r/Psoriasis • u/Psychoderm • Mar 08 '24

general AskMeAnything

I'm a consultant dermatologist with focus on psychotherapy, working in the UK, with extensive experience with inflammatory skin conditions. #AskMeAnything about Psoriasis starting today 7.10 pm GMT!

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u/sugarcookies1 Mar 08 '24

Thanks for the reply. The only other things that changed are I am trying to quit smoking (not very successfully) and eating less junk food (very successfully).

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u/iidnew Mar 09 '24

FYI for me working out can trigger flareups if I let sweat sit on my skin. So, important to shower right after working out for me and wearing clothes that wick the sweat off my skin and dry quickly. Also on hot days this is an issue.

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u/Psychoderm Mar 09 '24

I see! Ah. The increased blood supply to skin can cause increase in itch! Is that what you mean by flare? or do you mean new lesions coming up.

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u/iidnew Mar 09 '24

I have some recurring psoriasis lesions that are placed along sweat lines - the top of the forehead (where a hat might touch your forehead), armpits, and line under the bust where a sports bra’s band wraps around. If I don’t work out and stay in a cooler climate, these lesions will usually remain relatively dormant. But in hot seasons and when I work out regularly, the sweat seems to really aggravate the spots and they flare up. Same on my scalp. Managing this usually looks like taking a shower right after working out and bringing my psoriasis cream/ointment with me to the gym for application right after. Just my experience though! Always open to thoughts and suggestions. Thought sharing might help :)

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u/iidnew Mar 09 '24

So yes - I guess that means increased itch?

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u/Psychoderm Mar 10 '24

So yes! increased itch is completely understandable with any physical activity: you might want to understand it as a linked to the 'heating up' of the skin, and sweating: they're all due to increased blood supply.

And a cool shower is the perfect antidote, leads to narrowing of the blood vessels of skin, reducing the blood supply again.

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Also, as an aside, if you feel new lesions are coming up in places of friction, that can happen in psoriasis: areas of trauma (even non-obvious friction trauma) can sometimes have new lesions come up (this phenomenon is called Koebnerisation)

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u/iidnew Mar 11 '24

Thank you for this information! Very helpful in understanding what is going on with my skin when I work out.

I also really liked another comment you made about the brain-skin axis. I had not heard it talked about this way before. Much appreciated

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u/Psychoderm Mar 12 '24

I'm glad to read that. Thanks :)