One of the forms of chronic non-infectious disease can be psoriasis on the hands. It causes a lot of inconvenience to a person. Due to the many plaques, it becomes more difficult for him to perform household chores. The patient develops self-doubt, in the context of which social isolation and renunciation develops. With this diagnosis, psoriatic rashes affect the fingers, palms, nails, and other areas of the hands. It is very difficult to cope with the disease on your own. If a person intends to recover, they should seek help from a qualified specialist.
Causes of occurrence
Doctors identify various reasons for the formation of psoriatic rashes on the hands. In each case, individual treatment is required. To correctly determine the treatment, the doctor must find out the factor that led to the activation of the autoimmune disease. The reason for the development of psoriasis on the hands may lie in the following conditions:
- Weakened immune system;
- Psycho-emotional overwork;
- Hereditary predisposition;
- Metabolic disorders;
- Bad nutrition
- Bad habits;
- Chronic skin diseases;
- Climate change;
- Intoxication of the body.
Psoriatic rashes on the hands are often caused by prolonged use of medications. If left untreated, plaque can spread to joints, shoulders, and other parts of the body.
Symptoms
To find out in what form psoriasis manifests itself on the hands, you need to look at the photos showing patients with this disease. Pictures in medical reference books and on topic sites can be used to compare with rashes on your body that are not natural. In addition, the disease can be recognized by its characteristic signs.
Symptoms of psoriasis on the hands are as follows:
- Redness of the skin of the upper limbs;
- Severe drought;
- Swelling and thickening of the layers of the skin;
- Cracking of the pustules formed;
- Pain in the affected area;
- Merger of simple rashes.
People who are predisposed to the disease absolutely need to know what psoriasis looks like. Then they will be able to identify it in a timely manner and begin treatment, without waiting for the growth of a pathological rash.
Stages of the disease
Psoriasis is much easier to cure in the early stages of spread. To understand how to beat psoriasis on the hands, you first need to know at what stage of development it is.
In total, there are 3 main phases in the development of psoriasis, which is localized in the area of the hands:
- Progressive. Small rashes begin to appear on healthy skin. They have pale scales in the center. Gradually, the rash develops, resulting in the formation of plaques;
- Stationary. The rash stops appearing. Their growth also stops. The surface affected by psoriasis begins to peel off;
- Regressive. The plates become flat, stop peeling off strongly, and gradually dissolve. No trace will remain on the skin where they were.
The condition of the skin and the presence of certain symptoms in the patient make it possible to calculate whether psoriasis belongs to one of the stages.
How to treat psoriasis on the hands
Psoriasis of the hands requires complex therapy. Most important is medication and topical treatment for the plaque. In addition, doctors recommend a series of physiotherapy procedures that have a positive effect on the condition of the skin.
Glucocorticoids
At the initial stage of psoriatic disease, which leads to the formation of plaques on the hands, the use of such funds is required:
- Salicylic ointment;
- Locally acting glucocorticoids;
- Fluorinated glucocorticoids;
With the drugs that belong to this group, you need to handle them very carefully. They are quite dangerous for health, as they can lead to serious complications and side effects. Sometimes, after stopping the drug, the disease worsens even more.
As a result of prolonged treatment with these agents, signs of discomfort may occur, manifested in the form of excessive hair growth and atrophy. Therefore, their use is only allowed after a doctor's prescription.
Calcipotriol
Psoriasis of the hands can be treated with medicines containing calcipotriol. The initial stage of the disease lends itself much better to such therapy. Although it is better to apply it in the later stages of development. Unlike previous drugs, products containing calcipotriol do not cause skin atrophy. They also do not have a cancellation effect.
Calcipotriol preparations should be used once a day. The daily norm of the substance should not exceed 15 g. The first results of treatment according to this scheme become noticeable for about 2 weeks. A course of medication using these funds should not last more than 2 months.
Tar and nafthalan preparations
Psoriasis, which has affected the area of the hands, fingers and palms, responds well to treatment with preparations containing tar and naphthalan. They are relatively safe for health and have a relatively low cost. Therefore, such treatment will be affordable for many patients.
When processing with tar and naphthalan, it is necessary to adhere to a number of rules. Doctors do not recommend using them in the fight against a disease that has spread to large areas of the skin. If you neglect these tips, you can improve the development of the pathological process. In addition, tar drugs can lead to complications of chronic diseases.
Psoriasis of the hands can be treated with injections of antihistamines. In addition, the introduction of sodium thiosulfate in the amount of 10 ml per day will not hurt. In such a volume, a 10% solution of calcium chloride is often prescribed. In addition, your doctor may prescribe sedative medications.
In the treatment of psoriatic rashes on the hands, it is customary to use gels. A positive result is obtained after applying the creams. Ointment therapy is no less effective. All of these drugs may contain hormones or be made from natural ingredients. Hormonal ointment for psoriasis on the hands is more often used for advanced disease. At first, you can get by with safer topical medications.
If necessary, doctors recommend that patients resort to more aggressive means that do not give the disease a chance. They are aromatic retinoids. One of the best of these is an aqueous gel at a concentration of 0. 05% or 0. 1%.
As auxiliary drugs are prescribed:
- TNF inhibitors;
- Keratolytic agents;
- Immunomodulators.
If the treatment works, the disease goes into remission. The patient ceased to be bothered by her symptoms until the next exacerbation. Preventive agents that maintain health in a normal state help to avoid further outbreaks of the pathological process.
Traditional treatment
In order to treat or prevent psoriasis on the hands, you can use products prepared according to recipes of folk medicine. With their help, it is impossible to cope with the disease. But they significantly improve the effect of drugs and physiotherapy procedures, which is also a significant advantage.
It is worth trying to overcome psoriatic with the help of the following folk remedies:
- Homemade ointment. It is prepared from celandine powder (1/2 teaspoon), baby cream (5 g) and chicken egg white. The resulting mixture should be applied to the skin of the hands about 3 times a day until the painful rashes disappear;
- Sea salt baths. This remedy is recommended for patients who develop late stage psoriasis;
- Natural oils. To hydrate dry skin, you need to use this particular product. Linseed, apricot, olive and sea buckthorn oils are perfect;
- Solid oil. This substance in its pure form should be applied to the affected areas of the hands every night before going to bed.
It is best to combine several home remedies with each other to speed up your recovery.
Herbal treatment
On the positive side, herbal medicine manifests itself. In psoriasis, it is irreplaceable. In order for herbs to help get rid of psoriatic plaques on the hands, you need to know exactly in what form and in what amount to apply them.
To eliminate the signs of psoriasis on the hands, you can use the following herbal remedies:
- Celandine. To treat painful rashes, you will need its juice. They should generously coat the plates, being careful not to touch healthy skin so as not to cause burns. The duration of such treatment should not exceed 3 months;
- Sunflower. With its help, medical compresses are made. You will need young baskets of the plant, which must be crushed. After that, water is added to the resulting mass. The finished compress is applied to the entire affected area. Sunflower will prevent the disease from spreading and relieve inflammation;
- A blend of chamomile, celandine, mint, lavender and linden. Medicinal broth is prepared from them, which is then added to the hand bath.
It is worth trying to prepare various decoctions and infusions from these herbs that can help eliminate pain symptoms. The most important thing is that the person is not allergic to the herbs they are using.
Homeopathy and psoriasis
Many patients treat psoriasis that has spread to the hands with homeopathic remedies. They are chosen based on a person's constitutional structure. This therapy helps to reconfigure the body and restore the disturbed balance in it.
It is customary to combine homeopathic medicines with organotropic type medicines. They are reflected in a particular way on the activity of internal organs and systems.
If you have any questions about choosing the right remedy, you should contact an experienced homeopath.
Prevention
Psoriasis of the hands can periodically improve and get worse. It is in the patient's best interest to keep the disease in remission for a longer period of time in order to prevent the appearance of plaques in various parts of the body in the near future. Preventive measures help to cope with this task:
- Care must be taken to keep the skin of the hands clean;
- You have to adhere to good nutrition and give up bad habits;
- It is necessary to periodically take vitamin complexes to strengthen the immune system;
- Do not expose your hands to chemicals.
If a person does not break these rules, psoriasis will not bother them for a long time.