Are Psoriasis and Allergies Linked?

If you have psoriasis and allergies, maybe you've wondered if your allergy flares make your skin condition worse.

There's no need to guess: Doctors and researchers haven't found links between the two problems. Here, four experts break down both conditions and explain what can trigger them.

Although psoriasis and allergies both involve your immune system, the causes for them aren't related.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. That means your body's immune system wrongly attacks some of its own healthy cells.

An allergy happens when your immune system has a severe reaction to something that most people don't have a problem with, like pollen, pet dander, or certain foods.

Some people confuse psoriasis for allergies before they visit the doctor, because both conditions can cause itchy, red skin.

A lot of people come in thinking they have allergic skin problems and when I see them, they've got psoriasis, says Clifford Bassett, MD, an allergist and immunologist in New York City. "If you suspect it's one thing, it could be something else.

So, get checked by a dermatologist if your skin itches or flakes, he says.

If you have psoriasis, stress may be partly to blame when the disease first appears and when it flares. Stress can also make your allergies act up.

When you're having an allergic reaction, your body is working hard, says Julie Pena, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Nashville. It's trying to fight something. When your body is going through stressful events, it alters the immune system. We know that stress can cause psoriasis to flare, [even] the internal stress of what your body is going through.

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Are Psoriasis and Allergies Linked?