Protecting your child from psoriasis

It is estimated there are at least two hundred million psoriasis patients in the world. That’s 200,000,000 people, or approximately 3% of people around the world who have psoriasis, which is near the most common autoimmune skin disease in adults. [1].

Around half of the adult psoriasis patients had been reported to be sick in their childhood and they mostly fell ill around 10 years old [2, 3]

The onset of guttate psoriasis usually arises in the torso among children and the onset of the disease is often related to streptococcal infection of the upper respiratory tract, most commonly presenting itself as a sore throat.

These outbursts of psoriasis are not associated with gender any particular place on the globe, but rather with external factors that the children are exposed to. The external triggers that lead to the onset of psoriasis include:

the climate of the environment – dry cold weather will more likely to induce psoriasis
bacterial infection
trauma
mental pressure
genetic factors

Psoriasis incubates in the body before all other symptoms are seen on the skin. At the cellular level, the accumulation of inflammatory cells are headed by a large number of activated T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs) as well as plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DCs). These appear at the beginning of the disease. This is the reason why psoriasis is considered to be an autoimmune inflammatory disease which affects our body’s largest active immune organ, our skin.

The main characteristics of psoriasis are excessive skin which in medical terms is referred to as the proliferation of keratinocytes. As psoriasis establishes itself and progresses in the body, the disease may also involve many tissues in the muscles, joints, alimentary tract and even eyes [9].

While there is little we can do to change the genetic predisposition of children who are vulnerable to psoriasis, we can control the triggers and potentially mitigate psoriasis even before it appears on the skin after the inflammatory cells have accumulated. Here are some step to take to care for a child who is genetically exposed to psoriasis.

The climate

Dry cold weather is more likely to induce psoriasis. This has been researched, peer reviewed and experienced by many psoriasis sufferers to be true. It is possible to watch your skin crack open and for new spots to appear in the time it takes to drink a cup of hot chocolate. One of our articles talks about the value of ceramides in moisturising skin. Ceramides are lipids that help form a barrier on the skin so that it can retain its moisture. Ceramides also help the skin protect against environmental aggressors like irritants, and pollution. Without the proper balance of ceramides, the skin’s barrier can become compromised, leading to dryness, itching and irritation.

Many plant oils are a natural source of ceramide, and can be applied directly to the skin. If they are food grade oils then they are likely to be less complicated and cheaper than expensive over-the-counter creams. If the child has nut or gluten intolerances then please take care to avoid the plant of origin. Natural oils containing ceramide:

Safflower oil
Walnut oil
Hemp oil
Wheat germ oil
Corn oil
Almond oil
Rice Bran oil

Bacterial infection

Streptococcal infection often precedes an outbreak of psoriasis. This infection presents itself as a sore throat. Any parent or carer of school aged children understands the impossibility of avoiding bacterial, viral or fungal infections in children. We can however, boost their immune health with a healthy diet loaded with fresh foods, minimal meat or anything else that slows the flow of food from the input to the output end. This is because psoriasis is considered to be aggravated by perforation of the intestinal wall where particles of food leech into the circulatory system. Pay close attention to any unidentified food allergies the child may be susceptible to and avoid these foods.

Do you use antibacterial wash on your child?

We have colonies of microbiota in various areas of our skin that play an important role in maintaining the function of skin barrier to suit the regions of our body. This microbiota is an array of various microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and arthropods that colonise the human skin and together they form the skin microbiome.

Current research shows that the balance of the microbiome of psoriasis patients is different from healthy skin.

The overuse of antibacterial soaps and hand gels is one change we can make today towards restoring our skin microbiome to a healthier balance. Replacing antibacterial bodywash and handwash with a gentle product such as castile soap will not only prevent imbalance because of the death of many of the good bacteria, but also may be more effective for hygiene than antibacterial gels.

Trauma

All trauma in children needs to be addressed and supported as soon as possible. The end.

Left untreated, childhood traumas manifest to become adult problems and often lifelong diseases.

Practice compassion, keep an eagle eye out for any emotional stress you may not have been told about. Something as simple as letting the child give the problem to you through conversation or story telling is a huge relief for them.

Koebner phenomena is a result of physical trauma where psoriasis develops in areas where injury has occurred. This explains why many of us have psoriasis on our elbows and knees! Treating injury to minimise trauma by letting the immune response relax a little, can reduce the occurrence of psoriasis.

Mental pressure

Stress triggers psoriasis in children and in adults. A supportive and nurturing environment reduces the severity of psoriasis over the long term. Nurturing children to have self-confidence and teaching them to love and respect themselves will give them wings to soar through life. By treating children as we would want them to treat others, they will most likely receive the same back in reciprocation. Teaching children not to take anything personally teaches them that the way they are spoken to is a reflection of the way the speaker feels about themselves.

Getting young people started with these healthy habits can make a huge positive impact on their experience with psoriasis. The terrific news is that all of these strategies require no extra time, cost or effort from the carer!