PsoriasisMy new boyfriend has a rash on his elbows, knees and in his scalp. Although he says it's psoriasis and it's not contagious, I'm a bit worried that I could catch it from him. What do you think?
Psoriasis is a very common chronic skin condition that affects approximately one in 40 people. It tends to develop between the ages of 10 and 30, and for most people it's a mild condition.
However, a small minority of sufferers can go on to develop a painful type of arthritis in the joints. To answer your question, psoriasis is not contagious so rest assured you will not "catch" it. The actual cause of this skin disease is unknown but there is a tendency for it to run in families and there may be genetic factors involved.
Although it's sometimes itchy, he says it doesn't cause him much discomfort. But it looks so red and angry it's hard to believe it's not painful.
Psoriasis causes pink or red raised patches, with white scales to develop on the skin. Apart from being mildly itchy the patches usually look worse than they feel. Some people have only one patch while others may have them in several different areas. The most common sites are the elbows, knees and scalp although patches can appear in more unusual places such as under the nails of the fingers and toes.
The skin of psoriasis grows much faster than normal skin, which means that a substance called keratin, cannot be produced. Keratin is what gives skin its hard, smooth surface. As a result, the skin has an unsightly, flaky appearance.
We are due to go away on holiday with some friends and I would prefer if my boyfriend kept covered up but he says sunlight helps it. Is this true?
Psoriasis has a tendency to be worse during the winter months but temporarily clear up during the summer. This is because the condition responds well to ultraviolet light. But it's important to avoid getting sunburnt.
I can't help but note that you seem to be more irritated by this problem than your boyfriend is. If he hasn't already done so encourage him to go see his GP about the treatment options which include medication, topical preparations and ultraviolet light. Having done that don't hassle him about it as stress can actually trigger a flare up.