Donate For AAD Members Search

Go to AAD Home

8 ways to stop baths and showers from worsening your psoriasis

Long hot showers can dry your skin

Long, hot showers and baths can dry your skin, which can cause psoriasis to flare.

Lady bathing

Psoriasis makes your skin dry and easily irritated. Baths and showers can increase the dryness and irritation. To avoid this, dermatologists recommend these eight tips.

  1. Take only one bath or shower a day.

  2. Limit your showers to 5 minutes and baths to 15 minutes or less.

  3. Use warm—NOT hot—water every time.

  4. Use a gentle, moisture-rich soap or cleanser made for sensitive skin. Deodorant soaps and scrubs are too harsh, so avoid them.

  5. Wash your skin very gently with your hands. Skip the loofah, buff puffs, and wash clothes, which can irritate your skin and cause psoriasis to flare.

  6. Rinse off the soap or cleanser gently but thoroughly.

  7. Dry your skin very gently by blotting water from your skin with a towel, but leave a bit of water on your skin so that it feels damp.

  8. Apply (gently) a fragrance-free moisturizer to all of your skin within five minutes of taking a shower or bath.

A thick cream or ointment works best. If that’s too heavy, a fragrance-free lotion is okay. Try to apply a thick cream or ointment before getting into bed.

Getty Images