Andy Devaney
London nutritionist Lily Soutter doesn’t talk about psoriasis the way most people do—like it’s a nuisance that needs better branding. She talks about it like an opponent: unpredictable, relentless, and weirdly strategic. And in a world obsessed with quick fixes, her story is more interesting because it’s slower, messier, and recognisably human.
Soutter has lived with psoriasis since childhood, built a career simplifying nutrition science, and now specialises in workplace wellness—designing nutrition-focused wellbeing programmes for corporate organisations across the UK—alongside clinic work in Chelsea and Notting Hill. But her credibility here isn’t just academic. It’s personal.
The condition that arrived early—and stayed loud
“My psoriasis appeared at a young age, with plaque psoriasis being the most predominant on my face. I also suffered from guttate psoriasis, which looked a bit like chicken pox covering most of my body.
Unfortunately at such a young age, my peers didn’t always have a great understanding of what this condition was, with many thinking it was contagious. This hugely affected my self-confidence and self-esteem.”
It’s hard to overstate what that does to a child’s internal wiring: the constant self-monitoring, the social calculations, the quiet dread of bright lighting and closer conversation. Psoriasis isn’t just skin-deep; it can become calendar-deep.
“My condition would worsen during the winter and tended to go into remission in the summer due to the healing effects of sunlight.
When my skin condition was at its worst, I often declined to attend social events and felt like the psoriasis would control my social life. I feel that the impact of skin conditions on mental health is greatly underestimated.”
That line about mental health lands because it’s not dressed up. It’s simply what happens when a visible condition starts dictating invisible decisions.
When food became more than fuel
Soutter says a turning point came in her teens—less a dramatic breakthrough than a set of choices repeated long enough to matter.
“Thankfully dietary changes at the age of 14 helped put my psoriasis into remission for several years.
This was until I went to university, and despite embarking on a Human Nutrition degree, as a typical teenager a healthy diet wasn’t my main focus. I wore myself out, and my immune system suffered.”
Life, in other words, did what life does: deadlines, late nights, compromised routines—and the body keeping score.
“From my teens to early twenties, I had repeated bouts of tonsillitis, which triggered guttate psoriasis.
Once again I experienced red scaly patches, which looked like chicken pox like all over my face and body. This was when I was at my lowest point, and my self-confidence plummeted.”
And then, the most important sentence in the whole piece—because it’s grounded, not glossy:
“It took me several years to get symptoms under control with diet and lifestyle factors. Whilst you cannot cure psoriasis, certainly diet and lifestyle factors may help to put the condition into remission.”
Before nutrition: the treatment carousel
Long-term conditions have a habit of turning people into reluctant experts in trial and error. Soutter remembers plenty of the latter.
“When I was a child, my mother had taken me to numerous health care practitioners. Unfortunately, this was during a time when little was known about the skin condition.
I was given ineffective treatments or those, which only gave a temporary relief. Some of these treatments consisted of coal tar, steroids, emollients, acupuncture and reflexology.”
“I was also put on a long-term course of antibiotics and given numerous steroid creams but nothing seemed to alleviate the condition long-term.”
Then came a different kind of appointment—less about suppressing symptoms, more about understanding systems.
“At the age of 14, I was taken to a nutritionist, she explained the role of liver, the immune system and stress in relation to skin conditions.
The understanding of this simple scientific explanation gave me the motivation I needed to start making my dietary changes.
What she changed: the levers that mattered to her
Soutter is careful not to sell a universal blueprint—because psoriasis isn’t a one-size condition, and neither are people.
“Everyone is unique, and what may work for one person may not work for another. Skin conditions can be complex and visiting a nutritionist can help to tailor an appropriate diet to you.”
From there, she shares the dietary and lifestyle factors that helped her personally—practical, specific, and refreshingly unromantic.
1) Elimination of excess sugar
“This had the biggest impact on my skin. I would often notice my skin flaring up after over-indulging on bags of Haribo and other sweet treats.”
2) Increased water consumption
“I increased my water consumption from 2-3 glasses a day to around 2 litres a day.
I have kept up with this habit ever since and have seen huge improvements in my skin.”
3) Consumption of oily fish
“Numerous studies have shown the benefits of fish oil consumption and reduction in the redness, thickness and scaling of psoriasis.
The omega-3 fats help lubricate the cells of the body, which helps reduce inflammation. I started to consume oily fish such as salmon and mackerel on a regular basis.”
4) Elimination of food additives and colourings.
“When I was a child food additives and colourings were often found in sweets and cakes, and I would notice my skin flaring up especially after children’s parties.”
5) Managing stress
“Stress is a huge causative factor for the worsening of psoriasis. I was always an anxious child and never had a good method of stress relief.
I began to get more active, and found a love for running which dramatically help alleviate stress.”
6) Elimination of sugar-laden end-of-tea
“Whilst there are mixed reviews as to whether caffeine worsens psoriasis.
I certainly found limiting my sugar-laden teas worked for me. I switched to hot water with lemon and mint which also helped improve my water consumption.”
The useful takeaway: control without promises
There’s an honesty to Soutter’s account that makes it valuable: no miracle language, no “one weird trick,” no pretending that chronic inflammation can be outsmarted forever by virtue alone. Instead, she points to modifiable inputs—hydration, added sugar, omega-3 intake, stress load, processed additives—and frames them as levers, not guarantees.
For anyone living with psoriasis—plaque, guttate, or the kind that simply refuses to follow the rules—her story offers something rarer than a cure: the possibility of influence. Not total control. Not perfection. Just a few practical ways to stop feeling like the condition is the one holding the pen.
Note: This article shares one Lily’s experience and is not medical advice. If you have psoriasis or a suspected skin condition, seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.
