Psoriasis Awareness Month

     Good afternoon, Family...  I was flipping through a website and discovered that August is Psoriasis Awareness Month.   Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease that affects the skin.  An autoimmune disease as defined by Medline Plus is "a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue".  

     Psoriasis causes itchy or sore patches of scaly, silvery, thick skin to form on the body.  Growth of the skin cells normally takes about one month, but in the case of psoriasis, this growth happens in a few days.  Psoriasis can last a lifetime and the symptoms come and go.    Although no one is truly sure of why this condition occurs, researchers seem to believe that environmental and genetic factors play a role.  

     The patches that occur during a break out can range from flaky looking dandruff on the scalp to large "eruptions" that cover the body.  Various things "trigger" a break out, including injuries to the skin (bug bites, cuts, sunburns), infections, stress, cold weather,  alcohol, smoking and medications (lithium, blood pressure medications, antimalarials, and iodides) .  

     There are several categories of psoriasis:

•  Plaque psoriasis--This is the most common form.  Plaque psoriasis causes dry, raised skin lesions (plaques) covered with silvery scales.  They are itchy and in some cases may be painful and can erupt anywhere on the body, including the soft tissue inside your mouth.
•  Pustular psoriasis--This form of psoriasis is not very common.  It presents as pus-filled blisters.  It is not contagious.  The blisters dry in a few days.  Pustular psoriasis may cause fever, chills, and fatigue along with the itching.
• Guttate psoriasis--Usually affects people under 30 and is triggered by a bacterial infection.  It looks like small water-drop shaped sores on the body, arms, legs, and scalp.  The sores usually have scales, but not as thick as the plaque psoriasis.
• Erythrodermic psoriasis--This is know as the most uncommon form.  This can cover the entire body with a red rash that peels, itches, and burns.  It may be triggered by sunburn, steroids, or medication.
• Inverse psoriasis--This psoriasis mainly affects the folds of the skin like the armpits, the groin area, areas under the breast, and around the genitals.  In this case, the psoriasis causes smooth patches of inflammed skin.  It is more common in overweight people and is made worse by sweating and friction.
• Psoriatic arthritis--This psoriasis not only affects the skin, it may also affect the nails and causes painful joints like arthritis.

     There are other conditions that look like psoriasis, but are not.  They are:

•  Seborrheic dermatitis which usually looks like an oily, scaly patch of skin.  It is usually found on oily areas of the body like the back, face, upper chest and scalp.  
• Lichen planus which looks like rows of flat-topped bumps on the arm and legs.
• Ringworm which is a fungal infection caused by a ringworm which produces a scaly ring or circle rash.
• Pityriasis rosea which I have had to deal with personally.  It starts with a large "herald" patch on the body (usually the chest, back or abdomen).  The itchy rash then spreads all over the body.  The patches look like dry scaly patches (similar to a rug burn).  It usually lasts about six to eight weeks.

     There is no treatment to totally rid someone of psoriasis, but there is relief for the symptoms that occur.  The first thing that needs to happen is  to try to stop the skin cell renewing process.  This may be achieved by applying topical products.  These products range from steroids to synthetic vitamin creams to products used to treat acne.  Light therapy has also been used to cause various cells in the skin to die, thus slowing the skin cell production process.   For severe psoriasis or psoriasis that seems resistant to topical treatment, some patients have been given oral or injected medications including retinoids (similar to vitamin A), chemotherapeutic agents, and immune suppressing agents.    
     
     Secondly, lifestyle changes may have to be made.  Daily bathing may help to remove the scales that occur and also may help make the affected skin feel better.  The addition of bath oil, epsom salts or colloidal oatmeal to lukewarm bath water may help.  Using a moisturizer on the skin may help.  I suggest using something that is fragrant free as some of the perfumes may irritate the skin.  

     I am just touching the surface on this topic.  I suggest checking out www.Psoriasis.org, Most importantly, if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, do not hesitate to be seen by your doctor.  Take Care.  SMOOCHES...
Special thanks to: www.Psoriasis.org, www.Medline.org, www.MayoClinic.com