Fashion Choices and Psoriasis

Psoriasis can change so much about daily life. For many people, one of the most visible ways it alters life is their fashion choices. Their psoriasis plays a big role in what they will wear that day.

Certain clothes for psoriasis

Your clothing choices can affect more than just your style. They can actually help ease or exacerbate psoriasis symptoms.

We wanted to find out more about what is working for the community in terms of clothing and plaque psoriasis, so we reached out on the PlaquePsoriasis.com Facebook page and asked, “Do you wear certain clothes to cover up your psoriasis?”

More than 50 community members shared about their fashion choices...

Long sleeves and long pants

The most common answer from the community is that people wear long sleeves and long pants regardless of what season it is. Even at the height of summer, many people prefer covering up as much skin as possible to dealing with looks and comments from strangers.

“I will wear long sleeves and capri pants this summer.”
“I have not worn shorts in public for a few years now.”
“Yes. I wear long sleeves, pants, and socks with sandals.”
“Cardigans forever!”

No black or dark-colored shirts

For many folks living with plaque psoriasis, the scalp is one of the most affected areas. It can be hard to get the flakiness under control. Instead, most people in the community just accept the flakes and avoid wearing black or any dark-colored shirts and tops.

“When my scalp psoriasis is bad and flaking a lot, I avoid dark-colored tops, because every time I scratch it snows flakes.”
“I have scalp psoriasis so I wear light-colored tops. It is so embarrassing.”
“No black tops.”

A wig helps

One woman in the community shared that her solution for a flaky scalp is a wig. It is a great choice in that it can hide the scalp and, for some, is easy.

“I wear a wig because of how bad my scalp is. It is like snow every time I move my head.”

Avoid clothing that covers

While some people choose to cover up, others have found that long sleeves, long pants, and extra clothing do nothing but aggravate their plaque psoriasis. The extra clothing only makes them itchy. They instead prefer to avoid covering up as much as possible and, when they can, get sunlight on their skin.

“I try to expose as much skin as possible to the sun, as having it covered makes it 100 times worse.”
“Not to cover up as that increases the itch.”

Wear whatever

Several community members shared that they used to let plaque psoriasis dictate their clothing choices, but after years of living with the diagnosis, they stopped caring. Rather than focusing on what other people think or how to hide their condition, they choose to wear what they feel like.

“No, I do not let it affect what I wear. I have made friends with my psoriasis. Me and my psoriasis walk with head up high.”
“I used to, but not anymore. People will just have to think what they want. I am 68 years old and do not have time for drama.”

Thank you!

Feeling self-assured in your clothing can go a long way to restoring confidence and poise. Remember, you may not be able to control psoriasis itself, but you can control how you live with it and respond to it.

We want to say thank you to everyone who shared for this story. We are always grateful to hear from so many in the community. Thank you.