Causes and Symptoms of Psoriasis

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a condition of the skin in which the skin produces too much of itself. It manifests as red, scaly patches that accumulate in different areas of the body. It is frequently found on the knees and elbows but it is not isolated to these areas alone. It can be also found on the genitals, the scalp and the extremities. It is a hard condition for many people to live with, as others may not understand the nature. Many people elect to wear long clothing to cover up the patches so that other people will not stare or comment on the psoriasis. The bad part is that it is chronically reoccurring and that makes treatment very difficult at best.

What Are the Symptoms of Psoriasis?

The symptoms of psoriasis will vary between individuals but could be the red patches of skin that itch, burn or are sore. It may be scaling spots that appear to be almost like dandruff. It could be dry, cracked skin that bleeds that may be confused with typical dry skin associated with dehydration or lack of skin care routines with moisturizers. Another symptom may be thick nails that are ridged or pitted. One commonly misdiagnosed sign of psoriasis that is often overlooked and attributed to other causes is swollen and stiff joints.

How Does Psoriasis Affect Your Life

Many patients with psoriasis deal with depression because the skin condition covers a huge portion of their body. They begin to feel a sense of self-doubt as to their own attractiveness even if the outside world does not share this same viewpoint. It can wreak havoc on their self-esteem. They wear long sleeves to cover the outbreaks and can often begin to withdraw from society in general. There are ways to cope with living with psoriasis though.

The first step is to become educated about the condition. That way you can educate yourself about the condition and know that it is not your fault and that you did nothing to cause this. The second is to always follow the doctor's orders. The third is to join a support group that can help you find comfort and solace with others that are afflicted with psoriasis.

What Are the Treatment Options?

There are a wide range of drugs used to treat psoriasis. These drugs range from topical corticosteroids to topical retinoid. There are also treatments that do not use drugs such as phototherapy, which is light therapy. More extreme cases of psoriasis may be treated with photo chemotherapy.