When It Comes To Tanning, Is It A Good Treatment For Psoriasis?

Treatments For Psoriasis  

You have probably heard that ultraviolet (UV) light from phototherapy can help make it better if you have psoriasis. To get the same benefit, should you try tanning? Doctors warn as not so fast. 

It isn’t the best way to treat psoriasis as experts say tanning without a doctor’s supervision. As it could be risky, a trip to the beach or tanning salon may not clear up your skin. 

When you do it at your doctor’s office, phototherapy is safe and works well. During the treatment, they make sure you get the right amount and type of light and that the skin is protected. But only with your doctor’s OK you can also do phototherapy with a special light at home. 

Sunlight vs. Phototherapy

Releasing both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B light is the sun. 

Typically using UVB light is phototherapy. You need to take the drug psoralen first to make your skin more sensitive to the light as some phototherapy treatments use UVA light. You could get a severe sunburn if you use psoralen before you go into a tanning bed. 

Your immune system makes fewer cytokines which are the inflammatory proteins that trigger psoriasis flares when UVB light hits your skin. Here it thereby helps slow down the growth of skin cells. 

During the summer months when they are out in the sun a lot, some people notice that their skin clears up. Improving psoriasis, a little bit maybe the sun. The UVB rays of the sunlight don’t work as well on psoriasis just as the UVB rays from phototherapy overall. 

Especially if you have light hair and skin, too much time in the sun can give you a sunburn. Making your psoriasis even worse, skin damage from sunburn can cause more plaques to form. Called the Koebner phenomenon is the link between skin injuries and psoriasis flares. 

Tanning Beds

Tanning beds to treat psoriasis is not recommended by the National Psoriasis Foundation. 

Mainly releasing UVA light are tanning beds. As UVA light doesn’t work very well on its own, it won’t clear your psoriasis. 

Risks Of Tanning

Putting your skin in contact with UVA and UVB rays is tanning. Whereas it possible that both come to be harmful. 

Going more deeply into your skin than UVB rays are UVA rays. Also raising your risk for melanoma the deadliest type of skin cancer, they damage skin and make it more likely that your skin will age more quickly.

Especially in a tanning bed, the greater the odds you will get cancer as the more times you tan. 

Causing sunburns are UVB rays. Raising your risk for skin cancers is also this. 

Making you more likely to get a sunburn if you tan outside or in a tanning bed, are some of the medicines you take for psoriasis that include: 

Coal tar

Pimecrolimus (Elidel)

Tacrolimus (Protopic)

Tazarotene

Without first asking your doctor if it's safe for you, don’t tan. If you take the medicine that makes your skin more sensitive to the sun, definitely check with your doctor before you tan. 

Do it a little bit at a time is the safest way to get out in the sun. On your skin, get just 20 to 30 minutes a day of sunshine. 

Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with UVA/UVB protection and an SPF of 30 or higher when you do go outside. That which may be less irritating to your skin, look for a sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium oxide. 

How Do We Conclude On The Discussion? 

Psoriasis cannot be cured. So the phototherapy helps reduce the complications of this skin condition to a great extent. Always consult the doctor as self-medication could turn out to be dangerous. As the treatments include chemicals, any sensitivity to the medicines must be reported beforehand. The doctors can determine if the procedure could cause any side effects or an allergic reaction due to the medicines being taken by the patient. 

It is always advised to use clothing fit for the skin like natural fibres like cotton. They don’t irritate your skin and helps keep your skin cool and light. This is the main reason many people dress up in clothes that completely cover up their body like loose-fitting, full-sleeved shirts and trousers. 

So then now you know how to manage your skin condition. Don’t let psoriasis gain on your mental health. Take it in stride and you will be comfortable outside in the public.