Psoriasis is a skin sickness, found in a certain percentage of people in the US due to several reasons. Statistics say around 8 million people in the US have Psoriasis. This skin disease forms red, itchy patches on the skin. Mainly forms in

• The knees
• The elbows
• The trunk and
• The scalp

Psoriasis is a long term sickness, in fact chronic. It has no cure as such. The pattern of psoriasis changes in cycles. They may flake and may also subsidize for a few months. There are many symptoms and treatments available for it. But the treatments are offered only to the symptoms and they are

• Red patches on the skin that has silvery flakes
• Scaling spots can be seen in children
• The skin may also look dry and it also starts itching
• Cracked skin
• Thickened Pitted Nails

Psoriasis looms large in the body. It may be like a small patch in some areas. It may also cover a larger area of the skin and may also form in the palms and the hands. This gives a lot of discomfort to people. In fact, a few Psoriasis symptoms are seasonal too. It may flare and flake during winter. It may be very uncomfortable during summers too. The red patches may look very weird that people may look ugly too.

Constant itching sensation will create a lot of disturbance too. The flakes may fall on the floor and that shall be more. At times, food items shall also increase itchiness. Eggplant and tomatoes may cause the Psoriasis patches to get aggravated. The usage of chemical substances like soap and shampoo must be revisited. You will be able to survive in good composure while you incline to natural products. Though Psoriasis cannot be treated completely, its severity can be reduced largely.

What causes Psoriasis?

Clinically, psoriasis is a sickness caused when there is a rapid regeneration of the skin cells. The most common type being plaque psoriasis, the rapid turn over of the cells causes patches and flakes. It is an immune system problem. Although it is not completely attributed to the immune system, a few cases of genetic disorders can also cause this sickness in people.

Psoriasis can be triggered due to the following:-

• Throat or skin infection can inflict Psoriasis
• Weather conditions may also be the reason for it. Especially, the dry and cold weather conditions
• A bug bite might be the reason too
• Immense stress can also cause Psoriasis

The other reasons are:-

Smoking: This causes and triggers psoriasis. This tends to make the body dehydrated and allow the regeneration of skin cells to grow rapidly. In a way, it affects the immune system. Most of the People in the US have psoriasis because of smoking.

Drinking Habits: Excessive alcohol shall cause Psoriasis too. The body’s immune system shall make the skin get dried, and hence psoriasis.

Certain medical Treatments: Yes, the side effects certain drugs can cause Psoriasis. Especially, the drugs used to treat Tuberculosis tend to trigger Psoriasis. Some antimalarial drugs can cause the same. If you have high blood pressure, the pills that you take for that may cause harm to the immune system too.

While we say this, there are genetic as well as hereditary reasons too.

Family History: If this condition runs in the families, there are possibilities of you getting that. If both the parents have Psoriasis, you have a 100% chance of getting it. If one among the two has Psoriasis, the chances are 50%.

Stress: As said earlier, stress can cause the immune system to be damaged and hence Psoriasis results.

Different Types of Psoriasis

All the types of Psoriasis run through the same phase as discussed earlier. However, let us know the different types of it concerning the symptoms and the conditions.

Plaque Psoriasis: As discussed earlier, this is the common form of psoriasis. This is seen as red patches of the skin with white or silvery flakes in it. The flakes shall be itchy and may also be tender.

Nail Psoriasis: The sickness can attack the nails in your toes and fingers. It might cause pitting in the nail. You may also find abnormal nail growth too. In severe cases, you may find the nail to even crumble.

Guttate Psoriasis: This is formed primarily on kids. Some Young adults are also prone to such sicknesses. This is caused due to strep throat and normally forms on the trunk, back, and arms.

Inverse Psoriasis: This is mainly caused due to fungal infections. It may be found in groins, buttocks, breasts. This is also triggered due to sweat.

Pustular Psoriasis: This is a rare form and caused due to the formation of pus-filled skin. It may be found in palms. Legs.

Erythrodermic Psoriasis: This is the least common one. It spreads across the body with red patchy skin which can burn very severely.

Psoriatic Psoriasis: They are the swollen joints that are typical Arthritis. The joint symptoms are the only symptoms of this type of psoriasis.