What is psoriasis?
Firstly, Psoriasis is non-contagious. It is a chronic skin condition that produces plaques of thickened, scaling skin. The dry flakes of skin scales are a result of the skin cells overproducing at a rapid pace. The increase of skin cells is triggered by inflammatory chemicals that are produced by white blood cells called lymphocytes. The most common skin areas that are affected by psoriasis are the elbows, knees, and scalp.
The fungal disease can range from being very mild, affecting only small areas of the skin, to becoming quite severe, affecting the entire body surface.
Unfortunately, psoriasis is an incurable, long-term chronic inflammatory skin condition, however, psoriasis comes in stages and may improve periodically or it may worsen over time. Studies have shown that many people note a worsening of their symptoms in the colder winter months.
The skin condition is not limited to one sex or race, as it affects all, including babies right through to adults. Although psoriasis can be seen in people of any age, most commonly patients are first diagnosed in their early adult years. Many psoriasis patients life’s quality is tarnished due to the appearance of their skin. Unfortunately, studies have shown that those who suffer from the fungal disease are more likely to have diabetes, high blood lipids, cardiovascular disease, and a variety of other inflammatory diseases.
What is the main cause of psoriasis?
Unfortunately, the exact cause of remains unknown. However, studies have shown that there is a combination of elements, including genetic proneness as well as environmental factors. You would find that family members are more likely to have the disease. Another cause is the defects in immune regulation– this is when the white blood cells called T cells mistakenly target healthy cells instead of attacking foreign substances. Another factor that causes the skin to flare up is stress and unhealthy eating. By following a poor diet with high-acidic food can irritate the skin causing inflammation and possibly resulting in the spread of the skin fungus.
What are the symptoms of psoriasis?
The signs and symptoms of the most common form of psoriasis, plaque psoriasis, appear as red or pink small scaly bumps that form into plaques of raised skin. The skin on the elbows, knees, and scalp is often itchy and is an effect of plaque psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is prone to be more common in areas where there is a lot of friction, scratching, or abrasion. One needs to be careful when pulling off skin flakes, as it can cause a tiny blood spot on the skin. This is a special diagnostic sign for psoriasis called the Auspitz sign.
Most commonly nail psoriasis can be confused with a fungal nail infection, as they are very similar in look. With nail psoriasis, fingernails and toenails often covered with small pits and/or larger yellowish-brown separations of the nail from the nail bed at the fingertip. This is called distal onycholysis.
Another form of psoriasis is guttate psoriasis. The signs and symptoms of guttate psoriasis include bumps or small plaques of red itchy, scaling skin that may appear explosively, affecting large parts of the skin surface simultaneously, after a sore throat.
In inverse psoriasis, genital lesions, especially in the groin and 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 plaques without much scaling. This may be confused with other skin conditions like fungal infections, yeast infections, allergic rashes, or bacterial infections.
Pustular psoriasis signs and symptoms include groups of small bumps filled with pus on the torso. Those suffering from this form of psoriasis may be quite ill and may suffer from a fever.
Erythrodermic psoriasis appears as extensive areas of red skin often involving the entire skin surface. This form of psoriasis is known to make one feel quite cold.
Scalp psoriasis may look like severe dandruff with dry flakes and red areas of skin. It can be difficult to differentiate between scalp psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis when only the scalp is involved. However, the treatment is often very similar for both conditions.
What are the different types of psoriasis?
- Plaque psoriasis
- Guttate psoriasis
- Inverse psoriasis – in the folds like of the underarms, navel, groin, and buttocks
- Pustular psoriasis – small pus-filled yellowish blisters
- Palmoplantar psoriasis – found on palms and the soles of one’s feet
- Erythrodermic psoriasis – the entire skin surface is involved with the disease. Patients with this form of psoriasis often feel cold and may develop congestive heart failure if they have a pre-existing heart problem.
- Nail psoriasis
- Scalp psoriasis – can be severe enough to cause hair loss, dandruff, and severe itching.
How can I manage Psoriasis?
There are many ways to help manage your psoriasis, but the main point we can find is to live a healthy lifestyle. This includes eating healthy fats and oils and exercising often. Cutting out excessive alcohol abuse and smoking will also help to not aggravate the skin and causing flare-ups. Most doctors will diagnose you with various treatments including scalp products and ointments. However, we would advise you to try supplementing with natural enzyme supplements which prevent or treat psoriasis.
