What is Psoriasis?

How to Identify Psoriasis              

Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease. It is a common skin condition; however, cure is not yet available. Nevertheless, treatments are now available and are widely practiced. It is very important to identify psoriasis and more importantly, the types of psoriasis should also be learned. Knowing on how to identify psoriasis and its types will help in giving the right medications as well as providing the right treatment approach.

1. Erythrodermic Psoriasis

Erythrodermic psoriasis is a severe form of psoriasis although it is very uncommon. This type of psorasis is serious since it can affect a large surface area of the body. The symptoms are likened to that of burns. The skin is flaming red and severe itching may be felt by the sufferer. There is also a burning sensation and severe peeling of skin. Aside from all of these, it can also cause erratic changes in the beating of the heart. If this happens, there is a need for the sufferer to consult his physician. Hospitalization may also be required since there might be dehydration and infection.

2. Guttate Psoriasis

Guttate psoriasis is more prevalent on children and on young adults. Unlike the erythrodermic, the body will have small and pinkish spots. Aside from that, these spots are less thick than the normal plaques. These spots are often seen on the scalp, thighs, and trunks and in the upper arms. This type of psoriasis are usually self-limiting, meaning, it will go away on its own. Nevertheless, there is an exception in this rule, some guttate psoriasis are hard to be treated.

 

 

3. Inverse Psoriasis

In contrast to the other types of psoriasis, inverse psoriasis does not have scales. The skin is bright red and smooth. This type of psoriasis is more often seen in body folds such as under the breast and buttocks as well as on the armpits and groin. For obese and overweight people, this type of psoriasis can be very difficult to treat.

 

 

 

4. Nail Psoriasis

Even nails can be affected by psoriasis. The skin debris from fast production of skin cells will accumulate under the nails. The nails will have holes, thickening, and separation of the edges of the nails from the nail beds as well as unusual coloring of the nail. This is actually more common for those who are experiencing psoriatic arthritis.

 

 

 

5. Plaque Psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis is considered to be the most common type of psoriasis. This type of psoriasis is also called psoriasis vulgaris. The symptoms include reddened patches all over the body, silver white scales which peels. Unlike the other types that appears and eventually disappears, plaque psoriasis lasts for years.

 

 

 

6. Psoriatic Arthritis

This condition is well known since psoriasis is combined with arthritis. There will be stiffening of as well as painful movements of the joints. Nail discoloration is also common in this type. The joints swells and may have that telltale discoloration. People suffering from psoriasis for a long time have the risk of developing arthritis possibly due to the inflammation that causes the two conditions.

 

 

 

7. Pustular Psoriasis

It is a type of psoriasis wherein the reddened patches of skin are surrounded with pustules. It is uncommon. However, adults are mostly afflicted with this. It is absolutely not infectious, psoriasis is entirely non communicable, therefore, there is no need to worry that other people may acquire this. Nevertheless, there is a need to consult a doctor since this is a serious type of psoriasis.

 

 

 

The abovementioned type of psoriasis are very helpful to be able to identify psoriasis and its treatment.

You may be wondering, is psoriasis contagious? As it seems very alike to those skin disease that can easily spread by skin contact. The answer is NO! You will not get psoriasis just by touching someone infected, or by intermediate medium such as swimming pool water, intimate contact, so on and so forth. So, please do not treat a psoriasis patient with unpleasant look as they are the one who are tortured by this disease that they shouldnt be blamed of. It is because psoriasis is a complex symptoms that is still not really been understood by scientist.

Well, there are few factors that we commonly believe it is causing the psoriasis, one of them is generic inheritance. Moreover, our immune system is also one of the key roles that is triggering the outburst of psoriasis. If one person is generically born with this flaw, his immune system T cells (white blood cell that functioned to fight against bacteria and viruses) will mistakenly trigger an unwanted skin cells growth, which is too fast to be replaced as mentioned in the beginning of the article. And this is also called T Cell Mediated disease.

So, there is another tricky issue here, scientist found that not only 1 gene is bearing the blame of causing this outrage, there are actually many genes involved. It is still an unknown question that what are all the genes that need to bite the bullet but one of them is identified which is called PSORS1. However, it is still a long way to go if we need to clear out the doubt and ready with the medical psoriasis treatment that can easily terminate the syndrome.

The following info sounds quite interesting. So, according to research, not all of the people who inherited the psoriasis genes will get psoriasis outburst. Rather it is a right mix of genes combination and subject to external trigger, which appear to me like a perfect storm. One of the known trigger will be stress. We understand that stress will cause a lot of unpleasant health issue including psoriasis. Moreover, skin injury or skin issue will increase the chance of getting psoriasis. However, these triggers are not universal as it is not applied to everyone who unfortunately having psoriasis problem.

I found this interesting and informative youtube video that is documented by a guy that beat his psoriasis problem. I am not related with this guy and not promoting any of his product. Just amazed by his recovery progress, check it out:

Psoriasis Statistic

The number of affected patient among the world that is involved in psoriasis is quite significant. While in United States alone, more than 8million of people is diagnosed with psoriasis skin disease. And there are more than 150k new cases are found yearly, which is quite a lot compare to some other severe skin disease. There is no obvious tendency of gender affection in psoriasis cases, female and male will equally have the bad luck to discover this disease. According to study: In United States, 2.5% Caucasians get psoriasis and 1.3% African Americans haunted by it, hence, the Caucasians possibility is much higher.

 

Types of Psoriasis treatment

It is a well-known fact that psoriasis has NO CURE to date. Nevertheless, there are treatments that are already used to decrease the severity of the symptoms. Types of treatment of psoriasis are divided into pharmacotherapy, phototherapy, home remedies and natural treatments. If you want to know more about these types of treatment, then, continue to read on!

1. Pharmacotherapy

Pharmacotherapy includes the use of medications developed for treating and decreasing the severity of psoriatic symptoms. There are different medications available and in fact, pharmacotherapy is again divided into intralesional, topical and systemic or biologic medications. Pharmacotherapy is available as oral medications, injectable medications as well as topical mediations. These medications range from non-steroidal medications up to corticosteroids.

Pharmacotherapy is usually prescribed by the doctor. Nevertheless, you should ask for the correct dosage, route and time of administration. You should also ask for the signs and symptoms which indicates toxicity or abrupt withdrawal. It is also important for you to check if the medications you are taking in are effective or not. Some patients are known to be resistant to some types of medication regimen.

1. Phototherapy

Exposure to the sun every day is already considered phototherapy. It is inexpensive and can even decrease stress. Some patients even suggested that soaking under the sun in the Dead Sea will greatly help in decreasing the symptoms.

Phototherapy can also be used in combination with a medication known as “psoralen.” The said medication and the ultraviolet light are known to decrease the fast production of skin cells. By decreasing skin cell production, there will be decrease in the severity of the clinical symptoms. Nevertheless, just like the pharmacotherapy, this treatment combination can also be very risky. There are some associated severe diseases with the use of phototherapy and psoralen.

You must ask or consult the doctor if you are interested maximize phototherapy as one of your treatment approach. You can ask how many minutes you can expose yourself under the sun and you can also ask about the ultraviolet and psoralen combo.

1. Home remedies

There are various home remedies that you can do in decreasing the symptoms of your skin condition. You can utilize a vinegar dip which will serve as your topical medication. You can also use herbs and oatmeal to be added to the water you will use for bathing. These ingredients that you actually eat or ingest can also serve as foods for your skin!

 

1. Natural treatments

Natural treatments include the use of acupuncture and homeopathy. In acupuncture, long and solid needles will be utilized to maintain the normal balance of the life energy of your body which will help in decreasing the symptoms you are experiencing. In some places, the needles used for acupuncture are embedded with natural herbs that are known to have anti-inflammatory characteristics. You can ask the help of your resident acupuncturist about this. Homeopathy will also help by strengthening your immune system. Homeopaths believe that your body can heal itself.

The above mentioned are the types of treatments that you can maximize to help in decreasing your symptoms!

 

Natural Psoriasis Remedy

10 easy ways to sooth psoriasis symptoms

Psoriasis is a chronic condition that affects the skin. The symptoms include reddened patches with silver scales all over the body but are more common in the knees, elbows, scalp and ankles. The severity ranges from mild to severe. However, even if the sufferer is having a mild flare, the symptoms can be very debilitating.

Another symptom of psoriasis is the itchy or burning sensation on the patches. If this happens, the sufferer will surely have a hard time sleeping due to continuous scratching and picking. Scratching and picking the plaques can lead to small cuts and tiny bleeding areas on the body. It is then very important to sooth the psoriasis symptoms.

The following are 10 easy ways to sooth psoriasis symptoms:

1. Take a bath.

It is recommended for psoriatic sufferers to take a long bath daily. This will help in rehydration of the skin. It is also recommended to add oil salts or oilated oatmeal be added in the water for bathing. Aside from that, it is also important to use lukewarm water instead of hot water. And after taking a bath, it is advised that thick emollient creams be applied on the skin plaques to lock the moisture in and to pat dry the skin instead of rubbing it dry,

1. Moderate exposure to the sun’s rays.

It is also recommended to have a moderate exposure to the rays of the sun. Researches revealed that little doses of the sun’s rays can help in making a difference for psoriatic patients. However, be reminded that too much exposure to ultra violet rays is dangerous and can even cause psoriatic flares.

1. Keep the skin rehydrated or moist.

Moisturizers and emollient creams will help to soften the plaques. It will also help in making the crusted skin be easily removed. It is better to use thick moisturizers such as petroleum jelly compared to lotions since the latter are too light.

1. Follow the treatment prescribed.

One way to prevent the symptoms is to follow the treatment prescribed by the doctor. If the doctor prescribed you to apply thick topical creams on you affected body parts daily, then you should follow it. It will be much better to include this activity on your daily routine.

 

1. Avoid scratching or picking on your skin.

It is true that scratching or picking on your skin is proven to be very difficult and agonizing. Psoriasis is truly itchy; the best way to at least sooth the skin is to trim the nails to be able to prevent tearing and bleeding. If possible, wear mittens at night to be able to avoid small bleedings when sufferers accidentally or unconsciously scratch the plaques.

1. Eat a healthy diet.

Eating a healthy diet will help in the condition of the skin of psoriatic patients. The nutrients coming from healthy foods will help in the rejuvenation of the skin cells and will also help in keeping it smoother and softer.

1. Avoid exposure to dry and cold weather.

Climate can affect the worsening of the symptoms. Cold and dry weather can dry the skin out that is why there is a need to avoid exposure to such weather. It is true that you cannot simply avoid this type of weather; use of moisturizers will help in this situation.

1. Humidifier use.

Humidifier use especially during the dry seasons will also help in maintaining the moisture of the skin. It will help in soothing the symptoms of psoriasis.

1. Corticosteroid application.

One treatment that is usually prescribed by doctors is the application of corticosteroid creams on the skin of psoriatic patients. This will actually help in soothing the symptoms by inhibiting the overactive immune system which will result to healing.

1. Vitamins.

Vitamin D is known to help in decreasing the skin to grow quickly as with the case of psoriasis, therefore, taking in or using vitamin D and its derivative will help in soothing and preventing the symptoms to appear.

These are just some ways to sooth the symptoms of psoriasis. Indeed, many activities can help psoriatic patients to battle this skin condition. This only proves that people with this skin disorder can also live a happy and satisfying life, if they only know how to prevent and sooth the symptoms.