Psoriasis is a disease of skin which is caused by cells turnover in the skin. In psoriasis, the cells grow very fast and rise to the skin’s surface so it can develop in few days. Mostly psoriasis causes swelling and scaling with patches of thick and red in color. They can be found on the knees, scalp, elbows, soles of the feet, lower back, palms, face, other parts of the legs, finger nails or toenails, inside the mouth and genital area. It commonly occurs in adults. Men and women equally affected by this disease. Certain genes and family history of psoriasis can get this disease. Stress, certain medicines, changes in weather and infection can cause the skin get worse.

Types of psoriasis

Guttate psoriasis
Pustular psoriasis
Erythrodermic psoriasis
Flexural psoriasis
Psoriatic arthritis
Nail psoriasis
Scalp psoriasis

Causes of psoriasis

Common Causes of Psoriasis

Stress: "Nerves" do not cause psoriasis and rarely trigger the first attack, but as many as 80% of those having flare-ups report a recent emotional trauma, such as a new job or the death of a loved one. Many doctors believe such external stressors serve as triggers for an inherited defect in skin cell production.
Family history: Often, a person with psoriasis has a parent or grandparent who also has the condition. Researchers estimate that a person with one affected parent has about a 10% chance of also having psoriasis. Having two parents with psoriasis increases the chances to about 30%.
Hormonal changes: There appears to be a relationship between hormonal changes and the onset and severity of psoriasis symptoms. At puberty, in males and females, psoriasis may develop or become more severe. As women reach menopause, they may experience an increase in symptom severity. During pregnancy, psoriasis lesions undergo improvement, but they may reappear after the child is born.

Other Causes of Psoriasis

Injury to the skin - Injury to the skin has been associated with plaque psoriasis. For example, a skin infection, skin inflammation, or even excessive scratching can trigger psoriasis.
Medications - Some medications, including those used to treat people with high blood pressure or heart disease (called beta-blockers) or those used to treat bipolar disorder (for example, lithium carbonate) have been found to worsen psoriasis symptoms. Medications used to prevent or treat malaria may also trigger psoriasis.
Sunlight - Most people generally consider sunlight to be beneficial for their psoriasis. However, a small minority find that strong sunlight aggravates their symptoms. A bad sunburn may worsen psoriasis.
Climate - Cold, dry winter weather tends to trigger a flare-up of psoriasis symptoms. In contrast, sunlight and humid, sunny climates are, as a rule, helpful - particularly in mild cases. However, hot, humid environments may make severe cases of psoriasis worse.
HIV - Psoriasis typically worsens after an individual has been infected with HIV. However, psoriasis often becomes less active in advanced HIV infection.
Alcohol and smoking - Alcohol may be a risk factor for young and middle-aged men, and severe psoriasis is sometimes seen in people who drink excessive alcohol. Smoking may also act as a trigger for psoriasis.
Diet and obesity - Doctors are unsure of the role that a person's diet plays in psoriasis, but they suspect that eating habits have only a small role in this skin disorder. Keep in mind that a well-balanced diet is part of a healthy lifestyle in people with or without psoriasis.

Signs and Symptoms of psoriasis

Psoriasis occurs in different forms, but usually involves the thickening and reddening of patches of skin. Patches of psoriasis typically occur on the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back. These patches may have a thick silvery-white scale of dead skin on the top, and may be itchy.

Most people with psoriasis have the condition for life. But it tends to comes and go, often for no apparent reason, and the severity of each flare-up can vary.

If it covers the whole body psoriasis can cause a more generalised illness

Diagnosis of psoriasis

It is based upon:

The family history of psoriasis
The typical distribution of the lesions on the csalp, elbows, knees, the front of the legs, back and nails.
Typical histopathology
Little or no itching
Well-defined, non-indurated, dry, erythematous areas with silvery, layer-upon-layer sealing.
History of previous attacks and seasonal variations of the disease.
The candle-grease sign, Koebner's phenomenon and pin-point bleeding upon removal of the scale.

Risk factors

Psoriasis affects both men and women of all ages although most people develop psoriasis as adults. The most significant risk factor for psoriasis is a family history of the condition. You are more likely to develop psoriasis if someone in your immediate family has it. As many as one third of the people with psoriasis may have a blood relative with the condition.

Environmental factors also are important. People who live in colder climates are more likely to develop psoriasis conditions and often develop the condition earlier in life. Other factors that may influence your psoriasis risk include ethnicity. Psoriasis is less common in African-Americans and is rare in native ethnic groups from North and South America.

Treatment of psoriasis

Treatment for psoriasis depends on the type and severity of the psoriasis, where the psoriasis is found on the body, the person's general health, and other medications the person may be taking. The main psoriasis treatments are:

Topical treatment - Bath solutions may make the skin good. Apply creams or lotions to the affected area. Topical treatment can help the unclog pores and reduce skin cell turnover. It can also reduce swelling and suppress the immune system.

Systemic treatment - Systemic treatment is good for severe psoriasis. Your health care provider may prescribe medicines or drugs. Antibiotics are not effective and don’t use to treat the severe psoriasis.

Light therapy - Natural UV rays such as UVA or UVB from the sun and artificial ultraviolet light both are good for treatment of psoriasis.

Combination therapy - Combination therapy can also give better results. In combination therapy, more than two therapy may make combine to treat psoriasis.

Medication Treatment

Topical medications - These medications are applied to the skin areas affected by psoriasis. These treatments are used for mild to moderate cases of psoriasis, or in combination with other treatment options.
Systemic medications - This group includes medications taken by mouth (oral medications) and by injection (injectable medications). Injectable medications may be biologics or non-biologics (such as methotrexate injections).
Phototherapy - This treatment uses ultraviolet light to reduce psoriasis symptoms. It is used for moderate to severe cases of psoriasis.
Biologics - These are injectable medications that are used for moderate to severe cases of psoriasis.

Self-Care

Keeping the skin soft and moist is helpful. Apply heavy moisturizers after bathing.
Do not use irritating cosmetics or soaps.
Avoid scratching or itching that can cause bleeding or excessive irritation.
Soaking in bath water with oil added and using moisturizers may help. Bath soaks with coal tar or other agents that remove scales and reduce the plaque may also help.
Cortisone creams can reduce the itching of mild psoriasis and are available without a prescription.

Prevention tips

Avoiding environmental factors that trigger psoriasis, such as smoking, sun exposure, and stress, may help prevent or minimize flare-ups of psoriasis. Sun exposure may help in many cases of psoriasis and aggravate it in others.
Alcohol is considered a risk factor for psoriasis in young to middle-aged men. Avoid or minimize alcohol use if you have psoriasis.
pecific dietary restrictions or supplements other than a well-balanced and adequate diet are unimportant in the management of plaque psoriasis.

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