In medical term, Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease of scaling and inflammation which causes skin cell to multiply up to 10 times faster than the normal that eventually results in red, flaky and crusty patches of skin covered with silvery scales.
Psoriasis actually appears when skin cells rapidly grow from their source below the skin surface & puff up on the skin surface before they have a chance to mature.
Normally psoriasis patches are itching or feel sore in nature. It occurs on the knees, legs, scalp, palms, soles of the feet, elbow, lower back of the face etc.
In some case, such disease can also crop up on the fingernails, toenails or the soft tissues of the genitals or inside the mouth.
Mainly four primary triggers activates the condition of psoriasis, which are:-
Excessive Stress:- Excessive stress, worry or anxiety leads to this condition.
Koebner Phenomenon:- An injury or trauma to the skin due to operations, bites, cuts or abrasions etc.
Drugs aftereffect:- Using or stoppage of certain types of drugs such as steroids, lithium, Anti Malarials, Anti-Inflammatories, BP medications (Beta Blockers) or antibiotics may lead to such condition.
Bacterial Infections:– Such condition can activate due to tonsillitis, Shingles or some viral/bacterial infections.
Todays’ lifestyle, dietary food, chemical exposure have also been considered as factors which are responsible to activate this condition and known as secondary triggers which plays a role in the continued exacerbation of the condition.
Various types of Psoriasis
Any one who is having psoriasis have an overproduction of skin cells that gets replaced every few days as opposed to weeks resulting in a buildup of skin cells which create patches. This situation even gets worse due to following events:-
Severe throat infections
Stoppage of Psoriasis treatment before time.
Psoriasis can be diagnosed by looking at the affected skin’s area however dermatologist may take biopsy test to identify the exact type of psoriasis and to rule out any other skin disease.
Very Itching or painful wounds with crack
Nails pitting or discoloration or detaching from nail bed
Patches of crust on the scalp
Pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints
Following are the psoriasis treatment:-
Topical treatment: This is applied to the skin to alleviate itchiness and restore moisture. They include topical corticosteroids or vitamin D analogues.
Phototherapy: This treatment is done in case of severe psoriasis, which involves use of defined ultraviolet light to expose the affected skin area to get the desired results.
Systemic treatment: This act as last resort when both topical or phototherapy treatment fails to deliver optimum outcome. In this treatment oral or injectable medicines are given to achieve the desired results.