Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that can itch. It causes reddening of the skin and formation of flaky white skin scales. Because psoriasis can look similar to eczema, and because eczema can be caused by allergies, you might think you need to avoid regular lactose-containing milk if you have psoriasis; this is not the case.
Lactose-Free Milk
Lactose-free milk and other lactose-free dairy products have been developed for individuals with lactose intolerance, which is an inability to digest the sugar in milk. If you have lactose intolerance, the lactose you consume passes through your small intestine without you digesting it because you don't produce enough of the digestive enzyme lactase. As a result, you experience a variety of uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms including cramping, diarrhea and bloating.
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that has many different possible causes. These include too much sun exposure, overconsumption of alcohol, and infection of the skin. Foods and food allergies don't cause psoriasis; they cause a similarly itchy condition called "eczema," which is the result of immune system activation and subsequent skin irritation. If you experience skin flareups upon consuming milk, you have eczema, not psoriasis.
Connection
There are two reasons lactose-containing milk and psoriasis aren't connected to each other. The first is that you can't get psoriasis from food. The second is that you aren't reacting to lactose if you experience skin irritation when you drink milk. Instead, this means you have a milk allergy, explains MayoClinic.com. If you have a milk allergy, you can't drink lactose-free milk, because you're reacting to milk proteins, not milk sugar.
The Bottom Line
Since there's no connection whatsoever between lactose, lactose intolerance and psoriasis, it's OK for you to drink lactose-free milk if you have psoriasis, provided you don't also have a milk allergy or some other condition that precludes your consumption of dairy. Neither lactose-free milk nor regular dairy will affect your psoriasis either for good or for ill. If you react to milk, however, you should see your doctor to determine the cause and what you should do about it.
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