How Psoriasis Patients Can Help With Their Doctor’s Appointment

Do you have psoriasis and don't know how to improve communication with your dermatologist? Optimizing the consultation can be a challenge, so we are here to help.

Sharing the full reality of life with the disease can be quite difficult, and it is good to understand the reasons for this.

Many people are living with psoriasis and have great relationships with their doctors. The idea is that you will be part of this team!

Only an individual with psoriasis knows the struggle of effective communication about their problems.

It is of utmost importance to keep a healthy relationship with your doctor, and if you have no clue how you are going to do it, these next steps are just for you.

Understanding Psoriasis

Diagnosis is often challenging. It is necessary to determine the type of psoriasis, its severity, how well the patient responds to each type of treatment, and so on. Not to mention that there are physical manifestations such as pain, itching, and excessive tiredness.

What happens when you are not able to communicate easily what life with psoriasis is like? You end up feeling that the doctor simply doesn't understand you, or, even worse, doesn't take you seriously.

If you feel you need more than you are getting, you have to move and take an active role. If you hear during the consultation "let's wait and see," or "there's not much that can be done," and you feel that those answers are not enough, remember that you have every right to ask more questions!

Get involved with your treatment, tell us about all your symptoms, and explain the mental and emotional impacts you have suffered as a result of psoriasis. Don't be afraid to ask for help!

Quality of Life

Now let's talk about something very, very important: some people with psoriasis convince themselves that big impacts on their lives are "normal", that if there is an improvement in the physical symptoms, they are already doing everything they can to treat the disease.

And then they don't report the symptoms that are not physical, that don't show up on the skin, in the consultation.

If you are only focusing on the physical improvement, you may be ignoring other equally important symptoms of psoriasis. That's where quality of life comes in!

The Dermatology Quality of Life Index, or DLQI, was created to assess the impact of skin diseases, including psoriasis, on patients' quality of life.

The DLQI, along with other indices such as the PASI, is one of the most widely used tools worldwide to evaluate the health status of a person with psoriasis, the severity of the disease, and the response to treatment.

Consultation With a Dermatologist

Are you happy? Are you able to get or keep a job? Do you have an active social life? Are your relationships healthy?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, and the reason is psoriasis, the disease may be having a more negative impact than you think.

And your dermatologist won't help you if he or she doesn't know that.

This is why communication is an important key piece during any consultation with your healthcare professional.

You shouldn't ignore this because it will play a huge role in your mental health in the years to come.

No one knows more about the impacts of your psoriasis than you do. Sometimes, not even your biggest supporters will understand all the symptoms or challenges you are facing.

It's up to you to carry the conversations forward and not settle. You should feel free to ask questions and get answers about all aspects of your disease.

Happy talking!