Many people with psoriasis are mistakenly believed to have a contagious disease and are treated unkindly, such as being refused service at hair salons, the Psoriasis Association Taiwan said yesterday, as it announced an online certification for hairstylists to learn about psoriasis.
The association invited a man with the condition, surnamed Chang (張), to share his experience at a news conference in Taipei ahead of World Psoriasis Day today, to raise awareness about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Chang, 55, said that he worked long hours under stress while he was an entrepreneur in his 30s and it unexpectedly triggered psoriasis.
Photo: CNA
He developed red, scaly patches and white flakes on his skin, he said.
Because of his condition, Chang said he was afraid to wear short sleeves or take off his cap in public.
He was sometimes treated unkindly, such as when getting his hair cut, where he was rejected or told to buy anti-dandruff products, he said, adding that once he went four years without a haircut.
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital dermatologist Huang Yu-hui (黃毓惠) said psoriasis is a non-contagious, long-lasting autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the skin.
Aside from genetic predisposition, environmental factors can also trigger an onset, such as stress, infection or skin injuries, Huang said.
Psoriasis can occur at any age, but often has two peaks of onset: between age 20 and 29 and from 50 to 59, she said.
Among people with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, there is a higher prevalence of scalp involvement (about 56 percent) and facial involvement (about 49 percent), she said.
Some people experience extreme itchiness and scratch their scalp causing injury to the skin and increased infection risk, so treatment aims to suppress inflammation and reduce itchiness during flare-ups, Huang said.
In addition to skin injuries and an increased risk of infection from scratching, many people with psoriasis experience anxiety, association secretary-general Wang Ya-hsin (王雅馨) said, citing Chang’s situation at hair salons.
To encourage people with psoriasis to step into hair salons, the association this year collaborated with doctors, academics and hairstylists to launch a “psoriasis-friendly hairstylists alliance,” Wang said.
The association invited a hairstylist, Miyake of Hungkuang University’s Department of Hair Styling and Design, who has designed hairstyles for many entertainers, to make a video teaching other stylists how to carefully design and execute hairstyles for people with psoriasis, Wang said.
After hairstylists watch the online course and pass an exam, they would receive a certificate from the association and the university, she said, adding that the association would also put their salon on its online list of psoriasis-
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