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Marie Jourdan (Dermatologist)
Viral publications on social networks extol the properties of remedies based on olive and nigella oils, supposedly able to “cure psoriasis”. What is it really? The answers of Marie Jourdan, dermatologist and member of the Doctissimo expert committee.
A chronic inflammatory disease of the skin, psoriasis affects between 1.5 and 3 million people in France. In an attempt to cure the disease, posts on social networks, including TikTok, extol the benefits of a rather special remedy.
A mixture of olive oil and black cumin oil
The vaunted remedy in question is an oil mixture, composed of 40% black cumin oil and the rest of olive oil. According to the video seen more than 30,000 times on TikTok, this would be a “radical” solution against psoriasis. Moreover, in the video, the woman even performs the treatment: “you mix well and you brush the whole head‘ can we hear him say.
In some posts on Facebook, it is even possible to buy this “Nigella cure” directly.
Is it really a “miracle” solution against psoriasis?
So what is it really? To decipher the true from the false, Doctissimo chose to interview Marie Jourdan, dermatologist member of the committee of experts of Doctissimo. It first explains:Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin. There is an acceleration of the renewal of skin cells, which causes an accumulation of dead skin, forming scales. By putting oil on it, or a mixture of oil, the scales will be masked, but this does not cure the disease“.
Effective treatments exist, at the dermatologist
The specialist continues:Putting this oil mixture on the skin can be dangerous for people who are potentially allergic to black cumin oil in particular. For the others, psoriasis being a chronic disease that alters the quality of life, we can’t blame them for trying to find solutions” she tempers, recalling that it is not a question of treatments strictly speaking but a means of temporarily masking the dander.
“When it comes to effective treatments for the disease, there are some. There are drugs with creams of course combining anti-inflammatory corticosteroids and vitamin D to dissolve scales, but also treatments with tablets and even for the most serious cases, injections of biotherapies. recalls Marie Jourdan.
Drug treatment is accompanied by more comprehensive care in order to limit stress, physical inactivity, smoking, obesity, all factors that aggravate psoriasis. “Therapeutic patient education can help limit flare-ups” adds the dermatologist. “Psoriasis is a skin disease that affects the quality of life of affected patients, some of whom have joint damage. There is no miracle in applying an oil to the scales, however it would be a shame not to inform about the large arsenal of drugs that has progressed in dermatology and which has proven its worth.” she concludes.