Psoriasis

What is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a condition that causes your body’s immune system to go into overdrive and start attacking healthy skin cells. Because your skin cells are under attack, they start multiplying rapidly to repair and rebuild tissues, but they develop so fast, older skin cells don’t get a chance to slough away. This causes a buildup of skin cells, which leads to thickened and flaky skin.

Medical experts break psoriasis down into five different subtypes. Each one is described below.

Plaque psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis, the most common type of psoriasis, causes thickened, red patches to develop. These tough spots are often covered with white or silvery scales, which indicates the buildup of dead skin cells.

Guttate psoriasis

Guttate psoriasis affects about 10% of psoriasis sufferers. This type of psoriasis, often caused by a strep infection, appears as small, red dots. Guttate psoriasis usually affects children and young adults.

Inverse psoriasis

Inverse psoriasis leads to extremely red skin lesions that tend to develop on the folds of your skin in your armpits, genitals, and backs of knees. In most cases, if you have inverse psoriasis, you also have another form of psoriasis elsewhere in your body.

Pustular psoriasis

Pustular psoriasis surfaces as tiny white blisters that are surrounded by reddened skin. Usually, pustular psoriasis develops on your hands and feet.

Erythrodermic psoriasis

While rare, erythrodermic psoriasis causes your skin to appear very red and fiery. Erythrodermic psoriasis is known for being unbearably painful and itchy. It causes your skin to come off in sheets and, if left untreated, can be life-threatening.

How is psoriasis diagnosed?

When you come into Integrated Dermatology of North Raleigh for your skin evaluation, your dedicated dermatologist thoroughly examines your skin from head to toe. In many cases, they can diagnose psoriasis based on your current signs and symptoms.

To confirm a psoriasis diagnosis and to rule out other related conditions, your dermatologist may need to gather skin biopsies or perform a blood draw. Once your dermatologist diagnoses your psoriasis, they talk with you about all of your possible treatment options.

Can I get treatment for psoriasis?

Absolutely! The caring practitioners at Integrated Dermatology of North Raleigh understand how unbearable psoriasis can become during flare-ups. They work diligently to find the best possible solution for your specific needs and lifestyle. Your psoriasis treatment plan may include:

• Light therapy (phototherapy)
• Specialized moisturizers
• Topical corticosteroids

You may also benefit from biologics. This type of treatment involves receiving injections to block certain parts of your immune system function. Biologics can reduce or even eliminate psoriasis symptoms. In any case, you have plenty of psoriasis treatment options available at Integrated Dermatology of North Raleigh, so you can expect relief.

Before your psoriasis flares up another day, get started on treatment at Integrated Dermatology of North Raleigh. Book your psoriasis evaluation either online or over the phone.