Psoriasis, its symptoms and treatment
Psoriasis is the most common skin disease often confused with Eczema.Psoriasis is characterized by inflamed patches,silvery scales and red skin.Psoriasis mostly effect the knees and elbow part of the body.It is a non-contagious disease affecting almost 10 million people in North America.
Usually,the cells of the skin mature and shed after every month completing their life cycle.But in case of psoriasis the cells mature in only 3-4 days as the cells at the lower level of the skin divides more quickly as compared to normal due to which the dead cells build up in form of thick patches on the epidermis.
Symptoms of Psoriasis:
There are many types of Psoriasis.Such as the Plaque psoriasis appears on elbow,knees, scalp and outer parts of arm in form of white and silvery scales.The Guttate psoriasis appears in form of tear drops can be seen on arms, trunks and legs.
The Inverse psoriasis is painful and appears on the outside of joints.It is vulnerable to fungus infection.
The pustular psoriasis appears on the hands and soles of the feet, in this the white blood cells rise to the epidermis and fills the pustules.The erythrodermic psoriasis is characterized by red and inflamed skin and effects the whole body.
The disease is the same with different types of symptoms.The person can also be effected by different kind of psoriasis at one time.
Treatment for psoriasis:
There are many types of treatment available to cure all kinds of psoriasis.The main concern is to prevent the formation of new lesions on the skin by changing the process of body’s immune system.
1)Photo therapy- Ultraviolet Light B(UV B) rays are used to treat and cure the lesions.Psoralen and Ultraviolet Light A(PUVA) cure the psoriasis in which the treatment includes photo sensitizing medications.
Excimer lasers are used to cure the small parts effected by psoriasis.
2)Topical Therapy- Topical therapy is used to treat when the psoriasis is mild in nature.In this moisturizers are used to heal the scales and reduce the discomfort produced due to the disorder.
Pintments and steroid creams are used to reduce the inflammation of the skin.Tazarotene is a kind of topical retinoid which is used to treat moderate form of psoriasis.
Antralin and other kind of coal tar preparations are used to decrease the reproduction of the cells of skin.
In addition to all these treatments, self care is also necessary to reduce the risk of psoriasis.
-Try to keep your skin lubricated, use petroleum jelly, and oils for this purpose.
-Use humidifier.Get out of your home in sun also be careful not to burn your skin.
-Scales can be reduced by hot bath.Use soap free cleansers and mild soaps to clean your skin.
-Avoid skin infections and injuries.Do not stress.
“The information present here is for general purpose please consult your doctor before taking any medication/therapy”
