Smoking
Some studies have shown that those people who consume more than one pack of cigarettes a day tend to be two times as likely to suffer from serious plaque psoriasis than those who consume fewer than 10 cigarettes per day. Currently, researchers have not found the exact link. However, they believe that tobacco products might make the number of autoantigens higher in the epidermis, which is the outermost area of the skin. The immune system tends to recognize these proteins as harmful and thus attack them. Other scientists believe that smoking could speed up or cause the autoimmune response. The risk is even higher in women than in men. [7]
