What Is Psoriasis?
What is psoriasis, really? There are plenty of misconceptions about psoriasis, mainly because until now we still don’t know a lot about this disease. We still don’t know what causes psoriasis and how it can be cured. The only things we’re sure about are that psoriasis is not contagious, that certain factors can trigger psoriasis, it is chronic, and it is treatable.
| Abdomen with psoriasis. Image courtesy of the CDC and Gavin Hart |
Psoriasis is a very common skin disease that’s believed to be caused by mistakes in the body’s immune system. The immune system sends a signal that speeds up the growth cycle of skin cells. Normally, skin cells grow deep within the skin and rise up to the surface once a month. The skin cells on the surface of the skin eventually dies and is shed off to make way for new skin cells. In people with psoriasis, this process speeds up from 1 month into two weeks. As a result, dead cells accumulate on the surface of the skin. The accumulation of dead cells on the skin is what produces the symptoms that we associate with psoriasis like itching, skin irritation, skin dryness, and flaking.
Psoriasis is also a chronic skin disease. It usually flares up and disappears repeatedly over time with varying degrees of severity. Psoriasis flare ups are usually triggered by certain factors which include:
- Bacterial or viral infections
- Skin injuries like cuts and bruises
- Dry skin
- Stress
- Certain medication (beta-blockers, antimalarials, lithium)
- Too much or too little sunlight
- Alcohol consumption
- Smoking
- Cold weather
Different types of psoriasis produce different symptoms. There are basically five main types of psoriasis
- Plaque psoriasis or psoriasis vulgaris. This is the most common type of psoriasis which affects 80% of psoriasis sufferers. It’s characterized by thick, red patches of skin covered by silvery white flakes. It’s usually seen on the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back.
- Guttate psoriasis. This type of psoriasis is characterized by individual, small, pink to red dots that usually appear on the trunk and limbs. Children and young adults are the ones usually affected by this type of psoriasis.
- Inverse psoriasis. Inverse psoriasis is characterized by smooth, shiny, bright red lesions that usually appear in areas where the skin overlaps like the armpits, the groin, under the breasts, and buttocks. These lesions are prone to irritation due to their location; overlapping skin tends to rub against one another and sweat can accumulate in the skin folds.
- Pustular psoriasis. This type of psoriasis is characterized by white blisters surrounded by red skin. The blisters contain noninfectious pus which consists of white blood cells. Pustular psoriasis is primarily seen in adults. It is often localized to certain areas of the body like the hands and feet but it can also spread all over the body.
- Erythrodermic psoriasis. Erythrodermic psoriasis usually affects most of the body’s surface. It is characterized by skin redness with shedding. Unlike in plaque psoriasis where the dead skin cells flake as they’re being shed, the skin in erythrodermic psoriasis sheds off in sheets. And unlike the other types of psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis is accompanied by other symptoms such as pain, increase in heart rate and changes in body temperature. People with erythrodermic psoriasis often require hospitalization whenever they have a flare up.
The symptoms of psoriasis can easily be mistaken for other disease like skin yeast infection or seborrheic dermatitis. If you suspect that you have psoriasis, make sure to check with your doctor to confirm your diagnosis and get immediate treatment for your condition.
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