Environmental risk factors that can cause psoriasis outbreaks

Although we are still not sure what exactly causes psoriasis besides being able to link it to hereditary factors, there are some environmental factors that seem to be able to trigger psoriasis such as smoking, alcohol, stress, preservatives and poor.

Smoking and psoriasis

The fact that smoking is bad for health has not escaped anyone. But can the risk of psoriasis be exerted due to smoking?

It is known that smoking can aggravate the symptoms of someone who has psoriasis but it has also been shown in studies that you are at greater risk of developing psoriasis if you smoke. One study showed that the risk of getting psoriasis can be as much as 80% if you smoke compared to non-smokers. The severity of psoriasis can also be affected by how much you smoke. It also seems that the drugs against psoriasis work worse if you have psoriasis and smoke.

Alcohol and psoriasis

Alcohol affects the treatment of psoriasis in the same way smoking does. In part, it can make treatment difficult and make the drugs work worse, but it also makes the symptoms of psoriasis worse. When you drink a lot of alcohol, the liver is adversely affected, and many of the drugs for psoriasis are also treated in the liver, which makes them less effective.

Stress and psoriasis

There are not many scientific studies done on whether stress can cause psoriasis, but many researchers and doctors suspect this to be the case. In a Swedish research study from Karolinska University, it turned out that most people with newly debuted psoriasis had undergone a stressful situation 2-3 months before the symptoms appeared.

Preservative

There has not been much research into whether preservatives can actually cause psoriasis but many believe it. Eating the right type of vitamins and supplements is important if you have psoriasis, but you should watch out for some preservatives that some of the supplements contain, below is a list of preservatives you should avoid if you have psoriasis.

E210 Benzoic acid

E321 Butyl hydroxytols

E212 Potassium benzoate

E445 Glycerol esters of wood resins

E213 Calcium benzoate

E310 Propyl gallate

E311 Octyl gallate

E385 EDTA

E211 Sodium benzoate

E312 Docecyl Gallate

E320 Butyl hydroxyaniso

E416 Karay Rubber

Poor sleep

It has been found that most people with psoriasis have impaired sleep due to the disease. The main reasons are itching, discomfort and pain from the rash. There was a recent study on psoriasis and sleep which showed that 84% of people with psoriasis also suffered from poor sleep.

Read more about treatments for psoriasis here:https://itsitchy.com/6-common-treatments-that-can-help-your-psoriasis/

Written by Zac Hyde M.D.