World Psoriasis Day: 5 everyday problems people with this skin condition has to face 

It affects the person in a psychological way that is difficult to understand or emphasise with unless you have been close to someone who dealt (or deals) with the problem or your are the one suffering from the same.

The most heart wrenching part about this skin condition is that it has no cure. While there are medications and other remedies to prevent or slow its progress, psoriasis largely is a lifelong chronic condition one has to live with. With treatment and some lifestyle changes, one can make it go into remission. To say that the condition wrecks a person s psyche along with his/her skin is to put the consequence of living with psoriasis in the mildest way. It is more than a skin problem and goes beyond what meets the eye. It affects the person in a psychological way that is difficult to understand or emphasise with unless you have been close to someone who dealt (or deals) with the problem or your are the one suffering from the same. Here are a few problems that people with psoriasis suffer from but don t talk about much:

Getting unnecessary attention that makes one uncomfortable

Dry, flaky, patchy red skin over the face, hands or other parts of the body isn t a pleasing sight for anyone. This is why people stare out of curiosity to know what is wrong making the other person uncomfortable is least to say. On the other hand, for people who suffer from psoriasis, this unwanted attention is overwhelming. It makes then uneasy and least to say dents their confidence and self-esteem too. People dealing with psoriasis are more than just their skin condition but the society, by and large, misses this point. It takes a lot of courage, internal talks and coming to terms with the condition to dodge those stares, questionable inquisitive looks from people and get going with ease. It takes a lot more than you think.

Feeling lonely

There are many patients who also undergo treatment, counselling and therapy to fight depression along with psoriasis treatment. It is not surprising to see that people who suffer from psoriasis are often left out, bullied or ignored. Their skin condition does more to make them avoid social gatherings and limits friendly interaction. Of course, the condition and the appearance that it makes on one s face and hands don t make for a great conversation starter. Most people with the condition find themselves being lonely and neglected. This usually happens because people believe that psoriasis is contagious but in reality, it is an auto-immune condition and doesn t affect anyone who is in close proximity with psoriasis patient. People with psoriasis either end up being lonely or making very less and friends.

Getting awkward to get intimate with your partner

Psoriasis can come in the way of establishing close intimate relationships. This is not to say that people who suffer from psoriasis don t have healthy and long-term relationships or lack intimacy but many tend to avoid getting into a relationship for the fear of rejection or feel dejected when it comes to getting close to someone. The patches are not just limited to face and hands but could be at places that might stop one from getting intimate with the other. An honest talk and opening up with the partner often helps to overcome this hurdle.

Stressing to not get stressed to prevent a flare-up

Stress can lead to a flare-up of the condition. Sometimes people are to stressed in order not be stressed and this can lead to a flare-up. Psoriasis cannot be cured but can go into remission with proper care and medication. Any stressful event can make it flare up so it is crucial for people to control stress.

Fearing other imminent health problems

Since psoriasis is a condition that is auto-immune in nature, it often affects other parts of the body as well. People suffering from this condition have a higher risk of diabetes, stroke and heart attacks. And about 30% of them get psoriatic arthritis, which causes swelling, stiffness and pain in their joints and it gets worse with age.