Introduction

Psoriasis is a pesky skin condition affecting millions in the United States and worldwide. Your skin cells go into overdrive, creating red, scaly patches that itch like crazy. It's not just a cosmetic issue – psoriasis can affect your daily life. But here's some good news: there are ways to manage it, and one surprising helper might be sitting in your medicine cabinet right now. Yep, we're talking about zinc! This mighty trace element could be a game-changer for people with this inflammatory skin disease. Zinc levels in your body, especially serum zinc, play a significant role in wound healing and managing skin diseases.

Understanding Psoriasis

Let's talk about psoriasis and what it looks like. It's a skin problem that sticks around for a long time and can appear differently. Here's a simple breakdown of the main types:

Plaque Psoriasis (The most common)

• You'll see red, scaly patches on your skin
• Your skin might crack and even bleed
• It can be itchy, burn, or feel sore
• Your nails might get thick or have little dents
• These patches can pop up anywhere, but they like knees and elbows

Guttate Psoriasis

• Think of small, red spots that look like drops
• They usually show up on your chest, arms, and legs
• Kids and young adults often get this type, especially after being sick

Inverse Psoriasis

• This one likes to hide in skin folds
• You'll see smooth, red patches in places like armpits or under breasts
• Sweating and rubbing make it worse

Pustular Psoriasis

• This type has white, pus-filled bumps surrounded by red skin
• It usually shows up on hands and feet
• If it's terrible, you might even get a fever or feel tired

Erythrodermic Psoriasis

• This is the scary one - it's rare but serious
• Your skin turns bright red all over
• It peels off in big sheets and itches like crazy
• If this happens, you need to see a doctor right away

Some people with psoriasis also get achy, stiff joints. That's called psoriatic arthritis.

Remember, psoriasis isn't just one thing. It can look different for everyone, so it's important to talk to a doctor if you're worried about your skin.

Causes and Triggers of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a long-term condition where your immune system messes up and attacks your skin. The exact reason this happens is still unknown, but doctors think genetics, immune system issues, and things around you cause it. Let's break it down:

Immune System Problems

• Autoimmune Response: Psoriasis happens when your immune system wrongly targets healthy skin cells, causing these cells to grow too fast. This creates thick, scaly patches on your skin.

Genetics

• Family History: If your parents have psoriasis, you’re more likely to get it too. Certain genes, like the PSORS1 gene, make you more prone to this condition.

Environmental Triggers

• Infections: Getting sick, like with strep throat, can start or worsen psoriasis, especially in young people.
• Skin Injuries: Getting cuts, burns, or bug bites can lead to a flare-up, known as the Koebner phenomenon.
• Stress: Being emotionally or physically stressed can trigger or worsen psoriasis.
• Weather: Cold, dry weather often worsens psoriasis, while warm, humid weather can help.
• Smoking and Alcohol: These can make psoriasis start or get worse, with smoking being a significant factor for plaque psoriasis.

Medications

Some medicines can kick off or worsen psoriasis, such as:

• Beta-blockers (for high blood pressure)
• Lithium (for mental health issues)
• Antimalarial drugs
• NSAIDs (like ibuprofen)

Obesity

Being overweight can increase your risk and severity of psoriasis. Extra fat can cause inflammation and worsening flare-ups, especially in skin folds.

Hormonal Changes

Big hormonal shifts, such as during puberty, pregnancy, or menopause, can bring on or worsen psoriasis.

Diet

Foods that cause inflammation, like processed and sugary foods, can trigger psoriasis flare-ups in some people.

Other Immune System Disorders

If you have other autoimmune conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease, you're more likely to develop psoriasis.

Understanding these factors can help manage and predict psoriasis flare-ups better.

The Role of Zinc in Managing Psoriasis

You might be wondering if there's a mineral that helps manage psoriasis. Good news—there is! Zinc can be beneficial because it has anti-inflammatory, immune-regulating, and skin-healing properties. It is essential in keeping our skin healthy and can even help with skin lesions. Some studies, including randomized controlled trials, have shown a significant difference in psoriasis symptoms when people take oral zinc supplementation. For severe psoriatic patients, doctors might recommend around 30-50 mg of elemental zinc daily. But it's not just about popping a pill—zinc levels in your body can be affected by things like bariatric surgery, alcohol consumption, and even environmental factors. A literature review found that low zinc might be a risk factor for psoriasis, and there's a statistically significant difference in serum levels between people with and without psoriasis. It's also worth noting that zinc works alongside other nutrients—for example, vitamin D deficiency and low levels of fish oil might increase your risk of psoriasis. While zinc isn't a cure-all (it won't help with rare conditions like acrodermatitis enteropathica, an autosomal recessive disorder), it could be a game-changer for the most common form of psoriasis. Here's how zinc works:

Fights Inflammation

Psoriasis leads to continuous inflammation. Zinc can help reduce this inflammation by calming the skin and minimizing redness, swelling, and irritation.

Supports the Immune System

Zinc is essential for keeping your immune system in check. Since psoriasis causes your immune system to attack healthy skin cells, maintaining healthy zinc levels can balance this response and lessen inflammation.

Repairs and Heals Skin

Zinc plays a key role in producing collagen and repairing tissues crucial for healthy skin. It speeds up the healing of damaged skin from psoriasis and improves skin recovery.

Zinc also helps the skin's barrier function, reducing water loss and shielding it from irritants that can worsen psoriasis.

Reduces Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress happens when there's an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants. This can worsen inflammation in psoriasis. Zinc is an antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals and protects skin cells from damage.

Prevents Infections

Psoriasis can cause scaling, cracking, and peeling, increasing the risk of infections. Zinc boosts the skin's natural defenses and helps prevent these infections, improving your symptoms.

So, zinc can indeed play a significant role in managing psoriasis.

Conclusion

Let's wrap this up by discussing how zinc could be a real helper for people dealing with psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disease. This simple mineral can significantly reduce inflammation, boost your immune function, help skin heal, and even fight infections. Managing psoriasis is tough, but adding zinc to your daily routine might make things easier. You can get zinc through food and dietary supplements, or you can even use it on your skin with products containing zinc pyrithione or zinc sulfate as active ingredients. Clinical studies have shown significant improvement in some psoriatic patients using zinc, especially those with severe psoriasis. It's important to note that zinc plays a role in more than just skin health - it's also linked to things like metabolic syndrome and even basal cell carcinoma. 

The best way to get more zinc is by trying our Upgraded Zinc supplement. But if you want to find out if you need more zinc, you can take a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) with us. Just click the link here to check your mineral levels.