Mild Psoriasis on Face
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition that can target any part of the body. There are several more common places that psoriasis will target, such as your scalp, back, or elbows, but there is one area in particular that is quite difficult to conceal: facial psoriasis, even mild psoriasis on the face.
What Causes Facial Psoriasis?
Although psoriasis is one of those conditions that is quite elusive and it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what causes it, there are some situations that can exacerbate a facial psoriasis flare-up. There is a suggestion that facial psoriasis may have genetic links, where perhaps someone in your family is a psoriasis sufferer and it has been passed to you. However, there are also environmental factors that can trigger a flare-up, such as injuries to the skin, experiencing stress and potentially even sensitivity to the sun.
What Does It Look Like?
So, how do you know it’s facial psoriasis you’re dealing with and not another type of rash? Research explains that facial psoriasis is likely to appear near the eyebrows, hairline, on the skin between the nose and upper lip, and on the upper forehead. It appears as an inflamed red rash, that looks dry, and can often scale. It can be quite painful and irritable.
How Psoriasis Affects Everyday Life
Mild facial psoriasis can feel like a much bigger problem than any other type of psoriasis to the person suffering from it. Most other types of psoriasis, such as scalp psoriasis or psoriasis that appears on the knees or elbows, can often be concealed by hair or clothing items. Facial psoriasis, however, is one type that can’t be easily concealed. This means it can often take a toll on a person’s emotional stability.
Many psoriasis sufferers would resonate with experiencing people’s insensitive comments and questions about their condition. It can knock your confidence when it feels like all people are noticing about you is psoriasis on your face. In fact, according to, psoriasis is something that can lead to anxiety and depression (and can also be caused by anxiety and depression).
One of the interesting things that psoriasis can do is affect the chemicals in your brain. Psoriasis causes your immune cells to produce cytokines, which can affect the chemicals in your brain in a negative manner. They can interact with chemicals like serotonin (often referred to as the happy chemical), and instead, lead to unhappiness and depression. Although there isn’t a cure, thankfully there are several treatment options to be able to minimize and control a mild facial psoriasis flare-up, which can often help alleviate the feelings of anxiety around experiencing psoriasis on the face.
What Are the Treatments?
First of all, it’s important to get advice from a doctor before you self-diagnose and self-treat. They’ll be able to advise the best options for you to try first, and based on your outcomes, they’ll know which combinations to tweak and try from there.
Steroid Ointments and Vitamin D Compounds
Options they may consider include topical treatments such as keratolytic agents, topical steroids and vitamin D compounds. The keratolytic agents can help control scaling. Topical steroids come in a range of strengths, and due to the sensitivity of facial skin, it’s likely that doctors will provide weak steroids for use on the face. The vitamin D compounds can also help reduce the thickness and scales of psoriasis flare-ups and can also be combined with ultraviolet (UV) light therapy, which, in some cases, can also help reduce the appearance of psoriasis.
Fish Oil and Vitamin Supplements
There are also a number of natural remedies available that you can use at home. One way is to up your vitamin intake to help ease psoriasis symptoms without having to apply ointments to your face (please check with your doctor first). Consider adding fish oil supplements to your diet, as well as vitamin D and aloe vera. On a similar note, take a look at your diet. There may be foods you can add or remove that may be having an impact on your psoriasis. For example, alcohol can trigger and exacerbate a flare-up so it’s a good idea to limit this. Adding foods known to reduce inflammation may be a good idea, such as fish, seeds and nuts.
Turmeric
Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and is a great herb to add to your diet. It can be taken in any form, whether it’s integrated in your meal, or whether you take it as a supplement. There are recommended limits per day, so be sure to check with your doctor to make sure you’re consuming an appropriate amount per day.
Coconut and Olive Oil
Explore facial treatments that use natural ingredients like coconut oil or olive oil. No matter which types of treatments you use (chemical or natural), it’s important to keep your skin moisturized. Keeping the skin softened will reduce the skin on your face from getting dry and cracking and hurting even more.
Overview
Whichever route you take to help minimize the effects of facial psoriasis on your everyday life, it is important to always discuss your options with your doctor first to be sure you’re on the right track. Remember, facial psoriasis does not define you and your character. Thankfully, flare-ups are temporary and can be managed. Explore your options and you’ll find the surefire pathway to stamp out a psoriasis flare-up when it occurs in the future.