Psoriasis is a skin condition that causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin covered with silvery scales and while many sufferers look forward to the warmer summer weather as it alleviates the itch, others find it as a trigger to make matters worse. 
There is no cure for psoriasis, says the NHS, while a range of treatments can improve symptoms and the appearance of the affected skin patches.
Psoriasis patches normally appear on elbows, hands, knees, scalp and lower back but can appear anywhere like under nails. In some cases, the patches can be itchy or sore and psoriasis affects around two per cent of men and women the UK.
However, a study conducted by National Council for Hypnotherapy member Paul Howard found that anger was a distinct personality trait shared by many of the participants suffering from psoriasis. And hypnotherapy can effectively treat anger and/or stress and thereby alleviate the psoriasis discomfort.
“The anger was very common,” said Howard. “I would say over 90 per cent of the participants had this deep rooted and very noticeable anger. However, the anger was surprisingly not always about the psoriasis. Sometimes the anger was directed towards themselves, as if they had done something so wrong that the Psoriasis was a kind of punishment.”
Howard found that 28 per cent of the participants in his study achieved a 95 per cent reduction in the psoriasis with a further 29 per cent seeing a 50 per cent reduction. He added that all the participants reported a different attitude to their psoriasis after the treatment.
While it is difficult to measure stress and to prove the relationship between stress and psoriasis, according to the website Patient.co.uk, it did recognise that stress can contribute to a flare-up of psoriasis in some people. There is some evidence to suggest that the treatment of stress in some people with psoriasis may be of benefit.
If you suffer from symptoms of anger and stress and whether this causes psoriasis or not, it will be worth getting hold of a National Council for Hypnotherapy therapist near you (click here for their directory).
A final warning about summer. Some people have photosensitive psoriasis, a form that flares up when summer sunlight hits it. Others have been prescribed medication as part of their psoriasis treatment that makes their skin more sensitive to sunlight. Even people who do find sunlight to be a good treatment for psoriasis need to be careful about overdoing it.