is no exception. If I'm stressed or agitated, I find it gets worse.
- Sweat. Anytime I exercise and get a bit sweaty, I do find that the heat and moisture on my scalp causes irritation so once you've exercised or feel a big sticky, I'd definitely recommend jumping in the shower or maybe just using the cool setting on your hairdryer over your head to take the heat out and dry up any excess moisture.
So there's my scalp psoriasis update. I've been full of the cold and had the flu twice in one month, I also changed my diet over christmas and was stressed. A losing combination for my scalp! I'll let you know if and when it settles down again..
Until then...
H x
