I have
vivid memories of my dad scratching the palms of his hand to the point of blood
being drawn.
I didn’t
know what it was at the time but when I started getting patches of red on my
elbows as a kid, I knew it was the same “rash” that my dad had on the palms of
his hands. Except, it wasn’t a rash. It was psoriasis, a skin disorder that
causes the skin cells to multiply up to 10 times faster than normal.
Psoriasis can not only be uncomfortable but can impact one’s life dramatically.
I recall wearing long sleeves in blistering heat as a kid because I was worried
what my friends might thing of the psoriasis on my arms. My psoriasis flares on my lower legs/feet area as an adult and in the summer months you can usually find me wearing jeans
because I don’t want others to see the patches of red, flaky skin.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending an event all about psoriasis
hosted by Abbvie with Dr. Melinda
Gooderham – Medical Director at The Skin Centre For Dermatology and the Skin
Research Centre.
As someone
who suffers from psoriasis herself, I wanted to learn more, I also wanted to
educate those who may not know about Psoriasis. A lot of times when people see
psoriasis on someone’s body, they’re scared it’s contagious. That’s not the
case at all.
Who
Suffers from Psoriasis?
One Million
Canadians suffer from psoriasis. It can affect both men and women at any age.
Because psoriasis is a disorder of the immune system, someone can carry the
gene but never have a flare up. It is a genetic, systemic, inflammatory,
chronic disorder.
What is Psoriasis linked to?
Psoriasis is linked to depression/anxiety, sleep disturbance, psoriatic
arthritis, vascular inflammation, heart disease, Chron’s disease and diabetes.
What Can
Trigger Psoriasis?
Stress, strep throat and getting a tattoo are all things that can trigger
Psoriasis.
How is Psoriasis treated?
Psoriasis
can be treated multiple ways depending on the severity.
For less severe cases it can be treated with ointments and creams that help
subside the itching and redness.
Other ways to treat psoriasis include:
Systemic Therapy, Phototherapy (for larger areas) and biologics that can help
by blocking the pain, and swelling in the joints. Ask your doctor about
Skyrizi, a treatment option that blocks IL-23.
You don’t have to suffer alone! Millions suffer in silence out of embarrassment
and I am writing this post and sharing my story with psoriasis because I want
to bring light to this skin disorder. Early intervention is key with psoriasis,
so please don’t wait to contact your Dr like I did many years ago.
