Keeping in touch

Why it matters so much

So many fleeting moments of physical contact can occur throughout the day – from holding hands and hugging, to a friendly slap on the back or a touch on the shoulder. These little moments can mean a lot, helping to us feel comfortable with ourselves, make friends and build relationships.¹
But if you have psoriasis, in these moments your skin can hold you back.
It’s easy to feel fed up and out of touch if your psoriasis makes you avoid physical contact, and it can only take one bad experience to make you feel self-conscious about your skin.

“Is it contagious?”

“Is psoriasis contagious? Does psoriasis spread? Can you catch psoriasis?”

With a visible condition like psoriasis, these questions can come up a lot.

Although psoriasis isn’t contagious² (it can’t be spread through physical contact) other people may not know this, and having someone avoiding touching you can be hurtful and embarrassing. You’re not alone if this has happened to you – 26% of people with psoriasis have experienced an incident where someone has made a conscious effort not to touch them because of their skin.³ 

This can happen because psoriasis may be mistaken for other skin conditions ⁴ but now it’s known that psoriasis isn’t contagious,² there’s no reason to let it stop you from touching other people.

Reach out

Reaching out to others isn’t always easy, especially if you’ve been avoiding it for a while and feel out of practice. Here are some tips to help you get back in touch…

For lots of people with psoriasis, an important part of being able to engage physically with others is raising awareness of psoriasis. By doing this, misconceptions about psoriasis can be overcome.

Physical contact – human touch – is an important part of what makes us human and makes us feel connected. If you have psoriasis, try not to let your skin stop you from making that connection.