Q I am a 45-year-old self-employed person in Dong-gu, Incheon. When work stress is severe, my elbow psoriasis visibly spreads. Does stress really cause it?
A Psoriasis flares up or worsens when environmental triggers such as stress, infection, medication, and trauma overlap with a genetic predisposition. Tonsillitis or upper respiratory infections are often followed by sudden outbreaks, and mental stress is a representative aggravating factor that disrupts immune balance and widens lesions. The Koebner phenomenon, where new lesions form along sites of skin injury, means scratching and irritating habits also play a role in worsening the condition.
Detailed Answer
Psoriasis is not caused by a single factor. It flares up or worsens when environmental triggers such as stress, infections, medications, and skin trauma are added to a genetic predisposition such as family history. Rashes can erupt like an outbreak after tonsillitis or upper respiratory infections, and the Koebner phenomenon, where new lesions form along sites of injury, is also well known.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
Dongjedang sees stress-induced liver qi stagnation (肝氣鬱結) as blocking the flow of qi and further stoking heat. When stagnant qi draws up blood-heat, that heat rushes to the skin and spreads as red patches and thick scales. Therefore, in treatment, loosening the stagnant qi and heat—"turning a stagnant pond back into a flowing river"—is treated as very important.
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