alright, given the tanning question below, i can imagine the responses already. but still, i figured i'd ask! i've got psoraisis, not terrible by any means, but i really can't stand the medicated ointment i'm given to wear. for all you who have dealt with psoraisis, well, i haven't found a single damn thing that works against the rash besides this prescription cream. i really hate using it on my body. at any rate, what does help is sunshine. my dermo has a tanning bed in his office for use of psoraisis patients - sun is a known remedy. i've been out in the sun sometimes this summer, and i do feel better...i'm just thinking bout the winter. sun makes everything about me feel better. the dermo said that the uv rays might be the only other alternative. (oh, and i have heard that swimming in the dead sea helps to, but who can get to israel?) so i'm thinking about using a tanning bed, maybe once a week come fall. of course using spf lotion. the risks? are they many more than the regular sun? i really don't like the idea of these tanning beds, however, i really really don't like this nasty cream.
go ask a chinese doctor if they have a tea that's good for psoriasis. A friend of mine uses that and hasn't had a big outbreak since she started on it like three years ago. as for tanning beds, well, I think that in moderation they're fine. I'm probably going to have to use one during the winter too for SAD (seasonal affective disorder)... sometimes the benefits outweigh the risks
my boyfriend has psoriasis.. he used to have it really bad. i remember one time he did go to the tanning bed for a month, and his psoriasis was gone.. and then after he was done with the tanning bed he started taking these pills, i forget what they're called, methotrexate maybe? lol dont laugh if i'm wrong w/ that. but he hasnt had psoriasis in about a year.
Methotrexate will help skin diseases but it is basically chemotherapy in a pill. It will make your hair fall out, make you immune system nearly nonexistant, and can lead to many internal infections. This might sound kind of harsh, but my mom is on it and has had all of these side effects. The tanning beds can really help, but of course the sun damage is terrible. If you only had psoriasis in certain spots you can always put sunscreen on the rest of you except those spots. Yeah, you might get funny tan lines, but if you only go in for a short time maybe once a week it won't look weird. Avoid methotrexate if you can! In most cases dermotologists prescribe the right amount, but you don't want to mess around with it.
While I'm not an advocate of tanning beds, I think people freak out way too much over sun exposure. A little bit every day is natural and healthy. Given your case, I think using the tanning bed would be helpful. Hell of a lot better then some chemical cream, in my opinion.
all you have great points. no way am i using any more drugs. i've got a cream already, and it works, but i HATE using it. i follow the theory that 'if it says that you can't ingest it, you shouldn't put it on your body.' shit, i know that the chemicals from the cream don't just stay topical - they soak into my system. my psoraisis isn't so bad at all, and the cream works fine. i just hate it. i like the idea of the sun...but this artificial sun, i'm not so sure about. so i guess my question really is this: are tanning beds a lot worse for you than tanning outside naturally? my thought was to go to the tanning salon for apx. 10 minutes once a week. of course wearing sunscreen. are there a lot of other things goin on in the tanning bed that aren't found in the natural sun? or things lacking? i really don't know much about the tanning salon.
