Layers of skin are always dying, and the skin is always active in sloughing away the dead layers of skin so that the new skin can take its place. And this is process that is ongoing at all times and entirely beneficial in the big picture of skin health. With skin disorders like psoriasis or eczema the skin cells are multiplying much faster than they should, and this is what is behind the skin plaques that are so problematic for psoriasis sufferers. It would make sense that remove any dead skin might help, but does exfoliating make psoriasis worse? 

That’s what we’ll look at with this blog entry, and it’s something that needs to be considered because the torment that psoriasis sufferers go through is really quite something. The problem with exfoliating over psoriasis plaques is that the rough exterior of a loofah or whatever else you are using for skin exfoliation is going to be coming into contact with irritated skin that is very sensitive. Looking at should you exfoliate psoriasis it may be removing sloughed skin means the condition worsens because the skin is too raw to have an abrasive surface going across it.  

Many dermatologists will tell you that if you are going to exfoliate skin and you have psoriasis it’s likely you’re going to make the irritation worse if you don’t avoid the plaques. So the smart move might with does exfoliating make psoriasis worse is to make sure your loofah or other exfoliating tool doesn’t come into contact with affected skin. A big complaint that many psoriasis sufferers have is that the flakes of skin that come off from affected areas are a source of self-consciousness for them. 

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Exfoliating improperly can make psoriasis flare-ups worse, and as we’ve talked about here any type of exfoliation method that involves scrubbing the skin may make psoriasis worse. What those same dermatologists will also tell you is that if you don’t want to exfoliate with psoriasis it may be better to use a chemical exfoliant that contains any combination of salicylic acid, alpha hydroxy acids, polyhydroxy acids, tea tree oil, or urea. Often a salicylic soap can work perfectly well as a keratolytic agent and won’t contribute to does exfoliating make psoriasis worse. 

People may be experiencing psoriasis differently, and so there’s not going to be a uniform solution to the problem if exfoliating skin is making the skin condition worse for them. If using a topical retinoid medication is effective for treating psoriasis and reduced the severity of plaques then this may mean you can start exfoliating mechanically with the loofah or another type of skin brush. That’s by and large all there is to say related to does exfoliating make psoriasis worse. It can, but it really will depend on the individual.