Four Rs in Psoriasis: Remission, Relapse, Rebound, and Recovery

Psoriasis is a chronic condition usually characterized by itchiness and skin irritation, including red, scaly, or silvery patches. Any psoriatic patient can attest to how unpredictable cycles of psoriasis can be.

What most of us do not realize is that psoriasis is a lifelong illness.

The reality of psoriasis

Instead of focusing our energy on praying the illness away or experimenting with various methods to make it go away, we must find acceptance in our hearts, as early as now, that psoriasis is incurable.

As much as we want to fully heal and recover, we must always be reminded that although recovery seems impossible, being able to manage your illness is not. In this article, we aim to delve into the episodes of psoriasis comprised of remission, relapse, rebound, and recovery.

Remission

Remission takes place when psoriatic symptoms temporarily disappear for a brief amount of time. Since psoriasis is a chronic illness and is expected to come and go, one must always be reminded that seeking treatment may not totally cure your illness away. However, finding the proper treatment is helpful in attaining remission.

When remission takes place, that’s when it feels like you are taking your life back and having control over it again. It’s like finally having your normal self again. This is why it’s important to establish a healthy routine and lifestyle that works for you in order to avoid relapse.

Relapse

Psoriasis occurs in cycles, some unexpectedly come more than others. Whether it be a major or a minor flare-up, relapse takes place when psoriatic symptoms reoccur after attaining remission.

Most likely, this is caused by a trigger which can either be stress, food, lifestyle changes, or catching illnesses and infections that may affect the immune system.

Rebound

When in remission, you have a flare-up that is worse than what you had before. Such a cycle is known as a rebound. Aside from the causes previously mentioned, it can be triggered when treatment is discontinued immediately without tapering.

This way,  communicating with doctors and dermatologists in order to be guided on how to correctly stop treatments and medications is essential in order to assure that it doesn't gravely affect your progress.

Finding the proper treatment that works for you

In order to attain remission and avoid a relapse or, worse, a rebound, it is essential that you find the treatment that works for you. Almost all psoriatic patients spend most of their lives searching for the right treatment that would make all the symptoms go away. If not, at least something that would keep it under control.

We spend so much time trying to figure out how to make the pain more manageable. We experiment with so many tricks and remedies on how to make our days easier and our tasks lighter.

The never-ending road to recovery

The road to recovery seems long and never-ending since finally attaining remission will most likely be followed by another flare-up. This basically makes psoriasis a never-ending cycle of ups and downs.

However, what's important is that we find the courage to take it one step at a time.