What's Triggering Your Psoriasis? 4 Ways to Find Out

Psoriasis is a complicated condition, and scientists still don't know what causes it. Genetics may play a role, but external factors can also contribute to flare-ups. Many people find that certain things trigger their psoriasis symptoms. 

There are a few things you can do to find out what's triggering your psoriasis, but first, it's essential to understand the most common triggers.

Common Psoriasis Triggers

To figure out what's triggering your psoriasis, you must understand the most common triggers. While they can vary from person to person, the most common triggers include:

Stress

Stress is one of the most common triggers of psoriasis flare-ups, and it can easily create a vicious cycle. Stress leads to a flare-up, the flare-up leads to more stress, and the cycle continues.

Allergies or Sensitivities

Some experts believe that food allergies or sensitivities can trigger psoriasis. Sensitivities can vary greatly from one person to the next. Foods that may be triggers for some people may not be triggers for others.

That being said, some foods tend to be more connected to psoriasis flare-ups than others, including:

• Dairy products
• Junk food or heavily processed foods
• Gluten
• Alcohol

Food allergies and sensitivities can play a role in triggering or exacerbating psoriasis. After all, the foods that you eat have a direct effect on your health. Inflammatory foods, for example, may trigger an immune response that leads to a flare-up.

While research has found a potential link between diet and psoriasis, medical treatments are still believed to be the best way to manage this condition.

4 Ways to Identify What's Triggering Your Psoriasis 

Stress, diet, illness and lifestyle can all trigger psoriasis, but how do you know what's triggering your flare-ups.

1. Take a Closer Look at Your Lifestyle and Medical History

One way to identify potential triggers is to take a close look at your medical history and lifestyle. Looking at these two key areas may help you connect the dots and find potential triggers. 

2. Try Sensitivity or Allergy Testing

If you suspect that certain foods may be causing your flare-ups, then allergy or sensitivity testing may be helpful. 

Testing can save you time by giving you immediate and reliable results. These results can help you make smart diet and lifestyle changes to see whether they affect your flare-ups.

3. Follow an Elimination Diet

An elimination diet removes all common food triggers from your diet for 4-8 weeks. At that point, you can slowly start reintroducing these foods one at a time to see your reaction.

Allergy and sensitivity testing can be helpful, but elimination diets are the most common way to pinpoint food triggers. 

Consult with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or going on an elimination diet.

4. Keep a Journal to Track Your Triggers

Keeping a journal is one of the best ways to figure out what's triggering your psoriasis. Tracking your symptoms and activities or foods from each day can help you find connections or clues about potential triggers.

For example, you may find that you tend to always have flare-ups after eating certain foods or when stressful events occur.

Tracking your symptoms can help you better understand your condition and the factors that may be contributing to it.

There's no surefire way to determine your psoriasis triggers, but these four methods can give you better insight into your symptoms and what may be triggering them.