What is Psoriasis and how to alleviate its symptoms?

Psoriasis is a skin disease. Scales and spots form that cause itching and require a doctor's review to diagnose correctly. It is a chronic disease, with different levels of severity.

There are some risk factors that predispose to the development of psoriasis: smoking, being overweight, family history, stress and frequent infections. But what is psoriasis and how can you alleviate the discomfort it causes?

Psoriasis: What is it, symptoms and treatment

Psoriasis is a skin condition that can appear at almost any age. This disease occurs indistinctly in childhood or in adult life. Although sometimes the discomfort is mild, it is always advisable to go to the doctor.

When scales, irritation and excessive itching appear in any area of ​​the body, it is convenient to observe and keep an eye on the evolution. If the creams for daily use fail to combat this dryness, then the pertinent revision must be made to rule out or confirm any skin disease, such as psoriasis.

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What is psoriasis exactly?

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease. It is a chronic, incurable and non-contagious condition, as long as the appropriate treatment is carried out. What happens is that skin cells have an accelerated life cycle, which causes them to accumulate and form scales and red spots. These spots can be from a few small dots to eruptions in large areas of the body.

When this peeling causes itching, discomfort, joint pain or inflammation, it is imperative to see a doctor. It may happen that even with treatment, the discomfort continues or increases, in which case it may be necessary to modify the treatment. Medical supervision is necessary to prevent the process from evolving to diseases such as psoriatic arthritis, eye diseases, Parkinson's or cardiovascular diseases.

So far the causes of psoriasis are not known. It is believed to be related to a deficiency of the immune system, but the exact causes are unknown that lead the immune system to have this deficiency. However, it has been detected that there are factors that trigger it, such as having suffered skin infections, skin lesions or insufficient vitamin D.

Types

There are different types of psoriasis levels. Most of them have cycles that last between a few weeks and even months. And although they seem to disappear, after some time it regularly reappears in the same area.

There are also people who get psoriasis on some occasions and then go into remission without ever appearing again. The degree of discomfort depends largely on the type of psoriasis, since there are various forms in which this disease appears.

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1. Plaque psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis is the most common. They are red, dry lesions and, as the name suggests, in the form of plaques. They appear anywhere on the body and are very itchy, and sometimes they can be painful.

2. Droplet psoriasis

Gouty psoriasis mainly affects children and young people. Desquamation occurs in the form of small droplets scattered over very large areas. They usually appear as a single outbreak, and then disappear without leaving any sequelae.

3. Nail psoriasis

Nail psoriasis appears on the hands and feet. It is a peculiar type of psoriasis that only affects the nails. It causes flaking and in severe cases the nail becomes chipped. There is an abnormal growth and change in the color of the nail.

4. Reverse psoriasis

Inverse psoriasis occurs after a yeast infection. This type of psoriasis appears in the armpits, groin, around the breasts and genitals. It appears as large smooth red spots, without scales.

5. Pustular psoriasis

Pustular psoriasis is the least common. Pus-filled spots and blisters appear suddenly over red, scaly patches. These blisters come and go, but the red spot doesn't go away easily.

6. Erythrodermic psoriasis

Erythrodermic psoriasis affects a large part of the body. It is also a rare type of psoriasis, where in addition to the rash there is shedding of skin, which causes a lot of discomfort, burning and itching.

7. Psoriasic arthritis

This type of psoriasis causes joint pain. Rather, it is a type of arthritis with the presence of accompanying psoriasis. Fortunately, this type of arthritis does not cause as much pain and discomfort as other types.

How to relieve your symptoms

The diagnosis of psoriasis is simple and most of the time minimally invasive. In a first visit and treatment protocol, the doctor will examine the appearance of psoriasis on the skin. From this observation you can recommend the protocol to follow to eliminate the discomfort.

It may happen that the doctor requires a biopsy, in which case he will apply a little anesthesia to take a sample of the skin from the affected area, which he will examine under the microscope to determine what type of psoriasis is affecting the patient.

Once this diagnosis has been made, the doctor will recommend the best treatment to follow. There are several options to which you will go and most of them are medicine or products that require a prescription to be purchased.

1. Topics

When psoriasis is mild to moderate, just apply a topical treatment. Whether it's an ointment, ointment, or cream, there are several drug alternatives to treat psoriasis. They can be corticosteroids, retinoids, anthralin, or vitamin D analogues.

2. Phototherapy

If the diagnosis warrants it, the topical medication can be combined with some phototherapy. In some cases, controlled exposure to natural light will suffice. However, ultraviolet A and B light, and excimer lasers are also an alternative.

3. Oral medication

If the psoriasis is moderate to severe, oral medication will surely be used. They are usually combined with the rest of the treatments. Retinoids, cyclosporine, or medicines that strengthen the immune system, are the most frequently used options.

4. Natural alternatives

For mild plaque psoriasis, natural alternatives can solve the problem. Although many doctors do not guarantee the success of these treatments, the truth is that they are safe for mild psoriasis. Aloe Vera and fish oil are a natural alternative that is very helpful.

Bibliographic references

• Kim, W. B., Jerome, D., & Yeung, J. (2017). Diagnosis and management of psoriasis. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 63 (4), 278–285.
• Smith, C. H., & Barker, J. N. (2006). Psoriasis and its management. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 333 (7564), 380–384. doi: 10.1136 / bmj.333.7564.380.