Images Of Psoriasis On The Hands

Avoid Cuts Scratches And Bug Bites

Anything that harms the skin on your hands can make your psoriasis flare. If you get a cut, clean and take care of it right away. Try not to pick at scabs. If you get an itchy bug bite, do your best not to scratch it. That could make your psoriasis worse. Instead, use a cold compress to get some relief.

Can You Have Psoriasis On Fingers Or Nails

Psoriasis most commonly affects the palms of the hands. They may appear inflamed with dry, thickened skin. The thick areas may have cracks or fissures. Sometimes, this appearance is similar to that of a fungal infection, like athletes foot, but on the hands.

About 60% of people who have psoriasis on their hands also experience changes to their fingernails.1David Rosmarin, M.D., a dermatologist and assistant professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine, tells SELF changes from nail psoriasis may include:

• Lifting of the nail plate from the nail bed
• Oil spots
• Pitting
• White spots

While the psoriasis lesions may also appear on the knuckles and fingers, the palms are usually the originating area. When psoriasis extends to your fingers and knuckles, this can make it especially difficult to maintain the function in your hands, as it can be painful.

Acne: Blocked Pores That Lead To Pimples

Some forms of psoriasis appear as pus-filled blisters that may be confused with pimples. Pustular psoriasis forms white blisters that are filled with pus and surrounded by red skin. Far more common than psoriasis, acne also causes a pus-filled pimple eruption. However unlike psoriasis acne is caused by excess oil, blocked pores, and bacteria. Acne is common in teens and young adults and occurs on the face, neck, back, or chest. Pustular psoriasis is usually seen in adults and can occur anywhere on the body, but less likely on the face.

Recommended Reading: Best Treatment For Psoriasis On Face

> > > Best Psoriasis Cure Available

3. To help safeguard the skin, the immune system release chemicals that can cause nerves to itch and blood vessels to dilate to prepare the skin for a sudden rush of immune cells

4. When the immune cells arrive at the scene, most work to kill off the pathogens causing the distress, but a few capture some of the invaders and take them back to the heart of the immune system, where other soldier cells are produced in a way to recognize and attack the invading cells on contact

5. Inflammation is the bodys way of opening blood vessels to allow more soldier cells to rush to the battlefield.

While this entire process is completely normal, people with psoriasis tend to overproduce these soldier cells when the body feels threatened. This overabundance of killer immune cells can actually be dangerous to the skin since they begin to attack good cells along with the bad ones.

While it is great to finally understand the impact an improperly working immune system can have on your skin and cause psoriasis more research is needed to pinpoint the exact cause for the over-firing of the cell messages. Psoriasis on the Hands Pictures

How Psoriasis Is Diagnosed

A GP can often diagnose psoriasis based on the appearance of your skin.

In rare cases, a small sample of skin called a biopsy will be sent to the laboratory for examination under a microscope.

This determines the exact type of psoriasis and rules out other skin disorders, such as seborrhoeic dermatitis, lichen planus, lichen simplex and pityriasis rosea.

You may be referred to a specialist in diagnosing and treating skin conditions if your doctor is uncertain about your diagnosis, or if your condition is severe.

If your doctor suspects you have psoriatic arthritis, which is sometimes a complication of psoriasis, you may be referred to a doctor who specialises in arthritis .

You may have blood tests to rule out other conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and X-rays of the affected joints may be taken.

Recommended Reading: Cbd Oil For Psoriasis Reviews

Mild To Moderate Cases

Mild to moderate palmoplantar psoriasis may be treated with topical treatments, including:

• Emollient moisturizers: Apply thinly and frequently to treat dry, itchy, flaky skin and help prevent cracking.
• Salicylic acid: This keratolytic agent, available in lotions, soaps, foot balms, and shampoos, promotes the shedding of scales and reduces thickened plaques.
• Coal tar: Lotions, creams, and shampoos with this ingredient can reduce inflammation and slow skin growth.
• Anti-itch creams, containing ingredients like camphor, menthol, or benzocaine
• Calcipotriene: A vitamin D derivative, this appears to slow the hyperproduction of skin cells and reduce inflammation.
• Topical corticosteroids: Apply sparingly to temper local inflammation and reduce the size and appearance of plaques.

To improve absorption, a technique called occlusion may be used in which the hands or feet are covered with cling film, plastic gloves, or a plastic bag for several hours or overnight.

Speak with your healthcare provider about the appropriate use of occlusion to prevent skin irritation or the supersaturation of the skin .

A topical drug sometimes used to treat psoriasis, called anthralin, is not very successful for palmoplantar psoriasis. Anthralin is messy and impractical, requiring prolonged treatments, and may further dry and irritate delicate skin.

Hydrocortisone Creams And Ointments

You can buy a mild corticosteroid like hydrocortisone without a prescription. For a few small patches of psoriasis, a mild hydrocortisone works well. If you have more than a few small patches, youll likely need a prescription corticosteroid to see results.

Whether OTC or prescription, this medicine works quickly to:

• Reduce the itch

If you have cracked or bleeding skin, an ointment will likely feel better than a cream. Ointments tend to be more soothing and less irritating than creams.

MoisturizerThis may help anyone who has psoriasis because psoriasis makes the skin dry and scaly. Moisturizer helps to seal water in the skin, which can:

• Relieve dryness

• Help your skin heal

Dermatologists recommend applying moisturizer once a day, and more often when your skin is really dry. When shopping for a moisturizer, you want to select a:

• Heavy cream, ointment, or oil rather than a lotion

• Fragrance-free product

• Product that you like and will use

Oil can be especially healing, but its also messy. To reap the benefits of oil, try applying it before bedtime.

Moisturize before washing

For best results, you want to apply your moisturizer within 3 minutes of bathing and after washing your hands.

Scale softenersYoull find OTC products and prescription medicines that contain salicylic acid. This active ingredient helps to:

• Remove and soften scale

Removing the scale helps other medicine that you apply to your skin to work better.

• Lactic acid

Also Check: Is Calamine Lotion Good For Psoriasis

Moderate To Serious Psoriasis

Moderate to severe palmoplantar psoriasis may require aggressive therapies that target inflammation in different ways .

These may include topical or oral retinoids, disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs like methotrexate and cyclosporine, and injected biologic drugs like Enbrel and Cosentyx .

The treatments considered most effective for moderate to severe palmoplantar psoriasis are:

• Methotrexate, taken in pill form and often prescribed as the backbone of treatment
• Soriatane , an oral retinoid used when psoriasis is resistant to treatment
• Bathwater PUVA, a form of phototherapy in which your hands and feet are soaked in a bath containing psoralen before being exposed to ultraviolet A light

Biologic drugs may be used in severe cases, but can sometimes activate rather than suppress palmoplantar psoriasis symptoms. This is especially true with Humira and Remicade .

Tlc For Hands And Feet

Avoiding injuries, even small ones , makes good sense for people with psoriasis or PsA affecting the hands and feet.

âThe Koebner phenomenon is the flaring of psoriasis in response to injury. Even minor trauma can cause a flare,â says Duffin. âFor example, if you use your nails to pry open a lid, youâre probably going to make your nail psoriasis worse.â

Similarly, shoving feet into shoes without enough room to wiggle toes or wearing high heels means youâre putting constant pressure on nails and joints, which can increase pain and nail problems.

âI generally recommend flats that have good cushioning and arch support that takes the weight off toe joints â which doesnât mean wearing ballet slippers that have no padding in the bottom,â says Gottlieb.

âYou donât want a triangle profile that squeezes the toes, because that elicits pain.â She also cautions that flip-flops, a summer favorite, expose toes and feet to trauma.

A consultation with a podiatrist, who can advise on the right footwear and design an orthotic for individual foot issues, is often helpful for people with PsA that affects the feet, Gottlieb says.

Read Also: How Does Psoriasis Start Out

Plaque Psoriasis And Its Reach: The Scalp And Beyond

According to the American Academy of Dermatology, at least 50 percent of people with plaque psoriasis will experience a bout of scalp psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis on the scalp may require different treatment than plaque psoriasis on other parts of the body.

Medicated ointments, shampoos, and careful removal of scales can help treat scalp psoriasis. Sometimes, systemic medications must be used to clear plaque psoriasis on the scalp.

Psoralen Plus Ultraviolet A

For this treatment, you’ll first be given a tablet containing compounds called psoralens. Psoralen may be applied to the skin. This makes your skin more sensitive to light.

Your skin is then exposed to a wavelength of light called ultraviolet A . This light penetrates your skin more than ultraviolet B light.

This treatment may be used if you have severe psoriasis that has not responded to other treatment.

Side effects include nausea, headaches, burning and itchiness. You may need to wear special glasses for 24 hours after taking the tablet. This is to prevent the development of cataracts.

Long-term use of this treatment is not encouraged. It can increase your risk of developing skin cancer.

Also Check: Guttate Psoriasis Vs Plaque Psoriasis

What You Need To Know About Psoriasis Psoriasis On The Hands Pictures

Is Your Stomach to Blame?

Who would have thought that a severe psoriasis outbreak could start because of something going wrong inside of your stomach and intestines? Yet, new research developed by psoriasis expert Edgard Cayce shows a distinct link between a leaky gut and a scaly psoriatic episode. According to Cayce, the primary source of psoriasis can be found in the intestinal tract, where toxins are leached into the body. This causes the immune system to react by thickening the skin. At the same time, the skin tries to purge the toxins through its layers, which can cause scabs and sores to form.

Could Arthritis Be the Cuplrit?

The intestines arent the only link to psoriasis found by researchers arthritis seems to also contribute to it. As many as one-third of all psoriasis patients eventually develop some form of psoriatic arthritis. Unlike normal forms of arthritis, those with psoriatic arthritis do not exhibit a rheumatoid factor when their blood is tested. This indicates that the arthritic condition comes solely from either the psoriasis itself or the underlying cause of the skin affliction.

Could a Virus Be the Cause?

Arthritis has been linked to certain virus and so have other auto-immune disorders. This leads some researchers to think that psoriasis too may start with a virus, which is what kicks the immune system into overdrive.

Palm & Foot Psoriasis

Palmoplantar psoriasis is a severe cracking, peeling with pus filled blisters on the skin. The area of the body that can be affected by this is usaully the hands and the feet . The finger nails and toe nails are affect as well.More often than not the cracking and peeling will get so bad these areas will start to bleed, causing the patient to miss work or school and worry about infection setting in. The patients skin color may look to have a copper hue the skin. This condiction doesgo by another name: palmoplantar pustulosis.

Red, scaling plaques with small pustules that develop on the palms and the soles of the feet are called palmoplantar psoriasis. The pustules are 1/32 1/2 inch in diameter and are often painful, interfering with daily functioning. It predominately affects women.

Palmoplantar psoriasis looks very different from common plaque psoriasis and flexural psoriasis, and usually only appears on the soles of the feet and palms of the hands. Instead of inflamed and scaly patches, there are weeping, cracked lesions that can look like masses of tiny yellow blisters. These can be quite painful and look infected, even though there is no infection present. Over a period of days, the pustules turn a brownish color and fall off, often only to be quickly replaced. The production of new pustules to replace the ones that have been shed can go on over a period of years.

You May Like: Hot Oil Treatment For Psoriasis

Patches Of Plaque Psoriasis

The most commonly affected parts of the body include the elbows, knees, and scalp. Most people with plaque psoriasis will develop patches in these areas. But some will also have psoriasis patches on other areas of the body.

The location of plaque psoriasis can change as patches heal. New patches may appear in different locations during future attacks. Plaque psoriasis affects everyone differently. No two people will experience the same symptoms.

What Does Psoriasis Look Like On Your Hand

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin condition that causes skin to be red, thick, scaly, and flaky. When it occurs on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet, its called palmoplantar psoriasis, and it affects about 40% of people with psoriasis.

In addition, fingernails and toenails may be affected. Psoriatic nail disease can cause symptoms in the nail bed and the area where fingernails and toenails start their growth.

Palmoplantar pustular disease occurs in about 5% of patients who have psoriasis and appears as small, pus-filled blisters on reddened, tender skin. It can also cause painful cracking and fissuring.

Symptoms of psoriasis on the hands may include:

• Patches of skin on the hands
• Look red or dark

Recommended Reading: Home Remedies For Psoriasis On Head

Guttate Psoriasis: Small Red Spots

Guttate psoriasis the second most common type of psoriasis is characterized by multiple small, round red spots on the skin, usually widespread across the trunk and limbs. Often resulting from a bacterial or viral infection in children, such as strep throat, these spots come on suddenly and sometimes require oral medication or injections. Mild cases, however, may clear up without treatment.

Home Treatment For Psoriasis On Hands

Dangers of self-treatment: despite the fact that many medications for the treatment of psoriasis can be bought without a prescription, they can be used only after the approval of a doctor. Otherwise, the consequences can be irreversible:

• psoriasis on the fingers of the fingers hypercalcemia occurs when using some ointments, topical creams. This condition can lead to heart rhythm disturbances and even to muscle cramps
• skin burn using local remedies, as well as using such method of treatment as phototherapy may lead to skin burn
• syndrome of addiction, withdrawal
• various violations of the endocrine, cardiovascular system when using hormonal drugs
• pigmentation of the surrounding healthy skin coloring in brown
• occurrence of skin atrophy
• frequent relapses of the disease, aggravation of the disease.

It is extremely unsafe to use any methods, preparations for the treatment of psoriasis without doctors advice on the frequency and duration of application, the area of application of ointment, cream, and without taking into account the individual characteristics of the body!

Without knowing how to treat psoriasis, one can easily harm other organs and systems. Secondly, the person risks to significantly aggravate the course of the disease. And, thirdly, in the absence of adequate treatment, the disease can turn into severe form it will be very difficult to get rid of it.

One specific rash or scaly plaques appear, one should immediately contact dermatologist.

Also Check: Is Lemon Good For Psoriasis

What Are The Types Of Psoriasis

In children, common types of psoriasis include:

Plaque psoriasis. This is the most common type of psoriasis. It causes plaques and silvery scales, usually on the knees, elbows, lower back, and scalp. They can be itchy and painful and may crack and bleed.

Guttate psoriasis. This type often shows up after an illness, especially strep throat. It causes small red spots, usually on the trunk, arms, and legs. Spots also can appear on the face, scalp, and ears.

Inverse psoriasis. This causes smooth, raw-looking patches of red skin that feel sore. The patches develop in places where skin touches skin, such as the armpits, buttocks, upper eyelids, groin and genitals, or under a womans breasts.

Recommended Reading: Selsun Blue Shampoo For Psoriasis

Psoriasis And Quality Of Life

Doctors and people with psoriasis donât always agree on whatâs mild and whatâs serious. Psoriasis can affect self-image and make people self-conscious. This can even lead to depression and social isolation.

Only a frank discussion with your doctor about what living with psoriasis means to you will get these issues out in the open.

Read Also: Best Bath Salts For Psoriasis

What Are The Clinical Features Of Palmoplantar Psoriasis

Palms and soles affected by psoriasis tend to be partially or completely red, dry and thickened, often with deep painful cracks . The skin changes tend to have a sharp border and are often symmetrical, ie similar distribution on both palms and/or both soles. At times, palmar psoriasis can be quite hard to differentiate from hand dermatitis and other forms of acquired keratoderma. Plantar psoriasis may sometimes be similar in appearance to tinea pedis. There may be signs of psoriasis elsewhere.

Palmoplantar psoriasis tends to be a chronic condition, ie, it is very persistent.

Compared to chronic plaque psoriasis on other sites, palmoplantar psoriasis is more commonly associated with:

You May Like: Best Otc Lotion For Psoriasis