Psoriasis and Marriage: Difficulties and Solutions

Psoriasis has negative impact on multiple domains of life such as education, job, relationships, marriage and social activities. If you are dealing with psoriasis, then it can prove an obstacle in finding a suitable life-partner. In developing countries like India, it would be a bigger problem for you than the western world because the social acceptance level for skin issues like psoriasis and vitiligo is low in the developing nations.

So, what should a person with psoriasis do to get a better match?

Well, first of all, make it clear to your future life-partner and the in-laws about psoriasis. Hiding about a chronic skin issue at the time of marriage can become a ground for divorce. Tell them about the non-contagious and non-harmful nature of psoriasis. If they agree, go ahead in the relation and if they don’t know, better to close the chapter and move ahead in life.

You would find the someone special, sooner or later, who would see beyond psoriasis and accept and love you wholeheartedly.

What is Psoriasis

Psoriasis is an auto-immune skin issue- the faulty, hyperactive immune system triggers rapid growth of skin cells to develop red skin lesions on various parts of the body. These red skin patches are often covered with silvery white flakes. Skin dryness, itching and inflammation are other symptoms of psoriasis. The exact cause of this autoimmune reaction is not defined. There can be many contributing factors like poor gut health, weak liver functioning, genetic fault (hereditary), chronic stress, infections like strep throat and any skin injury. Alcohol abuse or over consumption of steroids and antibiotics can also trigger psoriasis. In short, the exact cause of psoriasis is still a mystery, that’s why the medical world is still searching for a concrete treatment of psoriasis.

Psoriasis don’t have a cure- it means that you can’t eradicate it completely. However, you can manage (control) it to improve the quality of your life.

Despite the lack of any permanent cure, psoriasis is quite harmless. It is not medically dangerous or life threatening as such. Also, it is completely non-contagious (non-communicable) in nature. It is not transmitted through touch, sharing personal items, eating from a same plate, living together or having a physical relationship. Hence, none of your family members or close friends are going to catch psoriasis from you. (1, 2)

How harmful is Psoriasis?

Mild to moderate psoriasis doesn’t have any serious consequences. In case of severe psoriasis, a possible reduction in life expectancy by 3 to 4 years or a risk of heart problems in the later stages of life are likely to happen if the person doesn’t take substantial steps to manage psoriasis. (3, 4)

About 10-20% of the people with psoriasis further develop psoriatic arthritis- pain and swelling in body joints, particularly the finger joints. Here again, the chances of psoriatic arthritis are higher in severe psoriasis than mild one.

Do not ignore Psoriasis

Being an auto-immune disorder, psoriasis can affect your body as a whole if you leave it untreated. Also, it is not recommended to consume a lot of immunosuppressants (methotrexate) and steroids as they can impose serious side effects when consumed over a long period of time. The natural / alternative healing approach is quite safe, effective and worth a try!

Psoriasis management with the help of natural healing approach includes:

• A healthy, restricted diet
• Positive lifestyle
• Stress management techniques like exercise, yoga, meditation
• Dietary supplements like omega 3 fats, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12, Zinc, Selenium, glutamine
• Herbs and natural remedies like turmeric, apple cider vinegar, milk thistle, lemon-ginger tea
• Use of Soaking baths with Epsom salt, Dead sea salt, baking soda
• Applying herbal / natural topicals like virgin coconut oil, aloe vera, tea tree oil, neem oil

Lack of awareness among general public causes social stigma

Psoriasis doesn’t limit a person’s abilities and should not make any damaging impact on the quality of a person’s life except the general public’s perception. Unfortunately, there is a lot to be done to aware the common general public about the non-contagious nature of psoriasis. Although, majority of the people understand and co-operate; sometimes, people with psoriasis are bound to face awkward public stares and questions from people around.

There is a long list of incurable common lifestyle disorders like diabetes, thyroid, asthma, high blood pressure, other heart issues, joint pain, influenza or common cold. But, people don’t show much concern to these problems because they are skin deep- not visible on your body whereas psoriasis is easy to notice and identify. That’s why psoriasis is more painful a disease to live with as it can affect the social life of a person.

Psoriasis and Marriage

This is unfortunate, but, true that people with psoriasis face difficulties in finding a suitable match. Numerous misconceptions (myths) about psoriasis to blame for.

• Myth # 1
  Psoriasis makes a person physically unfit and it is risky to marry a person with psoriasis.
  Reality
  As discussed above, psoriasis doesn’t affect the physical or mental capabilities of a person. With proper diagnosis along with positive changes in diet and lifestyle, a person with psoriasis can live quite a satisfying life without any complications. However, severe psoriasis, if left untreated, can lead to development of other health issues such as heart problems, diabetes, joint pain and inflammatory bowel syndrome over a period of time. Similarly, people’s negative reactions and over self-consciousness can lead to social isolation and lack of self-confidence.
• Myth # 2
  After marriage, the life-partner would also develop psoriasis as it is contagious in nature.
  Reality
  Psoriasis is non-contagious in nature. It doesn’t spread from one person to another. There is no doubt about it! Psoriasis cannot be transmitted by living together or by making sexual relationship.
• Myth # 3
  Psoriasis would pass on to future generation (from parents to kids)
  Reality
  The genetic factor (faulty genes) is one of the reasons among many for psoriasis development. It accounts for around 15-20% cases where a person can inherit psoriasis causing genes from his close relatives such as parents, siblings, grandparents, first cousins or uncles/aunts. In remaining 80-85% cases, the other reasons such as chronic stress, poor gut health, any infection or skin injury plays the major role in developing psoriasis.
  Interestingly, even if none of the parents have psoriasis, a child can inherit psoriasis causing genes from other close relatives such as grandparents, uncle/aunts or cousins. Thus, it is a complete injustice to say that children of psoriasis affected parents are bound to develop psoriasis.

Derma Matrimony is a matrimony website for people with psoriasis, vitiligo and other skin issues

DermaMatrimony.com is the world’s only matrimonial website dedicated to people dealing with skin issues such as psoriasis, vitiligo (leucoderma), eczema, scleroderma, albinism, scar, birthmark and other skin issues. Just register free and search for a suitable match dealing with same or similar skin issue.

What are the benefits of marrying someone with same or similar skin issue:

• There would be a better understanding between you and your partner
• The fear of judgement and feeling of insecurity would not be there. The negative thoughts like “Am I good enough for my partner” or “Is my skin issue bothering my partner or the in-laws” would not come in your mind
• The in-laws would also accept you wholeheartedly because their own child is also dealing with something similar.
• You would be least bothered about your skin and focus on more important aspects of life such as family and career.
• In many cases, people improve their skin health drastically after marriage thanks to a caring life-partner and the in-laws. A loving and supportive soulmate would drastically reduce stress in your life and stress is one of the biggest culprits for any auto-immune disorder like psoriasis. Hence, reduced stress would automatically relieve the psoriasis symptoms and you would live a better life.

So, what are you waiting for- Go ahead and discover your soulmate who would accept you as you are with all the love and warmth. Register now and get started at DermaMatrimony.com.