Is Psoriasis Contagious?
Often, people wonder if psoriasis is contagious because of its appearance. Some famous personalities that have this disease like Kim Kardashian have played their role in enlightening people on psoriasis.
She is very open about her condition and how it has affected her life.
Even though the condition affects about 7.5 million people in the US, it isn’t in any way transmissible.
The silvery, white and red patches on the skin often make people think the condition is contagious, but this is far from the truth.
Psoriasis may appear transmissible, but it isn’t caused by any bacteria or anything that could transmit it. Rather, it occurs as a result of internal inflammation, which prompts the scales and flakes.
Psoriasis occurs when your immune system enhances the growth of your skin cells. Due to the excess production of skin cells, thick scales will begin to form, thereby affecting the skin and joints.
Psoriasis’s primary cause has not been established yet, but research is ongoing by experts to know the exact cause.
Although, evidence has shown there might be some genetic connection to the disease. This explains why some people whose parents or siblings have psoriasis are at risk of developing the condition.
What Causes Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a disease that affects the immune system even when it only shows on the skin.
People with psoriasis have rapid growth of skin cells due to a problem with their immune system. These skin cells pile up as a result and result in thick, scaly patches.
People suffer from different types of psoriasis, but the most common one is plaque psoriasis. Common symptoms include sore, swollen and itchy patches on any part of the body including scalp, elbows and knees.
These patches may even become sore, crack and bleed and some other types of psoriasis may cause red scaling patches, small red spots and pus-filled bumps.
How do people get psoriasis?
As mentioned earlier, genetics could be one of the causes of psoriasis, but other conditions can trigger it. These include; strep throat, stress, a cut or scratch and the use of certain medications.
People who live in cold weather conditions can also have dry, cracked skin, resulting in psoriasis. However, being around someone with the condition is not one of the ways of getting it.
Many people who have psoriasis have it for the rest of their lives. However, they can manage it with medications and other treatment.
What About Physical Contact?
Before now, many people confuse psoriasis with leprosy, and it was considered contagious. With more research, we’ve understood that you can not catch psoriasis by touching, kissing, swimming or having sex with someone who has it.
The simple logic is since you didn’t get psoriasis from other people you can not infect others.
Suppose you have psoriasis or have friends, relatives or anyone with the condition. In that case, you can help other people understand this condition better by talking about it openly amongst the people around you.
Let these people feel great about themselves by letting them know that this condition doesn’t define your opinion about who they are. Let them feel loved and appreciated.