Summer is the perfect time for days at the beach or at the pool. However, if your psoriatic plaques make you feel insecure about wearing a bathing suit, these activities can be far from relaxing.
“Exposing your rough, red patches of skin can be terrifying and phenomenally limiting in what you do outside,” says Richard Fried, MD, PhD. He is a dermatologist and clinical psychologist based in Yardley, PA.
It is common for you to worry about the complexion of your skin with psoriasis. In fact, studies show that the more severe your psoriasis, the worse your social anxiety can be.
“It’s a very common response and it’s completely understandable,” says John Koo, MD. He is co-director of the University of California San Francisco Psoriasis and Skin Treatment Center.
If you avoid the beach or pool, you are missing out on a source of physical and emotional wellbeing that you deserve. In addition, sunlight and swimming in moderation can help relieve psoriasis. So how do you get on the sand or deck chair? Start with your doctor.
“It might be good for doctors to build a patient relationship by asking more questions like: What do you think about showing your skin in public? About wearing a swimsuit to the beach? Do you have the same problems when you are with friends and family rather than strangers? ”Said Paul Benedetto, MD, a dermatologist with Cleveland Clinic Florida.
By examining your feelings about your skin exposure, you can begin.
Change your mindset
Koo says one way to change your thinking is to consider sunbathing as part of your psoriasis therapy, not a social outing.
“People automatically and instantly associate swimwear with looks,” he says. “Instead, think of the beach or pool as your therapy – the place where you get your skin treatment.”
Koo says this attitude adjustment often helps people feel more comfortable.
Another mindset to try is to start with a mental inventory of activities like beach and pool trips that you enjoyed prior to your psoriasis diagnosis.
“Often times, people have a kind of deer in the headlights that they haven’t done anything but worry about their psoriasis,” says Fried.
He says you can use this awareness as a starting point to ask yourself how willing you are to let other people’s opinions determine how you live your life.
It can also be easier to remember that most people on the beach are too busy with their own swimsuit to look at yours.
“When people find out that they really aren’t the focus, a big myth is shattered,” says Koo.
Escaping people’s attention
When adjusting posture on its own is not enough, there are steps you can take to avoid paying attention. Try to find a beach or pool that is under-used, suggests Koo.
“Going to a place where there are no people makes perfect sense,” he says.
But avoiding people by sunbathing early in the morning or late at night isn’t the answer. The ultraviolet rays that help relieve psoriatic inflammation are most plentiful around noon.
Recent research says that 20-40 minutes of unprotected sun during these times is helpful for psoriasis. You want to sunbathe in the hours when you gradually get a little sunburned. Fried recommends basking in the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
An important reminder: hiding your psoriasis behind loose-fitting, lightweight clothing on a crowded beach or pool can calm you down, but it also makes sun therapy difficult.
Keep focusing on the benefits
If you’re still looking for more reasons to step into your swimsuit, focus on a few key facts:
- The ultraviolet light from the sun helps treat psoriasis by penetrating your skin and slowing the growth of the affected cells.
- Swimming in salt water can help wash away dead skin and improve the appearance of psoriasis patches. However, since salt water can dry out your skin, be sure to rinse it off and then apply a moisturizer.
- A chlorinated pool can help relieve symptoms of psoriasis by reducing skin bacteria.
“There’s really no reason psoriasis patients shouldn’t do what everyone else is doing and go outside and show their skin,” says Koo.
Tips for webbed care
- Your body will get hotter and even sweat in water that is cool and refreshing to the touch. Drink fluids before and after you get in the water.
- Talk to your dermatologist about whether you should apply sunscreen to exposed skin even if psoriasis flares up. When doing this, use sunscreens that have “broad spectrum” on the label (protect against ultraviolet rays that can age or burn your skin), have a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher, and are fragrance-free and made for sensitive skin.
- Both salt water and chlorinated water can dry out your skin. Rinse off and use a moisturizer after swimming.
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