Our Spot for Teens

For Teens: Talking About Psoriatic Disease With Others

This is your place.

Welcome to Our Spot! We’ll try to answer your questions about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (together called psoriatic disease) and how they may impact your life.

Four teens walking with their arms around each other and smiling.

Family Relationships

Your parents and family members are your first line of support. Here are some ways to interact with them:

Work with your parents, guardian or caregivers.

Learn how to take an active role in setting appointments, asking questions and expressing how you feel.

Ask your family for privacy if you need it.

If you don’t want them to tell other people you have psoriasis, that's okay. Let them know ahead of time to avoid embarrassment or hurt feelings.

Lead by example.

By taking care of yourself, building positive self-esteem and treating your disease, you could be an excellent role model for any younger siblings or other family members.

Relationships and Dating

It can be difficult talking about your psoriasis and how it affects your life.

Psoriasis may affect your relationships, but it doesn’t have to control them.

If you feel nervous about dating, you may wonder if the person you’re interested in will notice your skin. Here’s a fact: Most people with psoriatic disease have successful romantic relationships. The key is finding the right person.

How do I Tell a Date About My Psoriasis?

It depends.

There may be no point in letting a date know about your psoriasis until you know you’re interested in developing a relationship with that person.

You can tell the person on your first date by sliding into the topic. Talk about the beach or swimming and how the sun is good for your psoriasis. Mention a psoriasis-related appointment or event you attended recently. Whatever approach you choose, remember that everyone has something different about him or her. Psoriasis just happens to be something that shows.

It’s also OK to wait awhile before bringing it up.

Will Psoriasis Affect My Ability to Have an Intimate Relationship?

If you choose to be sexually active, psoriasis will be a concern if you have it in the genital area.

Sex can irritate genital psoriasis, especially if your psoriasis is already flaring. Typically, you can control genital psoriasis more easily than psoriasis elsewhere. If your psoriasis doesn’t affect the genital area, it most likely won’t have any physical consequences during intimacy.

Bullying

Since psoriasis appears on the skin, you probably feel like you’re wearing a target.

The best defense is to recognize bullying (defined as unwanted, aggressive, repeated behavior) and be prepared to deal with it.