If you have been diagnosed with psoriasis, take heart; while the physical symptoms can seem like an enormous burden at first, there are things you can do and people who can help.

Here are some suggestions.

• Connect with others. An estimated two to three per cent of the world population has psoriasis – in other words, as many as a million Canadians and 140 million people worldwide. That is a lot of collective wisdom and support you can tap into.
• Learn. While there is no cure for psoriasis, there are numerous treatments and healthy lifestyle practices that can help.
• Take charge. When you take action to manage your psoriasis, it will stop managing you. Many of us who have embarked on this journey have found renewed strength and resiliency that has made us better people. We thrive in spite of adversity. 

The in-depth guide below will give you a variety of tools to get you started or supplement what you already know. Ultimately, we hope that you will help us to make this guide even better by sharing what has worked for you and what has not.

Your story is important, and sharing it is a way to help yourself while also helping others.