August is Psoriasis Awareness Month!
Yep, that’s right – a whole month dedicated to getting informed, healthy, involved and connected. And, of course, learning how to keep the momentum going after August is in the rear view mirror.
The National Psoriasis Foundation has made it easy with articles, blog posts, webcasts, and connecting via social media. You can even complete challenges for the chance to win prizes. Check out NPF’s site dedicated to #PsAM16: www.psoriasisawarenessmonth.org
Today starts Week 1: Get Informed.
There’s no better place to start than at the beginning.
Psoriasis is the most prevalent autoimmune disease in which inflammation of the skin causes raised, red scaly patches on many patients. However, psoriasis may look differently on people of color and not appear red in color.
No matter how psoriasis looks on different patients, the disease is still the same. Here are some things to know:
Psoriasis is not contagious. You definitely can’t catch it from standing next to a patient, touching psoriasis lesions, or swimming in the same pool as a patient. While this is an over simplified explanation and doesn’t address the severity of the disease, my son used to explain psoriasis to his kindergarten friends like this: They’re like mosquito bites. They itch a lot, but you can’t catch it.
Men, women and even children can develop psoriasis. My son Andy was diagnosed at age 4. I was diagnosed in my late 20s. Psoriasis skin builds up very quickly. Normal skin will regenerate about once a month, which is much slower than psoriasis skin that grows in just a few days.
Psoriasis can appear anywhere, including scalp, knees, elbows, chest, back, and all of those private areas we don’t tend to talk about.
Genes play a role in psoriasis, but environmental triggers are usually to blame for flares. For me, stress is my number one trigger.
Psoriasis patients are at increased risk for many related conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and depression. Approximately 30% of psoriasis patients also have psoriatic arthritis, like my son and I.
There is no cure for psoriasis, but there is hope and help. NPF’s Patient Navigation Center is a great resource for patients. It provides personalized support for patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis by helping them find doctors in their area, discover treatment options, get ready for doctor appointments, help with applying for disability, and getting emotional support with its One to One program.
Week 1 of Psoriasis Awareness Month is all about getting informed, and this is just a small amount of information available from NPF. Get more information and resources to managing psoriasis online at www.psoriais.org.
And don’t forget to take the Week 1 quiz!
Coming up next week: Getting Healthy
