Top Tips for Thanksgiving With Psoriasis
How many times have you noticed your psoriasis flare up during the holiday season? By carefully avoiding the triggers that come along with Thanksgiving that aggravate your symptoms, you can have a great, flare-up-free experience.
Prepare for Cold, Dry Weather
It’s winter time, and the weather is cool and maybe a bit dry, too. Your skin doesn’t like this sort of weather, and as a result flare-ups are more likely to occur. Keep your skin moist and try to avoid spending time outdoors. If you have to spend time outside, wear the right clothes – clothes can irritate the skin and cause itchiness, but wearing a layer of silk or soft cotton underneath your other garments can help to avoid this irritation.
If you are lucky enough to have some extra days off and the budget for it, why not consider visiting a warm place? Psoriasis tends to improve during the summer, because of the warm, humid weather.
Avoid Skin Injuries
Your skin also is sensitive to injuries and trauma, and flare-ups are possible after minor skin injuries such as bruises, cuts or bumps. This is known as Koebner phenomenon. Protect your hands with gloves and be careful when you’re are cooking, shopping or opening that bottle of beer or wine at the party.
De-Stress
Stress is one of the most common triggers of flare-ups and stress levels are higher during Thanksgiving. The best way to cope with this is to plan well in advance of Thanksgiving weekend. Make a list with everything you have to do – from grocery shopping to visiting friends and family.
Try to avoid rush hours and crowded places, and consider making some of your purchases online. Allow yourself some extra time to rest and relax, keep your visits reasonably short and don’t cut down on your sleep hours – the less you sleep one night, the more tired and stressed you will feel the next day.
Battle Infections
Avoid infections; they have also been linked with flare-ups. The weather is cooler and you will likely come in contact with more people over Thanksgiving – catching a cold, flu or another infection is easy. Keep your immune system strong by sleeping well, eating healthy, taking your multivitamins, exercising regularly and managing your stress.
Eat and Drink Carefully
Invited to a Thanksgiving event? Be careful how much you drink, as alcohol can increase your chances of a flare-up. Smoking (including second-hand smoke) is another psoriasis trigger. Avoid overeating or eating unhealthy food at an event by eating a little bit before the party (never go hungry!) and have a glass of water or tea when you arrive at your friends.
Choose green salads over fried vegetables, nuts and fruits over chocolate cakes, baked fish over fried red meat and so on. It’s ok to have some treats, but eat them in moderation - for example, if you see six or seven types of desserts, simply choose four of your favorite, and have a small piece of each.
Happy Thanksgiving!