“A lot of people are embarrassed to go out when they have a flare and can get into the habit of just staying in,” adds Mio Nakamura, MD, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor. All in all, psoriasis can have a significant, and often negative, impact on your quality of life and happiness. One study published in July 2021 in the journal Dermatology notes there’s increasing evidence people with psoriasis often experience “insecurity, isolation, and stigmatization, which affects the quality of their lives.” It doesn’t have to be that way, though, thanks to effective medications and other tools for managing the symptoms and side effects of the condition, says Ahmad Amin, MD, an assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. “We live in an era where we are lucky to have really fantastic treatment options for patients with psoriasis, whether you have mild, moderate, or severe disease,” he says. Are you aware of how psoriasis is affecting your quality of life? Take this short quiz to find out if you could be happier as well as healthier, and ways to achieve both goals.
