Psoriasis can be unpredictable. Even if you are taking all your medications correctly, you can experience unexpected flare-ups. The good news is, dietary changes, supplements, and alternative therapies can help improve the health of your skin and even reduce the risk of developing joint pain and other complications.
Vitamins and supplements in particular can help with the following, Verywell Health notes:
- Reduce inflammation
- Improve immune function
- Promote healthy skin
- Reduce nutritional deficiency
- Compensate for unbalanced dietary habits
Here are four vitamins that you should consider taking to help you combat your psoriasis symptoms.
Vitamin D & Psoriasis
If you have psoriasis, you may want to get your vitamin D levels checked.
Many dermatologists prescribe supplemental oral and topical vitamin D to treat nail and scalp psoriasis, flatten thick psoriasis patches, and slow skin cell growth to prevent itchy, scaly skin, according to Verywell Health.
New research suggests that blood levels of the so-called “sunshine vitamin” may affect the severity of your condition. In psoriasis, skin cells build up and form dry, itchy, sometimes painful patches.
For the study, researchers analyzed 491 cases in a U.S. national health and nutrition survey, including 162 from 2003 to 2006 and 329 from 2011 to 2014.
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Their analysis found that lower vitamin D levels and deficiency were significantly associated with more severe psoriasis.
Patients with the highest average vitamin D levels had the least amount of psoriasis-affected skin. Those who had the most affected area had the lowest average vitamin D levels.
The amount of vitamin D a person would need to consume isn’t clear.
“While we can’t talk about the optimal vitamin D intake, there are current recommendations regarding safe amounts of vitamin D supplementation to avoid toxicity,” Lim says. “People may want to speak to their doctors about starting vitamin D supplementation safely.”
There could also be other contributors to a person’s psoriasis. Skin pigment inhibits vitamin D synthesis, Lim says. And psoriasis affects