Psoriasis facts
- Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease.
- Patients with psoriasis who are obese are predisposed to diabetes and heart disease.
- Psoriasis can be initiated by certain environmental triggers.
- A predisposition for psoriasis is inherited in genes.
- Psoriasis is not contagious.
- Psoriasis gets better and worse spontaneously and can have periodic remissions (clear skin).
- Psoriasis is controllable with medication.
- Psoriasis is currently not curable.
- There are many promising therapies, including newer biologic drugs.
- Future research for psoriasis is promising.
What is psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a noncontagious skin
condition that produces plaques of thickened, scaling skin. The dry
flakes of skin scales are thought to result from the excessively rapid
proliferation of skin cells that is triggered by an immune attack by
abnormal lymphocytes. Psoriasis commonly affects the skin of the elbows,
knees, and scalp.
Some people have such mild psoriasis (small, faint dry skin
patches) that they may not even suspect that they have a medical skin
condition. Others have very severe psoriasis where virtually their
entire body is fully covered with thick, red, scaly skin.
Psoriasis
is considered an incurable, long-term (chronic) skin condition. It has a
variable course, periodically improving and worsening. It is not
unusual for psoriasis to spontaneously
What causes psoriasis?
The exact cause remains unknown. There
may be a combination of factors, including genetic predisposition and
environmental factors. It is common for psoriasis to be found in members
of the same family. The immune system is thought to play a major role.
Despite research over the past 30 years looking at many triggers, the
"master switch" that turns on psoriasis is still a mystery.
What does psoriasis look like? What are psoriasis symptoms and signs?
Psoriasis appears as red or pink areas of thickened, raised, and
scaling skin. It classically affects areas over the elbows, knees, and
scalp. Although any body area may be involved, it tends to be more
common in areas of trauma, scratching, or abrasions.
Psoriasis may vary in appearance. It often appears as small flattened scaly bumps and larger thick plaques of raised skin.
There are several different types of psoriasis, including psoriasis vulgaris (common type), guttate psoriasis (small, drop-like spots), inverse psoriasis (in the folds like of the underarms, navel, groin, and buttocks), and pustular psoriasis (small pus-filled yellowish blisters). When the palms and the soles are involved, this is known as palmoplantar psoriasis.
What does psoriasis look like? What are psoriasis symptoms and signs?
Sometimes
pulling off one of these small dry white flakes of skin causes a tiny
blood spot on the skin. This is medically referred to as a special
diagnostic sign in psoriasis called the Auspitz sign.
Genital
lesions, especially on the head of the penis, are common. Psoriasis in
moist areas like the navel or the area between the buttocks
(intergluteal folds) may look like flat red patches. This may be
confused with other skin conditions like fungal infections, yeast
infections, skin irritation, or bacterial infections.
Finger and
toenails often exhibit small pits (pinpoint depressions) and/or larger
yellowish-brown separations of the nail bed called "oil spots." Nail
psoriasis may be confused with and incorrectly diagnosed as a fungal nail infection.
Scalp psoriasis may look like severe dandruff
with dry flakes and red areas of skin. It may be difficult to
differentiate between scalp psoriasis and seborrhea dermatitis when only
the scalp is involved. However, the treatment is often very similar for
both conditions.
