Did you know that sunlight has both benefits and risks when you have psoriasis? Learn how to enjoy the sun with psoriasis here.
Over eight million people in the United States have psoriasis. Worldwide, there are more than 125 million people that have this skin condition altogether!
Clearly, this is a common skin problem that affects diverse skin types every day. If you're someone that has psoriasis, you may be wondering how often you can go out into the sun with the summer months upon us.
What do sunlight and psoriasis have to do with each other? Can you go in the sun if you have an active psoriasis flareup? Can you enjoy being outside without worrying about your psoriasis?
Learn the answers to these questions and more below, and find out how to enjoy the sun with psoriasis.
Sunlight and Psoriasis: What Is the Relationship?
Psoriasis is a common skin condition that affects people all over the world, but how would sunlight or UV rays and psoriasis go together?
Psoriasis is a skin condition that happens when the immune system doesn't work in the way that it should. As a result, too many skin cells are produced in specific areas of the body that create scaly plaques or spots of itchy skin.
Some research suggests that UV rays have some immunosuppressive effects that help psoriasis symptoms. UVB rays are the main types of rays that may help the skin in this way. It may be able to slow the excessive skin cell growth in people with psoriasis, which will ease the inflammation and scaling in individuals that have this diagnosis.
Sunlight naturally provides us with a lot of vitamin D as well, which is crucial for many different bodily functions. Not getting enough vitamin D may make it more difficult for the body to keep the skin healthy on its own.
Do I Avoid Sunlight With Psoriasis?
There are risks to going into the sun when you have psoriasis, but that doesn't mean you have to avoid the sun altogether. This is true for any person, however, regardless of whether or not they have psoriasis.
A little bit of natural sunlight and sun exposure is a good thing for people that have psoriasis, as we mentioned previously, so you want to get a little sunlight if you are someone that has this condition. It can help you, in the long run, to make sure you have adequate vitamin D levels, but also that you're getting the little extra help that UVB rays may be able to provide in small doses.
Getting too much sun, however, will actually make your psoriasis worse. If you don't have an active flareup, it may cause a flareup to happen in the near future.
The secret is to find the perfect amount of sun for your skin. It is a good idea to increase exposure slowly to make sure that your skin is not having an adverse reaction. You will want to be sure that the areas of your skin without psoriasis are protected by sunscreen or additional clothing as well.
How to Enjoy the Sun With Psoriasis
To enjoy the sun with psoriasis, you should treat your skin as you normally would. Continue to use sunscreen and cover yourself with clothing and accessories to protect your skin.
As we mentioned, UVB rays can be great for your skin, but only in very small doses. If you get too much sun, you will end up with a sunburn, and a sunburn can not only trigger a psoriasis flareup, but it can also lead to skin cancer in later years if it happens too often.
This is why you have to be cautious whenever you're in the sun. Wearing protective clothing and keeping your skin safe with sunscreen are the best things that you can do whether you have a current flareup or not.
If you're taking care of your skin while you're in the sun, you shouldn't have any problems as a person with psoriasis spending time in the sun.
Sunlight as a Treatment for Psoriasis
For this treatment, you need to use sunscreen before going outside. If you don't have sunscreen, be sure that those areas are covered with BloqUV clothing.
To protect your skin with a sunlight treatment, you also need to make sure that all areas with psoriasis get the same amount of exposure to the sun. It's a good idea to start small with about five or 10 minutes of time in the sun around the middle of the day. Your body will be able to absorb the same amount of sunlight around the same time of day, which will help you track the effects more easily.
If you're already receiving phototherapy for your psoriasis, this is not a good idea for you to try. It's also important to work with a doctor before you try this treatment as you may need a more controlled type of UV exposure.
Now You Know How to Enjoy the Sun With Psoriasis
Learning how to enjoy the sun with psoriasis is a good idea if you've been diagnosed with this condition or you have other skin conditions that could be related to psoriasis.
You'll be able to spend time outside without feeling so concerned about whether or not your skin condition is going to get worse. In addition to that, you may even end up treating your psoriasis a little bit more with just the right amount of UV exposure!
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