Psoriasis is still pretty misunderstood.
Heres what four people with psoriasis wish everyone knew about the condition.
Psoriasis is an autoimmune diseaseits not due to poor hygiene, and its not contagious.
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Anautoimmune diseaseis a condition in which your bodys immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells, theU.S.
National Library of Medicine explains.
Different autoimmune conditions affect different types of cells in the body.
In psoriasis, the skin cells are targeted.
As with many other autoimmune conditions, experts are still trying to pinpoint what exactly causes psoriasis.
But researchers are still trying to figure out what, exactly, is going on when someone develops psoriasis.
That rises to around 50% if both parents have it.
But some people do get psoriasis with no family history.
What we do know: The way a person takes care of themselves cant cause psoriasis.
Nor can what they put on their skin.
Its also not contagious.
Its an autoimmune skin condition.
She often explains more details about the condition, because she wants to help people understand what it is.
The pain and discomfort can be unrelenting.
I pretty much am always aware of it, she says.
She is, unfortunately, not alone.
The most common form of psoriasis is plaque psoriasis, theMayo Clinic explains.
It causes inflamed, raised skin lesions that are sometimes covered with scales.
These lesions are known as plaques.
They can also get really dry, and crack and bleed.
Rubbing, either of the skin-on-skin variety or from clothing, can exacerbate the itchiness and soreness.
Until it cleared up, there were certain shirts and fabrics I had to be more careful with.
Psoriasis can take a toll on a persons mental health.
Lauren K., 35, says shes been surprised by how self-conscious her psoriasis has made her.
But I am very aware of the fact that people can see it, she says.
Because psoriasis is often misunderstood, many people with the condition feel embarrassed or self-conscious about it.
Sometimes people would notice it, and it was the most terrifying experience for me, she says.
(Now shes on effective treatment and has learned to not be bothered if someone ever notices symptoms.
She welcomes it as an opportunity to educate them on the condition, she says.)
Self-consciousness about psoriasis can lead people to dress differently.
It really affects my wardrobe, Lauren says.
Appearances generally dont mean too much to me, she says.
Its not always easy to pinpoint or control psoriasis triggers.
Some of those things are much easier to control than others.
Stress, in particular, is a tough one.
My psoriasis is really triggered by prolonged stress, says Cristie.
For Jena, weather is a biggie when it comes to psoriasis triggers.
And sometimes they bleed, she says.
She can also experience flares in veryhotand dry temperatures.
Lauren has a similar experience.
you’re free to predict the weather with my elbows, she jokes.
Its stress levels, weather, allergens, my diet…. Its too much to keep tabs on.
Its just another thing about the condition that makes it difficult to predict.
Treatment can be tricky and often requires a good amount of trial and error.
Ive done everything, says Cristie.
Trust: If there were an easy fix, everyone with psoriasis would be using it.
Light therapy is another punch in of treatment, often for moderate to severe psoriasis.
It involves exposing the affected skin to UV rays (using a special equipment) on a regular basis.
The thing is, theres no way to predict which treatment a person will respond to.
Shes also tried steroid injections, given in her ankles, where she was most flared at the time.
The best treatment can vary a ton from person to person.
Lauren keeps a steroid spray on hand to use when she has a particularly itchy flare-up.
Robin is on biologic and oral medication, and she rarely notices her psoriasis anymore.
How the treatment itself impacts a persons life matters too.
Jena says she did light therapy three days a week for six months and thinks it definitely helped.
But it was a hassle to keep up with, so she stopped.
I got sick of driving 30 minutes every three days to the dermatologist, she says.
I didnt see it as a long-term solution that was sustainable.
It was very expensive too.
I had to go to several dermatologists before it was properly diagnosed, Robin says.
