Everything You Need To Know About Psoriasis

People with Psoriasis don’t find it easy living with the condition.  Although the general symptom is a red, painful, flaky skin, the degree of discomfort varies from one person to another.  Almost two million people have Psoriasis in the UK, including both men and women. Everyone is prone to Psoriasis, irrespective of age. However, the chances are higher in people who are in their late teens and early thirties, as well as ages 50-60. 

This text will focus on all you need to know about Psoriasis, from causes and symptoms to treatments. 

What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition.  It usually comes with skin lesions, i.e., clear red-based, thickened-patches of skin with a flaky, overlying silver-white crust.  You will find these patches on the elbows, knees, across the scalp, and other “flexion points” of the body. These patches can be taken for “dandruff” when they are found across the scalp. In some cases, the appearance of these patches come with no symptoms. In other cases, the patches may be itchy, sensitive, or the presence may have psychological effects on wellbeing.

You would expect autoimmune conditions to manifest on the skin. However, psoriatic patches can be found in any part of the body, where it manifests as bowel, joints, or nail disease.  The severity of the condition and its effects on the body varies. Hence, it is essential to manage it as soon as possible while focusing on the individual symptoms that come with them.

What Causes Psoriasis?

While no one understands the process of formation yet, most people believe that it attacks the immune system, causing the defense system of the body to attack its healthy cells. Freshly generated skin cells replace the existing ones after every three to four weeks.  However, when Psoriasis sets in, the frequency changes to three-seven days. Hence, thick patches of skin lesions start building up. Genetics play a yet to be understood role in Psoriasis. Therefore, it can exist in families. 

How severe a psoriasis case will depend on the individuality of the patients and/or environmental and emotional triggers. For instance, a psoriasis patient may show no symptoms at one point and show too many at other times. 

Diagnosing Psoriasis

The clinical diagnosis of Psoriasis centers on the appearance of the skin of the patient.  The doctor may take a skin biopsy to understand the exact type of Psoriasis in play or to confirm that the symptoms are not due to other causes of skin lesions.  

How To Treat Psoriasis

The first step in treating Psoriasis is to visit a skin specialist or dermatologist.  The patient should discuss the main symptoms and how it affects their life with the dermatologists.  While an outright cure to Psoriasis hasn’t been discovered yet, several effective treatments improve symptoms and appearance of the skin lesions. 

The ideal type or level of psoriasis treatment for a patient will depend on the type and severity of the condition.  In any case, these will fall into one of the following treatment categories:

• Phototherapy – exposure of the skin to some specific types of UV light
• Topical – the application of creams or ointments directly to the skin surface
• Oral – the more systemic treatment option involving the injection or oral consumption of medications

Psoriasis treatment starts with the simplest treatment option, i.e., the topical treatment.  Here, the patient gets steroid cream, ointment, vitamin D analogs, or zudaifu psoriasis cream. If this doesn’t work as expected, the patient may proceed to other categories of treatment for better management of the condition. 

Here are the most common psoriasis treatments:

1. Topical Treatments

Any treatment that is applied to the skin directly falls under this category. They include;

• Daily skincare and lubrication using emoluments like petroleum jelly and moisturizers without scent.
• Corticosteroid creams, ointments, and lotions, usually prescribed in medium to high strength forms, depending on how stubborn the plaques are.  The more stubborn plaques, found on the trunk, legs, arms, feet, and hands, require high-strength forms. Conversely, plaques found on the face and other delicate skin areas, mostly require low-strength forms. 
• The use of Calcipotriol (Dovonex) reduces the rate of production of skin scales, while Salicylic acid removes the already formed scales. 
• Tazarotene (Tazorac) is an effective synthetic vitamin A derivative. 
• Coal tar is also quite useful. 

2. Phytotherapy

Light has proven to be an effective treatment for extensive or widespread Psoriasis.  It may involve the use of either ultraviolet A or ultraviolet B. Likewise, either or both may be combined with coal tar.  

• PUVA is one of these treatments. It infuses ultraviolet A light treatment with an oral medication to further enhance the potency of the light treatment. 
• Laser treatment is another option – it significantly boosts the amount of UV light that can be used. 

3. Vitamin A derivatives

This treatment is ideal for moderate to severe psoriasis cases. Such cases usually manifest in large areas of the body. Treatments involving Vitamin A derivatives are generally powerful and may cause side effects in some cases.

Parting Words

If you’re one of the millions of people suffering from psoriasis, you have many options available to you. Always remember to consult with your doctor or dermatologist before undergoing any new treatment.