For years I would hear, “When you get pregnant, your psoriasis will go away”.

With one doctor even presenting the possibility that it may completely go into remission once I fell pregnant.

Unfortunately, these were neither the case for me and over the years I have seen many women share similar experiences to me. Typically when you fall pregnant there is a shift in your immune system that prevents your body from rejecting the baby.

So illnesses such as psoriasis and arthritis get better, while illnesses such as eczema, hayfever and sinusitis present. But for some, this isn’t always the case. The problem arises with the limited choice in psoriasis treatments made available for pregnant women. So, here are my tips that I found useful and I hope these tips can help you during your pregnancy, if a flare up was or has occur:

• Stick to an anti-inflammatory diet. Reducing the amount of inflammation in the body with what you eat, will reduce the amount of lesions on your skin.

• Sit in the sun early in the morning or late in the day. This is applicable to those who are enjoying a summer sun or perhaps live where the sun shines throughout the year.
  • If this isn’t possible, you could try UVB treatment from your dermatologist’s office. This is safe and if only used for a short period of time there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Research has identified PUVA as the reason for skin cancers and melanomas – although always be mindful of your moles or any lesions that don’t heal, and see your doctor immediately.

• Salt water baths are fantastic especially if you can’t get to the beach. A clean beach is always the best option. Sit in it for at least 30-40 minutes and if you have severe psoriasis it may be ideal to rinse afterwards as the salt can sometimes dry your skin and make the lesions worse.

• Moisturise the skin with coconut oil as this will also prevent stretch marks.

• For itchy skin – bath in oatmeal as this reduces the itch and redness in the skin.

• Supplements such as fish oils and zinc are ideal for pregnancy and helpful for psoriatic lesions.

• Manage stress with regular meditation and walks, especially either by the beach or at the park. Being around nature will improve mental clarity and improve your sense of wellbeing.

These tips are very gentle and will help heal the skin but if you need some professional assistance, there are many natural health practitioners such as acupuncturists, kinesiologists and osteopaths and the like, that can assist you in some way to help heal the body without the use of any harmful medicines.

If you have been pregnant and managed your psoriatic disease, share with us your tips that worked for you. If this has been useful for you, share this article amongst your friends as you never know when someone might be struggling with psoriasis in silence. Irene