What Should I Look For In Psoriasis Shampoo?

If you have problems with psoriasis on your scalp, you either have tried, or you want to try, various types of shampoos designed to help with the psoriasis. And there are many over the counter shampoos that should help with psoriasis to some degree or another. There may also be herbal shampoos which can help with psoriasis as well.

Psoriasis is a non contagious but chronic skin condition that millions of American people suffer from. In fact, it's estimated that four to seven million people are diagnosed with psoriasis each year. Psoriasis itself is not actually a disease however, instead it's a result of something else being wrong inside your body.

Most medical specialists and research scientists feel that psoriasis is a side effect of your body's own immune system over reacting to some stimulus. They call these stimuli "triggers", because these events are known to trigger new flare ups of psoriasis skin problems. Commonly known psoriasis triggers include severe infections, acute illness, and even inordinate amounts of stress.

When these triggers occur, the body produces skin cells at a much faster rate. Presumably it's doing this to try and either rid itself of harmful toxins, or protect itself from something. The human body uses the skin in both ways: It produces sweat and skin cells to carry bad things out of the body, and it covers the body to provide protection. When psoriasis occurs, the body starts pushing new skin cells to the surface in just a few days, whereas normal skin cell growth and regeneration takes approximately thirty days to reach the surface. Since the new skin cells are reaching the surface much faster than normal, the existing surface skin is not yet ready to be shed, thus there is an overabundance of skin cells built up on the surface, and these patches are what is known as psoriasis.

In about 80% of psoriasis cases, the problem spots tend to be on the elbows, knees, and on the scalp. And the most common manifestation of psoriasis involves patches of dry, white, scaly flakes of skin. Because of this, scalp psoriasis can resemble dandruff or cradle cap.

Good psoriasis shampoos often have similar ingredients to dandruff shampoos. Salicylic acid for instance, is commonly found in any good dandruff shampoo, and you'll often find it in a good psoriasis shampoo as well. Shampoos which have added zinc work well as psoriasis shampoo, and some alternative health specialists feel that a lack of zinc in the body can be a contributing factor to the development of psoriasis.

Other good psoriasis shampoos usually include coal tar, which is a common topical treatment for most types of psoriasis, and can work as an exfoliant to loosen the psoriasis scales on your scalp. You can also get psoriasis shampoos by prescription from your doctor or dermatologist.

Whether you're using prescription or over the counter psoriasis shampoo though, it's usually advisable to leave it on for several minutes while in the shower. This allows the shampoo to penetrate the psoriasis scales and perhaps soften them up a bit as well.

There aren't many herbal remedies to use as topical applications for psoriasis because most of them are designed to be used internally. Aloe vera however, has been known to soften psoriasis scales and help relieve itching. So choosing a psoriasis shampoo with aloe vera in it might be helpful as well.