Loading...
15 view(s)
August is national Psoriasis Awareness Month, and since it’s the most common autoimmune disease in the United States – affecting about 7.5 million people – Hylunia wants to help educate people about psoriasis, its causes and how to manage it.
What is psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes scaling and inflammation of the skin. Psoriasis typically appears in patches of red raised skin with thick silver or white scales.
Who’s at risk for developing psoriasis?
- About one-third of people with psoriasis have a family history it.
- People with unhealthy immune systems are more likely to develop psoriasis than people with healthy immune systems.
- Smoking is believed to lead to the development of psoriasis in some cases and may also lead to worsening of the condition.
- People who get recurring bacterial infections, particularly strep throat, have a higher risk of developing the condition.
What triggers psoriasis?
Psoriasis may be caused by a variety of factors such as:
- Stress
- Genetics
- Certain medications
- Weather
- Too much alcohol
- Diet
- Insect bites
- Low levels of calcium
- Abnormalities in the immune system
- Injury to skin
- Bacterial or viral infections
- Smoking
- Allergies
- Dry air
- Increased skin friction
- Too much or too little sunlight
Symptoms of Psoriasis
The symptoms of psoriasis are usually:
- Redness covered with silver-white scales
- Inflamed skin and swelling
- Itching
- Dry cracked skin
- Bleeding
- Swollen, stiff, painful joints
- Flaking silver-white scaly lesions
- Thickening of lesions due to scratching
- Raindrop shaped patches
- Raised lesions, bright red lesions, smooth lesions, scaly lesions
- Pain
- Pustules or pus
- Rash
- Yellow/red nail discoloration, pits in the nails, lines across the nails, areas of white on the nail, thickened, pitted or ridged nails, skin under the nail bed thickening, nail crumbling, separation of the end of the nail with the nail bed, small black lines from the tip of the nail to the cuticle, red spotted lunula of nail, nail fungal infection.
- Red patches on the scalp covered in silver-white scales, hair loss, extreme itching of the scalp.
- Redness of the eye, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, eye pain
Types of psoriasis
TypeDescription
| Plaque Psoriasis | This is the most common type of psoriasis. It often causes thick patches of skin that are covered with slivery-white scales. |
| Guttate Psoriasis | Causes small pink-red spots that can show up all over the body. It most often appears on the elbows, knees scalp and lower back. |
| Pustular Psoriasis | This is a fairly uncommon type of psoriasis that causes pus-filled bumps that usually appear on the feet or hands.. |
| Inverse Psoriasis | Inverse psoriasis develops in areas where skin touches skin. It appears as bright red, smooth, shiny patches with no scales. |
| Erythrodermic Psoriasis | Also known as exfoliative psoriasis, this is the most uncommon and serious type of psoriasis that causes widespread redness that can make skin appear as if it’s severely burned. |
| Nail Psoriasis | Nail psoriasis damages the nail bed and can be very painful. |
| Psoriatic Arthritis | This is a condition when a person has both psoriasis and arthritis. Most people develop psoriasis first and are later diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. Swollen and painful joints are the most common symptoms. |
Topical treatment for psoriasis
- Topical corticosteroid ointments are frequently prescribed for treating psoriasis.
- Vitamin D can be used to treat mild to moderate psoriasis.
- Anthralin is a medication that can remove scales, making them smoother.
- Topical retinoids are used to decrease inflammation.
- Salicylic acid helps treat psoriasis by sloughing off dead skin cells and reduce scaling.
Long-term treatment is usually necessary to manage psoriasis. However, it’s very possible to live a normal life with the condition. Doctors are learning more about psoriasis and searching for a cure.
