psoriasis than numbers reflect because psoriasis is misidentified, more times than not in people with browner/darker skin tones.
There is a lack of understanding, familiarity, and basic experience when it comes to healthcare professionals being in the know. This is way past concerning.
So how do we fix this? Besides advocating for ourselves and our concerns (listen to your body), we need health professionals to dig a little deeper. This means more in-depth studies/medical literature as it pertains to Black and brown people with skin conditions, more hands-on studies to get familiar and gain personal experience with Black and brown people, and more representation.
Simple ways to manage psoriasis triggers / reduce flare-ups:
- Regulating your body temperature
- Reducing your stress
- Keeping your skin moisturized(aloe extract cream is known to reduce itching, scaling and inflammation). Many over-the-counter ointments/creams may help reduce flare-ups.
- Avoid scratching and/or peeling your skin
- Maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle (eating clean, drinking water)
- Connecting with your culturally sensitive healthcare provider/dermatologist to prescribe you medication to take by mouth or give shots, if flare-ups are more serious.
While psoriasis does look and feel different on people with browner/darker skin tones. This should not directly affect the diagnosis, or proper treatment plans and influence our quality of life. With the proper studies/material, experience and representation, we can lower and even eliminate misdiagnosis of psoriasis in Black and brown people.