FAQ from Those Newly Diagnosed with Psoriasis

Right now there are currently 8 million people in the US who have psoriasis, and the number seems to increase as time goes by, perhaps due to misdiagnosis and food intolerance. Whether you have had psoriasis for years or were just newly diagnosed check out these frequently asked questions all those with psoriasis can benefit from. You can also share this with a friend if they are interested in learning more about the disease.

Q:  What causes psoriasis?

A: Psoriasis is not a skin disease, it is an autoimmune disease which affects the skin. Parts of the immune system becomes over-reactive and the body believes it needs to create skin cells at a faster rate. Due to the regeneration rate, the body doesn't have time to properly shed this skin thus this dead skin builds on top of good skin creating flaky, itchy, patches.

Q: Who gets psoriasis?

A: Anyone can be affected by psoriasis. Some determining factors include genetics and heredity. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, men and women have psoriasis at the same rate. Thus far Caucasians are more affected by psoriasis than other races. But those factors could be due to the rate of a misdiagnosis among people of color.

Q: Is psoriasis contagious?

A: No, but this a common myth.

Q: Are there different types of psoriasis?

A: There are 5 different types which include plaque, guttate, pustular, erythrodermic, and inverse. Plaque psoriasis is the most common of the 5.

Q: Is there a cure?

A: Currently there is no cure for psoriasis, but there are drugs which can help alleviate symptoms of the disease, which will be addressed later in this article.

Q: What can trigger my disease?

A: This answer varies for everyone but the most common triggers are stress, environmental factors, genetics, and allergies.

Q: What can I do to avoid triggers?

A: Well the key to avoiding triggers is to find out what aggravates your disease by keeping track of when your psoriasis worsens and then doing things to either eliminate those triggers or at least decrease them. There are apps like MyPso which has the capability to help those with psoriasis keep track of potential triggers.

Q: What are my treatment options?

A: The treatment options your doctor will prescribe to you will be determined by the severity of your disease and how much it affects your quality of life. Treatments include topics, oral, injections, IV infusions (biologics), phototherapy, and non-traditional options.

Q: How will psoriasis affect my quality of life?

A: This varies from person-to-person. How you cope with the disease from a mental and emotionally standpoint will determine your quality of life. From a scale 1-10 (10 being highly affected), how much does psoriasis affect your decision in engaging activities that would require you to show your skin? How often do you think about your psoriasis? Does it affect your sleep? Does it effect your dating life? All of those examples are linked directly to your quality of life.

Q: Are there over-the-counter options for psoriasis?

A: Yes, but these options will only alleviate some of the physical symptoms of the disease which include the flaking, scaling, itching.  A few options include heavy moisturizers, bath oatmeal, oils, and bath salts.

Are there additional questions you have that aren't listed here? Add then to the comment section and I will add them to the article!