Causes And Treatments Of Autoimmune Skin Conditions in Hamilton

You can learn a lot about your health from the skin, the largest organ in your body. You can get skin changes from many different autoimmune diseases, and they may be the first thing you notice. This article of our Hamilton compoduning pharmacy will look at why autoimmune disorders affect the skin, how you can treat them, and why they’re so painful.

What causes some autoimmune disorders to affect the skin?

Your skin makes up a huge part of your immune system. Cells in your body constantly communicate with each other, so it is constantly looking out for foreign invaders (like certain bacteria).

You might not notice the first signs of autoimmune disease on your skin. It’s no surprise that autoimmune diseases can affect your skin, caused when your immune system attacks normal tissue. Skin is sometimes all that’s affected by autoimmune diseases. Other parts of the body can be affected too.

Is there a rash associated with autoimmune disease?

Different autoimmune diseases can cause skin changes. Sometimes the symptoms are general. They’re more specific for a specific condition. You might see:

• Pink or red rash.
• Scaly patches
• Skin blisters that are either clear or filled with a milk fluid
• Itchy skin
• Open sores

You may need to see a dermatologist or healthcare provider specializing in the skin to get the right diagnosis. Your provider might do a skin biopsy, which involves removing a small piece of tissue. Below, we’ll talk about some common autoimmune skin changes.

How long do skin changes last?

It’s good to know that most autoimmune skin changes don’t last. Some do, though. Skin inflammation can leave scars or discoloration if it’s deep enough. Here are some examples:

The scars, discoloration, and hair loss caused by discoid lupus erythematosus are often permanent. In some cases of bullous pemphigoid, the skin or mucous membranes (like the mouth, eyes, and throat) might leave permanent scars. Conditions like morphea, psoriasis, and pemphigus can leave your skin discoloured even after the rash goes away. They’re usually temporary and fade over time.

What is the Treatment in Hamilton for Skin Conditions?

In autoimmune diseases, you’ve got to treat the underlying cause if you want to treat the skin. Medication usually works by lowering inflammation and immunity. You might be able to use medicated creams or lotions if just a small area of skin is affected. Usually, pills or shots are used for larger areas of skin or other organs. If you don’t want to use pills, you can ask a compounding pharmacy to change your formulation.

The following medications are often used in Hamilton for autoimmune diseases:

• You can treat most autoimmune diseases with corticosteroids. You can buy them as pills, as creams, or as injections.
• Rheumatrex (Methotrexate) lowers the immune system. It treats many autoimmune diseases, including lupus, dermatomyositis, psoriasis, and pemphigus.
• A pill called hydroxychloroquine is usually used for malaria, but it also helps with lupus.
• You can treat infections with dapsone, but it also treats dermatitis herpetiformis well.

Protection from the Sun

It is important to protect yourself from the sun when you suffer from autoimmune conditions like lupus and dermatomyositis. Whenever possible, wear sunscreen with at least SPF 30 to protect your skin from sun exposure.

UV light (phototherapy) is one treatment for psoriasis, an autoimmune disease. However, natural sunlight doesn’t always improve symptoms. Psoriasis patients should discuss treatment options with their healthcare providers.

Some medications can make you more sensitive to the sun if you have autoimmune diseases.

Are Over-the-Counter Treatments Any Good?

Depends on the situation. Over-the-counter products can help, but they aren’t always strong enough to use as your first line of defense. These products might help:

• The steroid cream hydrocortisone may help some mild rashes associated with autoimmune diseases.
• A combination of salicylic acid, urea, and coal tar can help treat psoriasis.
• Some rashes that itch can be soothed by calamine or menthol.

Talk to a Hamilton Compounding Pharmacist

Compounding your medications can ensure that you get exactly what you need for your skin condition. Sometimes the products available in the market don’t do the trick. They are either too strong or not strong enough. A compounding pharmacist can ensure that your medication contains all the ingredients in the quantity you need.

Also, you can ask your compounding pharmacist of a Hamilton compoduning pharmacy to mix multiple ingredients into a single dose, so you don’t have to take multiple medications at a time.