What Is Psoriasis – Symptoms And Treatment

Psoriasis is a common skin disease that occurs in a lot of people. To find out what it is and how it can be caused as well as treated: keep on reading.

What Is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a skin condition in which dry and red patches are formed on the skin. The patches are not just localized to your face, but they migrate down to your entire body, including your chest, elbows, knees, shoulders, back, legs, etc. These red and dry patches are sometimes inert, or they can lead to severe itching and soreness in some people too. Some might For some people it can be very hard to deal with and it can affect their everyday lifestyle and routine.

It is very common in people who are above the age of 30, and it affects women and men alike. It is considered to be a chronic skin disease, in which you might not even feel the symptoms, most of the time. But sometimes, the symptoms can be very noticeable and it can be troublesome to deal with.

The easiest way to identify psoriasis is to see the patches. The patches are red and flaky, with silver scales showing through as well. If you scratch the patches too much, because the itching is unbearable, then it might start to bleed too.

How Is Psoriasis Caused?

The main cause of psoriasis is increased cell renewal or production. Normally, our skin regenerates itself after several weeks, but people with psoriasis experience their skin cells being produced after every 6 to 7 days. This causes the old skin to shed quickly and prematurely and the increased cell production leads to formation of patches on the skin, which can be followed by redness or soreness.

It can also be caused due to a weaker immune system. Our body’s immune system will fight off healthy skin cells, unknowingly, and cause these red patches on the skin. People with psoriasis generally have a lower immune system.

It has also been found out that psoriasis is a hereditary disease and it runs in the family. There are many triggers of psoriasis which can worsen the condition of your patches and make it more red and itchy, these include reactions from different medications, a skin infections, throat infections and more.

What Are The Symptoms Of Psoriasis?

Now that you know how psoriasis is caused and what its potential triggers are here are some symptoms of it so it can be easily identifiable.

• You might notice your skin becoming unusually red, with a lot of dry and white, almost silver-ish scales forming on the skin.
• Sometimes, the cracks or patches can be quite painful and itchy. In other cases, it might bleed and crack even more. This is bad, because bleeding can lead to even more irritation and infections on your skin.
• Another very common symptom of psoriasis is that your nails will start to become extremely weak and brittle. You will feel like they are pulling out from the nail bed and sometimes, the nails can get detached if they become too weak.

How Can Psoriasis Be Treated?

Psoriasis can be diagnosed via a biopsy, but generally it can be identified just by looking at it, because of its characteristic appearance. Psoriasis has no definite cure, there are only topical treatments available, but they tend to alleviate some of the pain. Some treatments include:

• Different creams containing steroids tend to alleviate the dry skin and make patches less visible and itchy.
• Moisturizers are prescribed with medication in it, to help keep the skin hydrated at all times, so it doesn’t crack or bleed.
• Light therapy is quite a modern technique used in treating psoriasis, where the UV light slows down the rapid production of skin cells.
• Retinoid creams are also prescribed to help with the symptoms of psoriasis, but it has several side effects on the body.

There you have it! Now you know everything there is about psoriasis, its causes, symptoms and treatment. So, if you see the patches forming, then you know exactly what to do.