Seasons Are A Changing (& So Is My Psoriasis Skin)

For many of you, the end of winter is in sight. The snow is melting and spring blossoms are bursting to find the light. This is almost certainly met with a sigh of relief from most of you, as warmer days mean less pain and spring means more sunlight. If you are lucky, it means clearer skin too.

Falling in to psoriasis skin

Happier moods and easier pain management are hopefully on their way to you. On my side of the world, summer is starting to draw to an end. I have been blessed enough to have enjoyed almost 3 months of just about all clear skin.

Autumn is upon us in Africa, and like the leaves of the trees, I am too am starting to get my autumn colors in varying shades of pink and red.

It's about to go down

Why does my skin get triggered by the seasons changing? I mean does a broadcast message go out that alerts my body that it is about to go down? Less sunlight, the days are certainly shorter and the intensity of the UV is surely not what it was in summer.

I have heard some chatter that the air is drier this time of year and that it causes us the aggravation and itch which also triggers a flare-up. We are yet to discover what mystery it is that truly causes our psoriasis to act up when the seasons change. If only it was just the skin that misbehaved.

Well hello there

Within the space of about a week, everything has changed for me again. Besides that this change is expected, I just never feel fully prepared for it, as if it sneaks up on me every year. The last few days have seen some big changes, I have sprouted about 40 new baby psoriasis spots.

One real mean plaque on my arm is burning and itching like a hellfire. The rest are widespread on my legs, arms, and back. My nails have gotten dramatically worse too, pitted and lifting as if they are part of the local weightlifter's team. My pain levels are certainly higher than they were a few weeks ago, sleeping is becoming harder to come by and pain is becoming harder to manage.

Year over year

Try as I may, there seems to be no way for me to prevent this flare and winter aggravation. Every year it seems to come a little earlier and over the years I guess I have made my peace with it.

My game plan for the coming season? I would be lying if I said I had one set for the coming months. I am going to wing it and try some new products this year too. Maybe it is time for a change. One thing I know for sure,  moisturizing is high up on my list.