Radon baths: benefits, indications and contraindications

The role of skin care during illness

With psoriasis, accelerated renewal of the upper layer of skin is observed. Normally, epidermal cells form within 3-4 weeks, but in case of illness this process is reduced to 4-7 days[2]. As a result, the skin loses elasticity and becomes dry and sensitive. Characteristic psoriatic plaques appear on the surface of the body. A person is bothered by itching in the affected areas.

Proper skin care helps:

• eliminate discomfort - relieve itching, burning;
• protect the skin from the addition of a secondary infection that provokes complications;
• accelerate the healing of plaques;
• soothe irritated skin.

Healthy lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle is one of the fundamental factors that influence the well-being of the skin. It is important to have a good daily routine, including getting enough sleep. Doctors advise getting out into nature more often, getting fresh air, going to the sea, resorts, and sanatoriums. Physical activity allows you to restore a healthy state of the body, which is the main factor in preventing disease. Sports activities are excellent, especially fitness and swimming. This set of measures allows you to strengthen the immune system, as well as eliminate nervous tension.

Hygiene rules for psoriasis

You can't do without regular cleansing. Water treatments help get rid of external impurities and excess sebum. On the other hand, prolonged contact with water during the acute phase can worsen the skin condition. The plaques become soft, grow, and their area increases[3].

To avoid worsening, you should refrain from taking a bath and spend no more than 5-10 minutes in the shower. The water temperature should be average - no higher than 37-38 degrees. Hard sponges cannot be used. Mechanical impact can injure the skin, which leads to the appearance of new lesions.

Particular attention is paid to the choice of detergents. Key criteria:

• neutral pH level;
• no fragrance;
• homogeneous texture without abrasive particles;
• minimal amount (or complete absence)

Do not rub your skin after a shower. Such tactics will only increase irritation. It is better to gently blot areas with plaques with a soft towel.

With psoriasis, it is extremely important to keep your hands clean to protect yourself from introducing pathogenic bacteria to the affected skin. To avoid scratching, it is better to cut your nails short. If the plate itself is damaged, you should stop polishing or applying varnish.

Proper nutrition and diet

Nutrition plays a vital role in preventing the development of almost all chronic diseases, psoriasis and its prevention is no exception. There are some diet plans that can produce positive results, such as the Pegano diet, but the essence is the same and involves eliminating harmful substances. It is because of the negative impact of food that relapses occur. This is justified by the fact that liver damage in psoriasis is a characteristic course of the disease. 1. Avoid fried, spicy, salty and pickled foods at all. Also exclude canned food; semi-finished products can be consumed in small quantities, but only homemade. Eat perishable foods with caution. All this worsens the process of food processing in the gastrointestinal tract; 2. You cannot eat citrus fruits, as they are considered highly allergenic fruits. Citrus fruits also contain colchicine, which destroys folic acid, which in turn is one of the important components of skin regeneration; 3. It is not recommended to eat corn; 4. Relapses are possible due to bananas, mangoes and strawberries; 5. It is forbidden to eat sweets, as well as flour products; 6. Eating potatoes is acceptable, but the quantity should be greatly reduced. This is due to the high potassium content. By reacting with sodium, they have an antagonistic effect on calcium. Calcium is important for eliminating the inflammatory response; 7. Fatty meats should be minimized; these primarily include pork and lamb. Replace with more dietary varieties of meat; 8. Highly allergenic foods are considered: eggs, tomatoes, coffee, chocolate, honey, and mushrooms; 9. Dairy products are healthy because they contain a lot of protein and fat. It is recommended to include cottage cheese, milk, fermented baked milk and cheese in the diet. Thanks to the most important amino acids, the course of biochemical reactions throughout the body is normalized. At the same time, the high calcium content helps eliminate inflammation, as well as allergic manifestations; 10. Treatment and prevention of psoriasis responds well to eating foods of plant origin, such as vegetables, fruits and herbs. However, they should be eaten raw. Carrots have beneficial properties thanks to vitamin A. This component leads to the normalization of metabolism in the skin and helps to perform faster regeneration; 11. The diet should include porridge every day. The most useful cereals are: wheat, oatmeal and buckwheat; 12. For the fastest treatment of psoriasis, you need to drink a lot of fluids, this includes juices, water, including mineral water, teas, etc.; 13. If you have intolerance, prevent the consumption of allergens. This nuance is determined with the help of the attending physician.

Skin care cosmetics

1. Moisturizing. Such products protect the skin from excessive dryness, fight flaking and a feeling of tightness, and restore comfort. For psoriasis, you can use emollients - special pharmaceutical products with a complex effect. They deliver water to the deep layers of the skin, restore the lipid barrier and promote damage healing.
2. Exfoliating (keratolytics). These products soften plaques and promote healthy skin. The composition may include urea, lactic acid, salicylic acid.

For psoriasis, it is useful to use skincare products containing vitamin D3[4]. This substance helps suppress inflammation and strengthen the skin barrier. Another form, vitamin D2, is synthesized inside the body under the influence of UV rays. The compound also accelerates healing, so experts recommend taking short (no more than 15-20 minutes) sunbathing for psoriasis. Despite the benefits of tanning, you should not ignore products with an SPF filter. They protect sensitive skin from burns, which in psoriasis are no less dangerous than mechanical damage.

Natural healing factors used

The main directions of sanatorium-resort treatment of psoriasis are balneotherapy, mud therapy and naftalan therapy. We propose to consider in detail the contribution of each of these factors.

Balneotherapy

In balneotherapy, sulfide, iodine-bromine, radon, nitrogen-siliceous and sodium chloride waters are used. Among hydropathic procedures, doctors most often prescribe general and local baths, irrigations and showers based on the above-mentioned mineral waters. These procedures affect the entire body as a whole, in particular influencing the course of dermatological diseases.

Hydrogen sulfide waters have a good anti-inflammatory, trophic and resorption effect, restore the skin by normalizing its blood supply. Treatment with hydrogen sulfide waters is especially effective for dermatological diseases characterized by keratinization of cells, an example of which is psoriasis. Contraindications to the use of hydrogen sulfide waters are general contraindications to hydrotherapy: kidney disease, hepatitis, cirrhosis. Among the resorts that actively use hydrogen sulfide waters in the treatment of psoriasis are Pyatigorsk and Smrdaki.

Balneotherapeutic procedures using carbonic water have a massaging effect due to the release of air bubbles, and micromassage of this kind stimulates capillary blood flow. Carbon dioxide affects skin receptors and the autonomic nervous system in such a way that the active formation of such important organic compounds as serotonin, histamine, acetylcholine and cholinesterase begins. Carbon dioxide baths are very useful for patients with psoriasis who have concomitant diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

Medicines for psoriasis

You cannot get rid of the disease, but its course can be controlled. External medications[5] will help with this. Therapeutic creams and ointments relieve itching, trigger epidermal regeneration, and suppress inflammation. Experts recommend the use of complex-action drugs containing several active components at once [6].

A universal assistant for psoriasis - Akriderm SK. It contains two components: betamethasone and salicylic acid[7]. This composition provides a comprehensive effect. The product penetrates to the source of inflammation, promotes the healing of psoriatic plaques and eliminates the symptoms of psoriasis - itching, burning, redness, swelling. It helps fight pathogenic flora on the surface of the skin, which can help reduce the risk of relapse and secondary infection. This is how it differs from monocomponent analogues. In addition, the drug is well tolerated and causes virtually no side effects [8].

An exacerbation of psoriasis is accompanied by discomfort, but unpleasant symptoms can be avoided if you carefully care for your skin during periods of remission. It is important to avoid mechanical damage, protect yourself from sunburn, regularly use moisturizers, and in case of relapses, use topical medications prescribed by a specialist.

The doctor's consultation

My name is Elena Khorosheva, I am the chief doctor of sanatoriums.com, a pediatrician, physiotherapist and balneologist, candidate of medical sciences, practicing since 2004.
I personally visit the resorts presented on our website, communicate with doctors and study the treatment facilities of sanatoriums and spa hotels in order to give you the most comprehensive and useful advice!

Presentation by doctor Elena Khorosheva

Elena Khorosheva

Chief physician sanatoriums.com
From other countries +420355455981

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Cloth

Such a factor as high-quality and suitable clothing is one of the principles of preventing psoriasis or its relapse. It is recommended to use soft fabric clothing made from natural materials, preferably in a light color. This will avoid injury to the plaques and reduce pain on the skin. A light color will help make silver scales less noticeable. Linen, cotton and other soft fabrics are optimal for bed linen. You should avoid wearing woolen sweaters and similar irritating materials.

Herbal bath

To achieve optimal therapeutic effects, you can add water with sea salt and decoctions of medicinal herbs, which have a positive effect on the epidermis affected by the disease.

Pine decoction

The needles have the following effect:

• anti-inflammatory;
• bactericidal;
• calming;

To make a decoction, the following manipulations should be carried out:

1. Take freshly cut pine needle branches.
2. Add 3 liters of boiling water to the pan.
3. Leave for 3-4 hours.
4. The infusion is carefully poured into the bath along with a small amount of salt. To improve sleep, it is recommended to carry out the procedure in the evening.

Herbal infusion

Medicinal herbs have a wound-healing and anti-inflammatory effect on the epidermis. For the decoction you will need the following plants:

• mint;
• series;
• chamomile;
• birch buds;
• yarrow.

All ingredients should be taken in a 1:1 ratio. They should be placed in a saucepan and brought to a boil. Add the decoction to a bath with pre-dissolved sea salt.

You should take a bath with this decoction for no longer than 10 minutes.

Sage bath

Sage is considered one of the most effective herbs for skin ailments. The plant has the following effects:

• astringent;
• antimicrobial;
• anti-inflammatory.

The product is prepared according to the following scheme:

1. Take 100 g of dried leaves.
2. Pour a liter of boiling water over them.
3. Leave for 24 hours.
4. The finished infusion is poured into bathing water. To enhance the healing effect, it is recommended to add sea salt.

Contraindications for use

Hydrogen sulfide baths for psoriasis are a full-fledged medical procedure, which has its contraindications. Sulfide baths are prohibited when:

• acute rheumatism;
• arrhythmias and heart defects;
• coronary heart disease and angina pectoris;
• bronchial asthma;
• peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
• hyperthyroidism (thyrotoxicosis);
• malignant tumors;
• severe pathologies of the liver and kidneys;
• mental illnesses.

For atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction and aneurysm, a doctor’s consultation is required before attending the procedure.

Sources

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• RahimZahedi M., Torabizadeh C., Najafi Kalyani M., Moayedi SA. The Relationship between Spiritual Well-Being and Resilience in Patients with Psoriasis. // Dermatol Res Pract - 2022 - Vol2021 - NNULL - p.8852730; PMID:33854545
• Haftek M., Roy DC., Liao IC. ARTICLE: Evolution of Skin Barrier Science for Healthy and Compromised Skin. // J Drugs Dermatol - 2021 - Vol20 - N4 - p.s3-s9; PMID:33852254
• Svedbom A., Mallbris L., Larsson P., Nikamo P., Wolk K., Kjellman P., Sonkoly E., Eidsmo L., Lindqvist U., Ståhle M. Long-term Outcomes and Prognosis in New-Onset Psoriasis . // JAMA Dermatol - 2022 - Vol - NNULL - p.; PMID:33851956
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