What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is considered a chronic autoimmune skin condition that causes a rapid build up of skin cells, resulting in inflamed, flaky patches on the surface of the skin. Typical psoriatic scales are silvery-white and these develop over thick, red patches which can often crack and bleed. Patches most commonly appear close to the joints - elbows, knees, knuckles etc. But psoriasis can in fact manifest anywhere on the skin's surface, including the scalp. 3% of the world's populations battles psoriasis, and variants of the disease are split into five common types; guttate, plaque, pustular, inverse and erythrodermic. 

How is psoriasis treated?

Common medical prescriptions for mild cases of psoriasis might include steroid creams, topical emollients, thick aqueous creams, vitamin d lotion, coal tar shampoos or light treatment. Whilst in more serious cases, immunosuppressant medication or biologics would be proposed by a dermatologist. Whilst these treatments can offer relief from symptoms, they often come with serious side effects and unfortunately none of them offer a long-term cure. 

How does my psoriasis treatment differ?

Rather than consider psoriasis a skin disease, I'm going to ask you to change the way you think about this condition. I believe psoriasis is a gut problem, the symptoms of which manifest on the surface of our skin. Think of the skin as a very visible barometer of our internal digestive health. Whilst doctors have denied this theory for a long time, scientific specialists are finally acknowledging the importance of the gut microbiome when it comes to skin conditions. A recent study by Doctor P Haines Ely even explores the theory that psoriasis is a bowel disease. When we change our way of thinking, we can also change the way in which we treat our skin .. and that begins within. The results I share on my Instagram page are from people following the 28 day plan in my best selling book Radiant. I believe a dietary and lifestyle approach combined with soothing, botanical topicals to be a gentle way of naturally treating our skin from within.