This section is about things which can ‘trigger’ psoriasis to start or become worse (see also causes). There are many reasons why inflammation or ‘flare-ups’ can be triggered and this can be different for different people and with different types of psoriasis. Everyone we talked to named at least one trigger which they thought had played a role in setting off their psoriasis, either for the first time or with ‘flare-ups’. Lots of different triggers were mentioned and some said it was hard to “pin down” as they varied over time. This can be confusing and lead to conflicting information from doctors as well as other people with psoriasis. The main triggers talked about were:
- illness
- stress and upset
- injuries to the skin
- clothes/fabrics and jewellery
- weather/temperatures
- household cleaning, bathing and cosmetic products with strong chemicals/fragrances
- food, drink (including alcohol) and smoking
Ella talks about some of her psoriasis triggers.
Ella talks about some of her psoriasis triggers.
Age at interview: 16
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 3
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Well I've been told by my dermatologist to not use soap – like that make bubbles on my body – cos like I think that can aggravate it and make it worse. So I use non-soap based products when I wash my body and wash my face and stuff. Hm I think concealer and foundation is fine as long as I don’t put loads on. I'm trying to think – triggers. Well, it's been said that like sunlight helps psoriasis quite a lot, but for me I always say my psoriasis is worse during the summer, so I don’t know whether that’s just me, but usually-. And when I'm ill or-, yeah, when I'm ill as well that can sometimes cos obviously like with my immune system working as well, if I'm ill then that can trigger it as well because it's working and I don’t know how much of a correlation that has, but often when I'm ill my psoriasis is quite bad as well.
Hannah talks about the difficulties of working out triggers.
Hannah talks about the difficulties of working out triggers.
Age at interview: 24
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 16
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It’s difficult to know what triggers it. I know sometimes people say diet and things can trigger it. I've occasionally tried like over the years tried different ways to kind of like suppress it, so I've tried sort of a gluten-free approach and diary-free and those kind of things and thought that maybe that would help. Didn't really make a difference. For me, the only thing that helps is medication, but it's hard to know what the trigger is. It's like a vicious cycle, when it's bad you're more stressed and it just continues to be bad. When medication makes it better I feel less stressed, so I feel like my stress and any kind of depression I've had because of my skin has been completely linked to the skin all the time, so whenever the skin's better, I feel better, and whenever the skin's bad, I feel bad. So it's really hard to determine what's a trigger, or what's you know like a, like a factor or what's a result of the skin, I just, it's hard to know.
Dr McPherson discusses infections and stress as known triggers for psoriasis.
Dr McPherson discusses infections and stress as known triggers for psoriasis.
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So triggers that we know can either cause a flare of psoriasis or initiate psoriasis. Particular types of infections. So in children and young adults, often streptococcal. So that can cause throat infections, it can also cause skin infections. So sometimes I do see children who have [throat cleared] a streptococcal infection in the genital area, or around the bottom, and that can also sort of trigger off psoriasis more generally. We know that also stressful events and stress can definitely exacerbate and trigger psoriasis. And we're now kind of starting to understand a little bit more about the whole inflammatory pathways that stress causes. And, you know, clearly having psoriasis also makes you feel stressed, so it can be quite a difficult process to sort of work out what best to do about it. Which is why, you know, psychological support is so vital for people, particularly with psoriasis, and that, you know, coping mechanisms are also really important.
Illness
A few people noticed that being unwell or generally ‘run down’ was a trigger. Throat infections were commonly mentioned and, for some, the start of their psoriasis could be traced back to having a cough/cold, tonsillitis or strep-throat. Louis had only one period of psoriasis when he was 18 after getting the flu, which his doctors described as ‘post-viral’.
It was only recently that Steven read in an information leaflet that throat infections could set off psoriasis.
It was only recently that Steven read in an information leaflet that throat infections could set off psoriasis.
Age at interview: 22
Sex: Male
Age at diagnosis: 14
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Really, funnily, in the leaflet that came with this cream that I’ve got now, which I’ve got somewhere if you want to see it. I don’t know where it is, I think it’s in here [looking in bag]. They gave me a little leaflet. I think I brought it with me, yeah. They gave me a little leaflet and in it, it says, if I can find ah, it’s talking about triggers and it says, “Even though the exact cause is unknown, it appears that some people are more inclined to develop it than others. Many patients are able to think of someone else in the family who has psoriasis”. So that was like my dad and I’m reading this and I’m like, ‘check’ [gestures ticking]. “But it’s thought that people with a family history of the disorder only get it themselves if another factor starts it off.” So I was like, ‘hm okay’. And then I’m sat at the hospital like last week thinking back to it and then the next paragraph is, “One of these factors could be a throat infection.” And the time that I started with psoriasis, I was also a little bit unwell – I had pericarditis, they think, and a possible throat infection. And so having read that, and I’d never really linked the two together, I thought they were kind of just happened at the same time and like, I don’t really know if they were linked together. I think that could have been the trigger. But then I’ve never really noticed anything, stress doesn't tend to make it worse, like during my exams it was constant. In fact it got better at one point during exam time. Being overtired doesn't really change it. I can’t really find something to, people are like, “Oh, what you eat, da, da, da” [shakes head] Nothing. I think for me it’s just the fact that I’ve got it and that it comes and goes. I don’t really know one thing that does set me off.
Stress and upset
A key trigger mentioned by most people was stress and upset, although not for everyone. Stress can stem from different sources, such as:
- studies and exams
- arguments and break-ups
- jobs, being unemployed and money worries
- other illnesses
Stress is a trigger for Jack, but not always and it can be difficult to work out what ‘set off’ his psoriasis.
Stress is a trigger for Jack, but not always and it can be difficult to work out what ‘set off’ his psoriasis.
Age at interview: 24
Sex: Male
Age at diagnosis: 20
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But the problem with me is that most of the time it’s not necessarily stress that makes my psoriasis worse but if it’s like when it the one time it basically went and then sort of it came back with, with a vengeance was, was sort of a two-week period when I was really-, well I was really stressed. But then once it’s sort of come back to a certain level, I found there’s not really much that causes it to-, especially the last six months when it’s sort of been spreading enough, I’ve been fine, it’s been difficult to pinpoint, pinpoint anything really that’s sort of caused it to do that.
Adam’s psoriasis used to flare-up rapidly. It’s now a slower process and usually related to stress.
Adam’s psoriasis used to flare-up rapidly. It’s now a slower process and usually related to stress.
Age at interview: 24
Sex: Male
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So usually I think it is, yeah, stress. So if I’ve had a stressful event, it can often take like a week or so to catch up and then it will just be like “bang” or come out or like-. So like the, it’s funny actually, the treatment used to be a lot quicker at responding to kind of like getting my psoriasis down, and my psoriasis would flare up a lot quicker when I was younger. I, like sometimes, this is how worried I used to be about it when I was, first kind of had my outbreak of psoriasis and actually got it under control. I could go out with clear skin and come home having had a breakout of psoriasis. And so I’d have to check myself throughout the day kind of to be like. Especially if I was going out clubbing and I wanted to go home with someone, I would, before I ever made that move I would go and have a full check of my body in the toilet before I was like, “Yeah, we can go home.” Because I didn’t want that shock to happen when I got home. Cos that used to come up, it would flare up that quick. It could do. That doesn’t really happen now. It would probably take like a few days, or it will start slowly coming up. So I would say it’s usually it’s stress, so any kind of form of stress or being, being upset or, or something like that, kind of a, a minor traumatic event or something like that.
Usually followed by, yeah, an outbreak of psoriasis and a bit on my face or my body or my scalp.
Hannah said it can be difficult to know if stress and depression is a cause or effect of her psoriasis worsening. Many people thought it was both and said there’s a “vicious cycle”: stress triggers their psoriasis which causes more stress. Adam explained how he would “be upset by having psoriasis that would then stress me out and upset me, which then kind of made it a bit worse and a bit harder to manage”. As Carys pointed out, trying to avoid stress is “easier said than done”.
A relationship break-up triggered Adam’s psoriasis, adding to his upset.
A relationship break-up triggered Adam’s psoriasis, adding to his upset.
Age at interview: 24
Sex: Male
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I remember he broke up with me. I was really upset. And that coincided with, I then had a really bad outbreak of psoriasis that medicines weren’t treating any more. So it was just getting worse and worse and worse and worse. And it sent me c-, absolutely nuts. I was so upset. I was devastated. I’d just come out of a relationship, felt so unwanted. And then on top of that you just want to kind of go and rebound. Or you just want to kind of get someone to kind of, to want you and to love you or, or something like that. And I was unable to go and do that because I was so nervous about exposing my body to people. So I couldn’t do that either. So, and I was so angry. I remember just being so upset and angry about my psoriasis. And it was just getting worse. I was getting flare-ups everywhere.
Stress can “build up” over time or last only “a moment”, with big impacts for some on their psoriasis. For Damini, there’s often a “delayed reaction” between a stressful time and her flares-up. Some people tried to prevent or limit flare-ups at stressful times. Zara sometimes takes a course of antibiotics which stops her worrying as much about getting an infection on her feet – she says “it just makes everything a bit easier and calms down”. Many looked for ways to manage stress, such as: relaxing, meditation, being fully prepared for exams, exercise, hobbies, and talking to partners, friends and family.
Lucy talks about some of the things she does to manage stress.
Lucy talks about some of the things she does to manage stress.
Age at interview: 24
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 11
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So stress is a definite trigger for your psoriasis?
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I mean, last year when I was working as a teacher, it was my training and it was my NQT year, it’s called. And I found that very stressful, because there was a lot of planning, a lot of marking and then the actual teaching as well. It was very very full on. And so, my skin got worse during that. And a few years ago, my mam, my mam had meningitis and she was taken in suddenly. And, within days, like my skin got a lot worse. So I think stress massively, massively plays a part. But, it’s y’know it’s finding ways to deal with that stress. So I exercise regularly, which really helps my stress. Cos, I mean, at school I was awful at PE [laughs] I hated PE. But now I really do appreciate how important exercise is. And I’m not one of those people whose really interested in having a flat stomach or, you know, perfect beach body. But I do it for, for my mental health really, for, to stay calm and to deal with my stress, cos I find that cycling or running or any type of exercise really. Going to an aerobics class is really good. And just getting out the stress and calming yourself down. And then again, my boyfriend and my mam and dad are really good at just talking things through. And if I’m ever, I’m very lucky to have those really supportive relationships. And my brother and sister as well. Because if I am worried or stressed about anything, I can just talk to them about it and I know that they’ll be really nice and supportive. So that’s really good to have that.
Some people had another illness affecting and affected by stress which could add to the ‘vicious cycle’. This includes epilepsy for Zara and Irritable Bowel Syndrome for Abbie, as both conditions can be made worse by stress and can also be stressful to have.
Injuries to the skin
Some people found an injury to their skin set off more psoriasis developing. Jack knew of this as ‘Koebner’s phenomenon’. Simon noticed that his psoriasis “spread” when he scratched his skin, which he thought was an attempt by his body to “protect” the skin. Simon also had nail psoriasis – knocks led to his nails becoming discoloured and pitted. Megan once fell off a swing and scraped her back which “all turned into psoriasis”. Other examples mentioned of injuries/damage to the skin which triggered more psoriasis to develop include acne scarring, shaving cuts, sunburn, ear piercings and tattoos.
Megan had her ears pierced but found psoriasis grew in the holes. She’s unsure about getting her belly button pierced.
Megan had her ears pierced but found psoriasis grew in the holes. She’s unsure about getting her belly button pierced.
Age at interview: 16
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 7
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I had my ears pierced, but because of my psoriasis I had to take them out cos my psoriasis would grow in them and then like go round the actual wiry bit, and then it would be like stuck, so I took them out. And like the holes are still there, but because there's psoriasis in them, I can't re-pierce them.
So, does that also affect like other things; like if you were planning on getting other parts pierced, or like tattoos and things in the future?
I can't have tattoos because of the like ink bit. I've already been told that. Like I could if my psoriasis had completely gone; and I want to get my belly button pierced, but, and I asked the doctor, and the doctor said it was probably OK to do it, because I don’t have psoriasis round that area.
Mm mm and had you had psoriasis like on your ears before you got them pierced, or was that…?
No, and then after I got them pierced it kind of just started.
So, do you think you will get your belly button pierced?
I don’t know. I keep like thinking about it, but I don’t wanna do it and then my psoriasis goes near it and then obviously I can't have that anymore. So, I think I might just wait for a bit, and wait till I know where my psoriasis is under control even more.
Carys’ psoriasis was triggered by a combination of factors, including catching her skin while shaving.
Carys’ psoriasis was triggered by a combination of factors, including catching her skin while shaving.
Age at interview: 23
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 22
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They said what they think what was my trigger was that I’d nicked myself with my razor and I was in a new job as they said that the combination of it being winter so I probably had a cold and I nicked my leg and then so my immune symptom was a bit lower and combined with the stress of a new job on a fast paced environment just-, they said that just my body just didn’t know what to do and it just sent out a control. So it’s, you know, I understand not trying to get stressed and things and I probably have learnt to deal with it better. But it’s easier said than done in my job and sometimes you can’t help but get stressed. And so I just try and avoid it as best I can and when I feel stressed after a day, I try and de-stress myself because I don’t want it to come back if I can avoid it.
Jack had psoriasis develop on tattoos. He also had acne as a teenager and thinks this is why psoriasis developed on the same parts of his face.
Jack had psoriasis develop on tattoos. He also had acne as a teenager and thinks this is why psoriasis developed on the same parts of his face.
Age at interview: 24
Sex: Male
Age at diagnosis: 20
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There’s a good chance that because psoriasis can impact like really damaged skin, skin, so, is it Koebner phenomenon, Koebner? Something like that. So where you get like-, I’ve even got bits there, so sometimes when you get like a cut or whatever and that’s the same as like getting psoriasis on a tattoo so because of your damaged skin impacts like skin cycles and stuff. So that was sort of my original thought was that my cheeks obviously, a fair bit of my face obviously when I had acne as a teenager, obviously your skin takes quite a lot of just general wear and tear from that. And I think that could definitely be linked to then getting psoriasis in the same areas.
Clothes/fabrics and jewellery
A few people spoke about fabrics and clothing irritating the skin. Abbie says most fabrics are okay but her pyjamas can be ‘too dry’ if they’ve been washed and folded up for a long time. Abbie thinks finding the right washing powder is also important. People talked about clothes rubbing and causing friction on their skin. Carys found jeans irritated her psoriasis and she couldn’t wear jewellery. Megan’s psoriasis would sometimes get ‘stuck’ to her tights and rip off when she removed them, but trousers overheated her. Simon found clothes and hats which cause sweating added to the problem.
Louis’ psoriasis was so sensitive that any kind of rubbing on his skin irritated it.
Louis’ psoriasis was so sensitive that any kind of rubbing on his skin irritated it.
Age at interview: 21
Sex: Male
Age at diagnosis: 18
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Were there any sort of other factors that you had to avoid to sort of minimise aggravating the skin at all?
Try-, sounds quite weird [laughs], try to touch things as little as possible. So I wouldn't be able to sit like this [leaning back], I'd have to sit forward [demonstrates]. I'd wear really loose, loose clothing, to try and avoid touching things. I'd make sure that when I was working I wouldn't sort of-, my elbows couldn't touch the desk, and stuff like that, because that would aggravate it, effectively just touching anything or like rubbing against like a chair arm and things like that, that would be really sore. So I'd try and minimise that. So I would sort of put myself in like a sort of isolation bubble, where I'd try and-, I'd try and touch as little as possible to try and make sure that that didn't happen. But obviously that's not that easy, sort of day to day life, so you sort of try and strike a balance between touching as little as possible and actually being able to function. Because obviously you can't wander round with a big bubble on you and not touching anything. So it was-, it took quite a lot of getting used to, but after a couple of-, sort of two, three weeks, I was much better at making sure that I could get about and sort of do the things that I wanted to do, to an extent, without aggravating it as much as possible.
Zara had an allergy test when she was little, but the only outcome was finding out she’s allergic to cheap metal (often used in costume jewellery).
Zara had an allergy test when she was little, but the only outcome was finding out she’s allergic to cheap metal (often used in costume jewellery).
Age at interview: 16
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 2
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I remember them doing allergy tests on me but that is about it.
I think it was allergy testing, you know, somebody wrote on my back in a purple pen and put stickers on me.
Did anything, did they find anything?
No, oh well they found out I’m allergic to cheap metal.
How did you find the allergy testing?
If you remember. Well I didn’t mind it, I was probably about seven when I first had it done maybe eight I don’t know. I couldn’t shower for a week but that really didn’t bother me cos I don’t really like showering. And all my friends thought it was quite cool with the stickers and the writing on my back. Besides that.
Was it uncomfortable or was it painful or itchy do you remember?
It was quite uncomfortable so that movement was a bit difficult. When I had to take them off that was painful but besides that it was okay.
Weather/temperatures
Most people found their psoriasis was worse with cold weather. For some, it was the dryness of the air which aggravated their psoriasis. For Simon, though, humid heat irritated his skin. Abbie finds changing seasons can “set it off”. Many said the sun helped their skin clear up and some linked this effect with phototherapy. Lucy cautions though that you should use sunscreen when in the sun and avoid tanning beds.
Lola’s psoriasis is better in the summer, but the effect doesn’t last.
Lola’s psoriasis is better in the summer, but the effect doesn’t last.
Age at interview: 17
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 14
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Sunlight, yeah. Over the summer, I know it wasn’t the best summer we’ve ever had but I did notice and it is kind of a common fact that vitamin D is really good for psoriasis. And I found that if I got in the sun then it did do what happens when the su-, it has steroids put on it. So it’s like reducing, it’s not as- kind of the- they’re called plaques, they’re not like- it’s not as like inflamed or red. When psoriasis goes away is you get like loads of little scars, white scars kind of, and they’re not really scars it’s where the skins either inflamed or like flattened down in a way so it’s got to come back to its normal functioning level after being disturbed, oh I don’t know, being affected for so long. And I started to get those which for me is a signal it’s getting better. But then as the sun started to go away and as I came back to school and my stress of being back at sixth form came back, it kind of reversed, started happening and it wasn’t getting better anymore, it was getting worse.
Megan finds cold weather harder on her psoriasis.
Megan finds cold weather harder on her psoriasis.
Age at interview: 16
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 7
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Does weather make a difference at all to your psoriasis?
The cold
Does it make it worse?
It like cracks it and makes it all dry; and the sun's really good for it, cos I got told, I remember getting told at the hospital that I should move to a hot country because the heat like softens it, but the cold cracks it and makes it worse, and like makes it all dry and then obviously it flakes more.
So, do you have to do different treatments in winter or?
We did the same treatment, it was just I had to like wrap up warmer. And I couldn’t play out in the snow if it snowed that much because my skin would get too cold really quickly. Cos my skin was so sensitive.
Others were less sure about whether heat and sun helped their psoriasis. Russell hadn’t noticed much difference across the seasons but thinks it might be because he’s not had psoriasis for long enough to compare. Louie and Simon said heat and sweating in summer irritated their skins. Louie finds overheating when he’s sleeping at night irritates his psoriasis. Louis also tried to keep cool when he had a flare-up in winter by keeping windows open at home.
Another aspect of holidays in warm climates which helped some was swimming in pools and the sea. Zara finds salt water helps and she feels less self-conscious about having her feet out when on holiday. Megan thinks chlorine and salt water “kills all the bacteria that’s in my psoriasis” and is “like cleaning it out”, but she doesn’t enjoy swimming because it stings. Adam and Steven talked about the Dead Sea and products containing ingredients sourced there as helpful too.
Products containing strong fragrances/chemicals
Products which contain strong fragrances or chemicals could trigger and irritate psoriasis. This includes products used in bathing, cosmetics and for household cleaning:
- shampoos
- shower gels, soaps and bubble baths (including for handwashing)
- alcohol gels/hand sanitiser
- deodorants
- perfumes and aftershave
- make-up (and make-up removers)
- hair dye
- hair styling products like gel
- face washes and scrubs (including for acne-prone skin)
- shaving foam
- washing powder/detergent
For those whose psoriasis reacted badly to shower gels/soaps and shampoos, milder versions from shops and prescribed substitutes could be useful. There can be downsides to these though, as Steven found his prescribed shower gel replacement greasy. Many said that if they could use them, they would prefer “nice” smelling products and some occasionally would use these when their psoriasis was better. People often tried different brands of products to find one which suited them.
Hannah looked into alternative deodorants when she had psoriasis on her armpits.
Hannah looked into alternative deodorants when she had psoriasis on her armpits.
Age at interview: 24
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 16
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Deodorant affected me really badly, so I had psoriasis on my underarms so I was, and like all the stuff, that are kind of aluminium based deodorants like just wreaked havoc and made the situation so much worse. I mean if I wore deodorant, a normal deodorant, the next day I would visible see that my psoriasis was about ten times worse under my underarms and red and kind of hurting. So I eventually had to give up all together with normal deodorants and try to use some natural ones which I feel like probably aren't industrials strengths, so don't really work in the same way. But I found coconut oil really, really effective with, like as a deodorant and it's kind of stopped me sweating as much, it stopped like any smell. And it's really, really worked for me. That, sometimes coconut oil mixed with baking powder, which is something that I read online, so these, there are all of these kind of natural things online that people talk about and some things won't work for you and then some things really will and you'll, you'll wonder how you survived without them. So now like I use coconut oil all the time on my underarms and it's really helped. And then like I'll use sometimes natural deodorants as well that I’ve found like there's salt based one's that use like salt to-, kind of like a rock of salt and you rub that and you have to like kind of wet your underarms first. There are other ones that have like tea tree in them and other things to kind of like sooth, but also like to completely give it a better smell. But obviously nothing that's like antiperspirant because the idea of an antiperspirant in itself is like not a good thing to kind of stop yourself from perspiring that can of, that-, anything that has that in it can affect your skin badly I think if it's sensitive or if you have psoriasis.
Some people limited how they used products. Ella and Lucy found that make-up made their skin drier and flakier, so sometimes they didn’t apply any. One tip Damini has is to spray perfumes onto clothes rather than directly on skin.
Not everyone’s psoriasis reacted to any or all of the products. Louie avoids fragranced bath products but finds aftershave and deodorant are fine. Abbie has never had a reaction from wearing make-up but she makes sure to remove it in the evenings “to be safe”.
Food, drink and smoking
Some people thought that particular foods and an overall ‘unhealthy’ diet were triggers for their psoriasis (see also section on diet). Not everyone agreed with this though and some were sceptical about whether diet made a difference for them. A few people had tried diets cutting out certain foods/drinks types, sometimes on the advice from an alternative therapy practitioner. Some people didn’t stop eating any particular foods but tried to have a ‘healthy’ diet overall and avoid ‘junk’ foods.
Abbie’s dermatologist talked to her about triggers like stress and suggested some foods to cut out.
Abbie’s dermatologist talked to her about triggers like stress and suggested some foods to cut out.
Age at interview: 20
Sex: Female
Age at diagnosis: 10
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The only main thing that I've always been told is like stress, and because when I was at high school, my first high school I went to, I didn’t really enjoy it which was why I had the IBS as well from the anxiety which then, they put that down to why it got worse as well, just being stressed out. And then when I saw the consultant this year they mentioned -, cos everyone's really said about stress and she mentioned again, "What's work like; how is it?" and I said, "look what I do is busy," so they did mention the stress. And then she also mentioned about different foods that can be triggers, so she give me so many to eliminate - so I don’t eat beef, don’t eat tomatoes, don’t eat dairy and I don’t eat oranges. And although when I've cut -, I cut them out pretty much completely for the first month and a half or so, because I was doing phototherapy I didn’t really see much of a difference, whereas now because obviously I have my food all cooked for me, I still eliminate it but every now and then I will have naughty days, and I will eat some of those foods and I'll go have a burger, I’ll go drink proper milk, cos I drink goat's milk.
And see, but I haven’t seen any effect that these, what I'm eating every now and then, it's flaring up my skin so I'm just every now and then I eat it in smaller doses just in case.
Russell finds his university life involves a number of psoriasis triggers, including drinking alcohol when socialising.
Russell finds his university life involves a number of psoriasis triggers, including drinking alcohol when socialising.
Age at interview: 20
Sex: Male
Age at diagnosis: 19
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But also being a male student, beer as well is a big contribution of yeast and once I’d sort of spoken to him and had this conversation it made a lot of sense and I did start to see a difference and there’d be times last year if, perhaps I, I don’t go out sort of every night I’m not one of those people but I do like to go out occasionally and stuff. And of a week perhaps where you go out once or twice, I went out twice and our sort of my staple drink was, would be kind of beer. I could see it over the next couple of day’s I’d wake up and I could see like the beginnings of a patch and maybe it was because I was more sensitive to it in terms of I was watching more what I ate. Because previously I’ve had quite a fast metabolism, I do quite a lot of sport and I’m quite active so I don’t, I’ve never really watched what I ate and my weights never really fluctuated – I think I’ve been the same weight for about five or six years and I’ve never really paid much attention to it so it could just be the fact that I was now slightly more sensitive to what I was putting into my system but I’m convinced now if I have a couple of nights out in a row or a couple of late nights in a row with maybe a night out with drinking interspersed in that, I can see it in my hands. just either in the beginnings of kind of a dry spot or something and so again it’s a little bit of a kick to drink some more water, have a few nights off, get some early nights, try and eat some good food over the next few days and to start moisturising again. And invariably that kind of keeps it at bay. the only thing that doesn’t at that point is sort of stress is the only other input that I can’t really have too much, well I can but at the same time I can’t, have too much of an influence on because there just seems to be so much going on all the time.
So how ever early a night, however well you eat and whatnot – there’s only so much it can do ‘cos I’m one of those people that can’t really say no to doing stuff so I still run around like an idiot, trying to do everything that I can but I wouldn’t have it any other way – I’d take a little bit of dry skin to kind of enjoy my university experience a bit more.
Smoking cigarettes was mentioned by many as bad for psoriasis and their health in general. Those who smoked though said that this isn’t the only factor in having or developing psoriasis and that there were other underlying causes.
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