Bug Spray and Psoriasis

Living in the South, one thing that I dread is the bugs that come out in the summer. To make matters worse is the fact that we have gotten so much rain this spring.

Rain plus heat equals bugs and more bugs. There is no way someone like my husband or myself can be outside at night when all these bugs come out without protection.

Having psoriasis makes it hard to find something that will protect me without bothering my patches. If I didn't have psoriasis, it would not be a problem. I could use whatever bug spray there is and not think twice about it.

However, since I do have psoriasis I have to be careful. Needless to say, it is so frustrating to live every day having to think about your psoriasis and what could potentially affect it. It is the life we live with having psoriasis.

Dealing with mosquitoes in the warmer months

In Louisiana, we are known for our bugs. However, most people would think we are referring to mudbugs, crayfish, or craw-fish as they are more commonly called here. It is not these kinds of bugs that I am referring to.

The bug I am referring to is mosquitoes. We have two popular sayings here in Louisiana about mosquitoes. The first being that the mosquitoes are so big and numerous that they should be the state bird instead of the Pelican that currently sits on our flag.

The second saying is that the mosquitoes are so big here that they can carry you away. Remember about the rain and heat I talked about? The mosquitoes sure didn't need any extra help to become ginormous around here. It's no wonder there has to be thought given to needing bug spray here in Cajun Country.

Alcohol-based bug spray with psoriasis

Have you ever tried putting alcohol on your psoriasis? I did. It burnt so bad that I was nearly in tears. Having psoriasis covering 80% of my body when I was at my worst, it terrified me to put on bug spray.

All I could think about was the chemicals that go into bug spray getting into those open plaque areas. Turns out I had good reason to be terrified.

It was the alcohol experience all over again. It burned so bad. Do you know the worst thing about that? You cannot get it wiped off with a wet rag once it enters those areas.

All you can do is wait for the burn to be over. After this experience, any time someone would go to hand me a bottle of mosquito repellant I was quick to say no thank you. Then I would tell them my horror story.

My alternative to bug spray

My alternative was to find something that worked to repel the mosquitoes. I had to find an alternative to the bug spray. You definitely do not want to go unprotected.

Mosquitoes can carry diseases like the West Nile Virus to name one. I didn’t need to risk another potential disease on top of that. For me, the solution came when I tried Skin So Soft by Avon.

The best part was that I could use it without it burning. Not sure what makes it repel mosquitoes. All I know is it is worth its weight in gold to be able to protect myself and still enjoy being outside. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it is making my skin fill better either. I call that a win-win situation.

Do you use bug spray with psoriasis?

We would like for you to have your say about bug spray. Do you use it? If so, do you find that it burns?

How about those of you that do not use bug spray? What do you use instead?

Or are you one of those that once the bugs come out you make a point of being in the house? There are no right or wrong answers here. The only wrong one would be if you did not protect yourself at all. If you got a home remedy you use let us hear about that as well. The only ones hurt will be the mosquitoes.