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6 Psoriasis Facts People With Psoriasis Want You to Know - Self

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Rubbing, either of the skin-on-skin variety or from clothing, can exacerbate the itchiness and soreness. Robin B., 61, who has had psoriasis for over 15 years, says that before she got on an effective treatment, she had to be careful about the clothing she wore. “There were certain undergarments I couldn't wear because it would cause more friction in that area, and it was really painful,” she says. “Until it cleared up, there were certain shirts and fabrics I had to be more careful with.”

3. Psoriasis can take a toll on a person’s mental health.

Lauren K., 35, says she’s been surprised by how self-conscious her psoriasis has made her. “Physically, there are times when I forget about it for the most part—it really just doesn't bother me unless there is a flare-up. 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. Cristie says that in grade school, she became “a master at hiding it,” because she was so afraid of what people might think it was. “Sometimes people would notice it and it was the most terrifying experience for me,” she says. (Now, she’s 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. She explains that she always wears sleeves on first dates and to more formal affairs, like job interviews, so that her elbows are covered. “Appearances generally don't mean too much to me,” she says. But she still feels like she has to hide any flare-ups from people who don’t know her and may not know that psoriasis is the cause.

Similarly, Robin says that she stopped wearing black when her scalp psoriasis used to be really intense because the flakes would shed and be very apparent on her clothing. This constant worrying about if someone will notice a flare-up, and what they might think about it and you as a result, is a shared experience among many people with psoriasis.

4. It’s not always easy to pinpoint or control psoriasis triggers.

Psoriasis often goes through cycles of being actively inflamed (called flares or flare-ups) and then subsiding for some time. Flares can happen due to a variety of triggers, and everyone’s triggers vary. According to the Mayo Clinic, common psoriasis triggers include infections, injury to the skin (such as a cut, bug bite, or severe sunburn), weather, stress, smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, and certain medications. 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. Unfortunately, keeping stress levels low at all times just isn’t possible (if only it were), and stress can also be unpredictable. Sure, you can do things to help manage stress, like meditate and exercise regularly, but stress is a part of life—especially given the state of the world right now.

For Jena, weather is a biggie when it comes to psoriasis triggers. She lives in Florida, and she’s had intense flare-ups in the past when she’s visited New York City in the winter for work. “When it’s really flared up and it’s in the cracks and crevices of my hands, it just hurts to do anything. And sometimes they bleed,” she says. While normally, the discomfort she feels from psoriasis is bearable, she says that this is one of the times where the condition really impacts her quality of life and makes it difficult to do simple things, like open a twist-off lid on a bottle. She can also experience flares in very hot and dry temperatures. “It’s extremely painful and starts to spread to more areas on my ankles or into my feet,” she says.

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