![]() Quitting smoking is difficult - ask your doctor for help. Smoking can also cause permanent narrowing of the blood vessels, and cause or exacerbate lung problems. Nicotine causes blood vessels to contract, making Raynaud's disease worse. Avoid hot baths and showers and exposure to strong soaps and household chemicals, which can irritate and further dry out your skin. Take good care of dry or stiff skin by using lotion and sunscreen regularly. This is always very important, but especially early in the disease course. Range-of-motion exercises can help keep your skin and joints flexible. Exercise keeps your body flexible, improves circulation and relieves stiffness. You can take a number of steps to help manage your symptoms of scleroderma: If the lungs or kidneys have been severely damaged, organ transplants might be considered.Įxplore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition. Stem cell transplants might be an option for people who have severe symptoms that haven't responded to more-common treatments. Hand therapy may help prevent hand contractures. Physical or occupational therapists can help you improve your strength and mobility and maintain independence with daily tasks. If over-the-counter pain relievers don't help enough, your doctor might suggest prescription medications to control pain. Regular influenza and pneumonia vaccinations can help protect lungs that have been damaged by scleroderma. Cleaning and protection from the cold may help prevent infection of fingertip ulcers caused by Raynaud's disease. Antibiotics and medications that help move food through the intestines may help reduce bloating, diarrhea and constipation. Pills to reduce stomach acid can help relieve heartburn. Drugs that suppress the immune system, such as those taken after organ transplants, may help reduce progression of some scleroderma symptoms, such as the thickening of the skin or worsening of lung damage. Blood pressure medications that dilate blood vessels may help treat Raynaud's phenomenon. Medicationsīecause scleroderma can affect so many different parts of the body, the choice of medication will vary, depending on the symptoms. But a variety of treatments can help control symptoms and prevent complications. There is no treatment that can cure or stop the overproduction of collagen that is characteristic of scleroderma.
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