Why Does Psoriasis Appear
The causes of psoriasis on the elbows are still not clearly revealed. The mechanism of the disease is very complex and scientists have not been able to come to a single point of view. However, there are several theories suggesting possible causes of the disease. Based on these theories, we can identify the following factors that provoke the disease:
- Medical statistics show that more than 60% of the patients suffering from psoriasis have relatives with the same diagnosis.
- Reduction of the natural protection of body. There are a number of factors that can reduce immunity. These include wrong diet, various infectious diseases, and improper intake of some medications.
- Another common cause of the development of pathology is mechanical damage of the skin.
- Stress also plays an important role. Excessive emotional stress can also provoke the disease.
- Violation of the hormonal balance. It is caused by malfunctions in the work of the endocrine system.
- Problems with lipid metabolism in the body.
What Is Scalp Psoriasis And What Causes It
Psoriasis can appear on any part of the skin, even the scalp. With scalp psoriasis, scalp plaques produce excess scales and can cause your scalp to itch.
Symptoms of scalp psoriasis appear as the following:
- A small bump, called a papule, with a scale on top.
- The plaque typically is covered by thick layers of horny scale. When the scale sheds, it can look like dandruff.
- Sometimes these plaques can itch.
- Scratching these plaques can worsen the condition and lead to what’s called the Koebner phenomenon, or isomorphic response, which can cause psoriasis to develop in areas where there’s inflammation and trauma.
The causes of scalp psoriasis, like all psoriasis, is related to genetic defects that affect the immune system. It is not known if stress causes or makes psoriasis worse.
In some severe cases, scalp psoriasis can cause alopecia, or a loss of hair, which is rare and may be controlled with treatment. Scalp psoriasis can be treated with topical medications, which can sometimes be difficult to apply when the scalp is covered with enough hair that can create a barrier.
What Does Psoriasis Look Like
Psoriasis usually appears as red or pink plaques of raised, thick, scaly skin. However, it can also appear as small, flat bumps or large, thick plaques. It most commonly affects the skin on the elbows, knees, and scalp, though it can appear anywhere on the body. The following slides will review some of the different types of psoriasis.
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How A Dermatologist Can Help
With so many products, it can be difficult to know what to use. If you dont see the results you like with OTC treatment for psoriasis, you may want to see dermatologist. Dermatologists are the skin disease experts. They know how to tailor psoriasis treatment to the type of psoriasis you have. Sometimes, this requires combining treatments. You may also need one treatment plan to gain control over your psoriasis and another to maintain the results.
ImagesGetty Images
ReferencesMenter A, Korman NJ, et al. Guidelines of care for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Section 3: Guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with topical therapies. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009 60:64359.
Paghdal KV, Schwartz RA. Coal tar: Back to the future. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009 Aug 61:294-302.
All content solely developed by the American Academy of Dermatology
The American Academy of Dermatology gratefully acknowledges the support from Amgen and .
Ways To Treat Psoriasis At Home
Psoriasis is a recurring autoimmune disorder characterized by red, flaky patches on the skin.
Even though it affects your skin, psoriasis actually begins deep inside your body in your immune system.
It comes from your T cells, a type of white blood cell. T cells are designed to protect the body from infection and disease. When these cells mistakenly become active and set off other immune responses, it can lead to psoriasis symptoms.
Even though theres no cure, many treatments exist to ease the symptoms of psoriasis. Here are 12 ways to manage mild symptoms at home.
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Armpit Rash From Shaving
If you shave your armpits, you might find that you get red bumpy rashes from time to time because of skin irritation or ingrown hairs.
Dr. Gary Cole, a dermatologist who has authored over 30 articles in medical journals, says that inflamed hair follicles are common in shaved areas. Shaving your armpits can cause razor burn that results in inflammation because bacteria get into the skin. A collection of tiny bumps that may be pus-filled can form rash after shaving.2
Another result of shaving your armpits could be itchy infected bumps caused by ingrown hairs. Doctors from the NYC Langone Medical Center say that plucking, shaving, or waxing the armpit can result in ingrown hairs. Sometimes, this can cause skin bumps that are seriously irritated and infected.3
To get rid of an underarm rash caused by hair removal, Dr. Cole suggests stopping shaving with a razor for a time. You can also find helpful information in my article about how to naturally get rid of razor burns. You should also know the best way to remove ingrown hairs without causing further infection.
When Should I See A Doctor For Psoriasis
Since psoriasis is a systemic disease of inflammation with dramatic skin involvement, most people should seek medical advice early in its course when symptoms and signs appear. Besides arthritis, people with the condition are more likely to be obese and to have coronary artery disease and/or diabetes. Psoriasis, if limited to small areas of skin, may be an inconvenience for some people. For others, it may be disabling.
- Those with psoriasis commonly recognize that new areas of psoriasis occur within seven to 10 days after the skin has been injured. This has been called the Koebner phenomenon.
- People should always see a doctor if they have psoriasis and develop significant joint pain, stiffness, or deformity. They may be in the reported 5%-10% of individuals with psoriasis who develop psoriatic arthritis and would be a candidate for systemic therapy. Psoriatic arthritis can be crippling and cause permanent deformity.
- Always see a doctor if signs of infection develop. Common signs of infection are red streaks or pus from the red areas, fever with no other cause, or increased pain.
- People need to see a doctor if they have serious side effects from their medications.
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Skin: Condition: Infomation Phototherapy:
Two types of light are used: narrowband ultraviolet B light and ultraviolet A light . The latter requires a sensitiser, known as a psoralen that can be taken as a tablet or added to a bath prior to treatment.
Further information on phototherapy is available in the following information leaflets: Treatments for moderate and severe psoriasis and ).
Signs Of Psoriasis On The Elbows
The appearance of rashes in the form of red oval or round spots on elbow joints may indicate the development of the disease. During the course of psoriasis, the spots spread around the periphery, increase in size and merge with each other. In the early days of the pathology the rash is chaotic and sporadic but without proper attention to the treatment the rash quickly spreads and affects large areas of the skin.
Plaque is characterized by the presence of whitish or grayish scales. They easily peel off under mechanical impact and underneath you can observe a phenomenon called terminal film a smooth red surface of the skin which causes minor bleeding when removed.
There are cases when psoriatic spots appeared without scales. Patients complained of rash outlined by a red border. The appearance of spots is always accompanied by severe itching, discomfort, and swelling of the skin. In affected areas the skin is hot, painful and easily injured.
Psoriasis on the elbow can affect small areas and, on the contrary, affect fairly large areas, extending to the inside surface of the arms. If proper treatment is absent or pathology is aggravated by any other factors, psoriasis can progress into a long-standing form. Treatment of psoriasis on the elbows at this stage is quite difficult and requires an integrated approach.
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What Psoriasis Creams And Topical Agents Can I Use
Medications applied directly to the skin are the first line of treatment options for psoriasis.
The main topical treatments are:
- corticosteroids,
- anthralin, or
- retinoids.
For more detailed information on each medication, see Understanding Psoriasis Medications. Generic drug names are listed below with examples of brands in parentheses.
Topical Medications
- Corticosteroids: Topical corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment in mild or limited psoriasis and come in a variety of forms. Foams and solutions are best for scalp psoriasis and other thickly hair-bearing areas, such as a hairy chest or hairy back. Creams are usually preferred by patients, but ointments are more potent than any other vehicles, even at the same percentage concentration.
- Super potent topical corticosteroids such as clobetasol propionate and betamethasone dipropionate augmented are commonly prescribed corticosteroids for use on non-facial, non-intertriginous areas .
- As the condition improves, one may be able to use potent steroids such as:
- mometasone furoate or
- halcinonide or
- mid-potency steroids such as triamcinolone acetonide or betamethasone valerate . These creams or ointments are usually applied once or twice a day, but the dose depends on the severity of psoriasis as well as the location and thickness of the plaque.
Steroid Creams Or Ointments
Steroid creams or ointments are commonly used to treat mild to moderate psoriasis in most areas of the body. The treatment works by reducing inflammation. This slows the production of skin cells and reduces itching.
Topical corticosteroids range in strength from mild to very strong. Only use them when recommended by your doctor.
Stronger topical corticosteroids can be prescribed by your doctor and should only be used on small areas of skin or on particularly thick patches. Overusing topical corticosteroids can lead to skin thinning.
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How Can Psoriasis Be Treated
Treatment of psoriasis depends upon your individual circumstances. Treatment applied to the surface of your skin is sufficient alone in most patients. For people with more extensive or difficult to treat psoriasis, ultraviolet light treatment , tablet treatment or injection treatment may be required.
The Science Behind Plaque Psoriasis And Humira
The exact cause is unknown, but plaque psoriasis has been linked to the immune system and an excess of several proteins in the body, including one called TNF-alpha. Everybody produces TNF-alpha, but people with plaque psoriasis produce more than normal. Too much TNF-alpha may lead to faster growth of skin cells, which can lead to the plaquesred, flaky patchesyou see on your skin.
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Dandruff Vs Psoriasis Flakes
While psoriasis flakes arent actually different than dandruff , in many ways they can be more distressing, as they tend to be more intense, says Dr. Bressack. Some patients experience severe shedding of large flakes on their scalp or the areas of their body where their psoriasis flares. Flakes are, however, usually less noticeable on the body than the scalp, he says.
What causes skin to flake in dandruff versus in psoriasis is very different. Psoriasis flakes are the result of your overactive immune system speeding up the rate at which your skin cells grow, causing skin cell buildup or plaques that then may flake off. Garden-variety dandruff, on the other hand, can occur for a number of reasons, including skin that is too dry or oily, a fungal infection, or sensitivity to hair care products.
Treating psoriasis flakes with dandruff-oriented products alone may not work. You need medications that address the root cause of psoriasis with the appropriate topical, biologic, or systemic treatments.
Bacterial Armpit Skin Infection
Scratching a red itchy patch under your armpit could also cause a bacterial Staph infection under your arm.
Doctors from the National Health Service report that Staph infections can be caused by impetigo, a skin abscess, infection of hair follicles, or cutting your skin. Depending on the type of bacterial infection, a bacterial armpit skin infection could result in red, painful, swollen patches of skin that fill with pus.12
Many of the home remedies mentioned at the end of this article will help clear up a mild Staph infection in your armpit in no time at all.
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Cause & Risk Factors Of Inverse Psoriasis
Doctors arenât sure what causes psoriasis, but they know that your genes and your immune system play a major role. About 40% of people with psoriasis have at least one close relative with the disease. Many of the genes linked to psoriasis are those that help run your immune system.
In addition to your genes, these things can make you more likely to get psoriasis:
- Smoking
-
Skin irritation or any injury to the skin
Apple Cider Vinegar For Your Scalp
It’s more than just a salad dressing. Put some on your head a few times a week — either full strength or mixed with water. It’s a recipe for relief when your scalp calls out “scratch me.”
Rinse it off after it dries so you won’t get an irritation. And don’t try this when your scalp is bleeding or cracked. The vinegar will make it feel like it’s burning.
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Consider A Medication Change
If youre struggling with an overload of flakes, you may need to evaluate and possibly switch medication. That can be frustrating, but there are many choices of targeted treatments on the market. It can be trial and error, but everyone can be treated, says Dr. Wechsler.
Psoriasis can be mild, moderate, or very severe, and these symptoms can change over time, so treatment that worked for you in the past may not be right for you now. If youre currently being treated for mild psoriasis but are starting to have more severe disease, talk to your doctor about if its time to change your therapy. Heres a brief overview of different types of treatment for psoriasis.
What Injections Or Infusions Are Available For Psoriasis
Recently, a new group of drugs called biologics have become available to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. They are produced by living cells cultures in an industrial setting. They are all proteins and therefore must be administered through the skin because they would otherwise be degraded during digestion. All biologics work by suppressing certain specific portions of the immune inflammatory response that are overactive in psoriasis. A convenient method of categorizing these drugs is on the basis of their site of action:
Drug choice can be complicated, and your physician will help in selecting the best option. In some patients, it may be possible to predict drug efficacy on the basis of a prospective patient’s genetics. It appears that the presence of the HLA-Cw6 gene is correlated with a beneficial response to ustekinumab.
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What Is Cdc Doing About Psoriasis
In 2010, CDC worked with experts in psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and public health to develop a public health perspective that considers how these conditions affect the entire population. The resulting report is Developing and Addressing the Public Health Agenda for Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis pdf icon. You can read a short article about the agendaexternal icon in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
CDCs National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey , an intermittent source of national psoriasis data, has included questions about psoriasis as late as the 2013-2014 cycle. A recent analysis of NHANES data estimates that 7.4 million adults had psoriasis in 2013external icon.
- Psoriasis causes patches of thick red skin and silvery scales. Patches are typically found on the elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, face, palms, and soles of feet, but can affect other places . The most common type of psoriasis is called plaque psoriasis.
- Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory type of arthritis that eventually occurs in 10% to 20% of people with psoriasis. It is different from more common types of arthritis and is thought to be related to the underlying problem of psoriasis.
- Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are sometimes considered together as psoriatic disease.
Who is at risk for psoriasis?
Anyone can get psoriasis. It occurs mostly in adults, but children can also get it. Men and women seem to have equal risk.
Can I get psoriasis from someone who has it?
There Are Ways To Shorten Flare
Psoriasis is a big star on TV drug ads, but this autoimmune skin disease is something most people try to keep well hidden.
“Psoriasis is among the most common skin conditions, affecting about 2% of the U.S. population, and while the condition doesn’t affect everyone the same way, the approach to treatment and prevention is often similar,” says Dr. Gideon Smith, an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
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Is Psoriasis Hereditary
Although psoriasis is not contagious from person to person, there is a known hereditary tendency. Therefore, family history is very helpful in making the diagnosis.
There are many effective psoriasis treatment choices. The best treatment is individually determined by the treating doctor and depends, in part, on the type of disease, the severity, and amount of skin involved and the type of insurance coverage.
For mild disease that involves only small areas of the body , topical treatments , such as creams, lotions, and sprays, may be very effective and safe to use. Occasionally, a small local injection of steroids directly into a tough or resistant isolated psoriatic plaque may be helpful.
For moderate to severe psoriasis that involves much larger areas of the body , topical products may not be effective or practical to apply. This may require ultraviolet light treatments or systemic medicines. Internal medications usually have greater risks. Because topical therapy has no effect on psoriatic arthritis, systemic medications are generally required to stop the progression to permanent joint destruction.