It's easy to think of psoriasis as just a "skin condition." But psoriasis actually starts underneath the skin. It is a chronic (long-lasting) disease of the immune system that can range from mild to severe.
Like most chronic illnesses, psoriasis may be associated with other health conditions such as psoriatic arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
The good news is that there are available treatment options and strategies that can help you live well with psoriasis. Start here by learning as much as you can about psoriasis and exploring it from the inside out.
Psoriasis varies in severity - some patients may only have minor localized patches, while others are affected all over the body. Psoriatic nail dystrophy is common among patients with psoriasis - where the fingernails and toenails are affected. Psoriasis may also result in inflammation of the joints, as may be the case with psoriatic arthritis, which affects approximately 10% to 15% of all psoriasis patients.
How do I get psoriasis?
While scientists do not know what exactly causes psoriasis, we do know that the immune system and genetics play major roles in its development. Usually, something triggers psoriasis to flare. The skin cells in people with psoriasis grow at an abnormally fast rate, which causes the buildup of psoriasis lesions.
Men and women develop psoriasis at equal rates. Psoriasis also occurs in all racial groups, but at varying rates. About 1.3 percent of African-Americans have psoriasis, compared to 2.5 percent of Caucasians.
Psoriasis often develops between the ages of 15 and 35, but it can develop at any age. About 10 to 15 percent of those with psoriasis get it before age 10. Some infants have psoriasis, although this is considered rare.
Psoriasis is not contagious. It is not something you can "catch" or that others can catch from you. Psoriasis lesions are not infectious.
What you're watching is an example of what happens underneath your skin when you have plaque psoriasis.
While symptoms may appear on the surface of the skin, what you can see is only part of the story.
With normal skin, your body takes about 28 to 30 days to produce new skin cells and shed the old ones.When your body has plaque psoriasis, your immune system is overactive, triggering skin inflammation and causing skin cells to be produced faster than normal. New skin cells are pushed to the skin's surface in 3 to 4 days instead of the usual 28 to 30.
But your body can't shed the new skin cells at that fast of a rate. So while new skin cells are being produced, the old, dead skin cells pile up on top of each other.
As more and more new skin cells are produced rapidly, the old skin cells are pushed to the surface, forming the thick, red, itchy, flaky patches known as plaques.
The exact cause of psoriasis is unknown.
