Psoriasis is a skin condition that is characterized by the presence of elevated skin patches that are red and covered with silver-colored scales. Did you know that there are different types of psoriasis? This article will talk about plaque psoriasis, covering important matters such as its causes, signs and symptoms, and of course treatment.
According to medical doctors, plaque psoriasis is the most common type of psoriasis. The good news is it’s something that isn’t contagious. This means that you won’t get plaque psoriasis from someone who has it even if you come into contact with the individual’s skin.
The bad news is plaque psoriasis, just like any other type of psoriasis, is not treatable. In other words, doctors these days are still not able to put it to an end. However, flare-ups (the sudden appearance or exacerbation of the various signs and symptoms) can be kept to a minimum and also made less severe each time.
Continue reading to know more about plaque psoriasis.
Signs and Symptoms
Someone who has it will have raised skin patches that are red in color. However, those patches are covered with what’s referred to as scales. Put simply, scales are dead skin cells, and they are silver in color. Plaque psoriasis tends to appear more often on the knees, lower back, elbows and scalp, but it can also appear elsewhere on the body.
The problem with plaque psoriasis aside from its awful appearance is that they also tend to feel itchy. However, it is not a good idea for someone who has plaque psoriasis to scratch affected areas of the body as those patches can easily bleed. When that happens, it’s possible for an infection to strike.
Plaque psoriasis comes and goes, and its appearance or exacerbation is referred to as a flare-up. Someone who suffers from this skin condition may experience several flare-ups. However, just like what was mentioned earlier, the frequency and severity of flare-ups can be controlled with certain medications for plaque psoriasis.
Causes
According to doctors, it is the immune system of an individual who is suffering from plaque psoriasis that can be blamed — it causes the skin cells to multiply at a much faster rate than normal, causing those elevated patches to appear. So in other words, plaque psoriasis is considered by those in the medical world as an autoimmune disease.
Not everyone will get plaque psoriasis. It is said that a person should have the genes that can cause plaque psoriasis to strike. Based on such piece of information, plaque psoriasis is hereditary in nature — it runs in families. It’s exactly for this reason why the skin disease is not contagious in nature.
But just because the genes responsible for plaque psoriasis are present doesn’t necessarily mean that a person who has them will develop the disease. Doctors say that there has to be something that will trigger the immune system to cause plaque psoriasis, such as severe sunburn, an injury to the skin, certain medications and even stress.
Treatment
Again, there is no known treatment available for plaque psoriasis or any other type of psoriasis for that matter. Needless to say, someone who develops it has no choice but to learn to live with the skin disease for the rest of his or her life. Plaque psoriasis goes through cycles of improvements and exacerbations (flare-ups).
Fortunately for those who suffer from plaque psoriasis, it is very much possible to keep flare-ups to a minimum, and also to prevent each one of them from getting so severe. There are medications for plaque psoriasis taken by mouth and applied on problem areas. Usually, a combination of different ones is recommended for results.
It’s also important for someone who has plaque psoriasis to avoid triggers to keep flare-ups at bay, such as stress, cigarette smoking and skin dryness. Diet-wise, fish, fruits and vegetables should be consumed as they have the ability to control inflammation. For many, losing excess pounds helps reduce flare-ups.
