Psoriasis patients whose healed skin had higher levels of oleic acid (a naturally occurring fatty acid) showed fewer inflammatory T cells and lower markers of psoriasis flare-ups. The study suggests that the fatty acid composition in your skin's outer layer directly influences immune cells living in your skin—and oleic acid appears to be a calming influence on those cells.

Researchers analyzed skin samples from psoriasis patients using lab equipment to measure fatty acid levels, then tested how immune cells in those skin samples responded to activation. They compared healed patches, inflamed patches, and skin from healthy people.

Funding not disclosed in abstract