Psoriasis is so much more than a rash, a skin condition and even more than its famous ¢‚¬Ëheartbreak¢‚¬„¢ moniker.‚ Psoriasis is painful, embarrassing, depressing and image assaulting.‚ Serious and life altering for older people, it can be crushing to teenagers and young adults.‚ Psoriasis can retreat at times and then flare.‚ The medications used to deal with those flares sat times can seem as debilitating as the condition itself.‚ There is an intense itching that can consume sufferers and cause them to do serious damage to their skin.‚ So is there any hope?

This disease attacks image, well-being, health, comfort and eventually it would seem, sanity.

What is available to help?‚ Lots of meds, but one has to balance the benefits against the side effects.‚ There are other treatments, light therapy, diets and topical applications.‚ Sometimes some of these things work for a while and then they stop working.‚ The very nature of psoriasis makes it unpredictable and different in every patient.‚ There is more than one kind of psoriasis.‚ So it is an elusive condition to control.

What is Psoriasis?

It is a long-lasting skin disorder identified by scaling and inflammation. Scaling occurs when cells in the outer layer of skin reproduce faster than normal and pile up on the skin’s surface.‚ Sound simple and straight forward?‚ It isn.

Psoriasis affects more than two percent of the United States population and occurs in all age groups.‚ Men and women, equally, suffer pain, restricted motion of joints, and emotional distress.

When psoriasis develops, patches of skin thicken, redden, and become covered with silvery scales. These patches are sometimes referred to as plaques. They may itch or burn. The skin at joints may crack. Psoriasis most often occurs on the elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, face, palms, and soles of the feet. The disease also may affect the fingernails, toenails, and the soft tissues inside the mouth and genitalia. About 10 percent of people with psoriasis have joint inflammation that produces symptoms of arthritis. This condition is called psoriatic arthritis.

Psoriasis is not contagious in any way. It is not possible to “catch” psoriasis by touching a person afflicted with it.
What causes this condition?

Research indicates that psoriasis may be a disorder of the immune system. The immune system includes a type of white blood cell, called a T cell, that normally helps protect the body against infection and disease. Scientists now think that psoriasis is related to an abnormal immune system that produces too many of the immune cells, called T cells, in the skin. These T cells trigger the inflammation and excessive skin cell reproduction seen in people with psoriasis. This leads to inflammation and flaking of skin.

In some cases, psoriasis is inherited. Researchers are studying large families affected by psoriasis to identify a gene or genes associated with the disease. (Genes govern every body function and determine inherited traits that are passed from parent to child.)

People with psoriasis may notice that there are times when their skin worsens, then improves. Conditions that may cause flare-ups include changes in climate, infections, stress, and dry skin. Also, certain medicines, such as the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug indomethacin and medicines used to treat high blood pressure or depression, may trigger an outbreak or worsen the disease.

How is psoriasis diagnosed?

Doctors usually diagnose psoriasis after a careful examination of the skin. However, diagnosis may be difficult because psoriasis often looks like other skin diseases. There are several forms of psoriasis. The most common form is plaque psoriasis (its scientific name is psoriasis vulgaris). In plaque psoriasis, lesions have a reddened base covered by silvery scales. Other forms of psoriasis include:

Guttate Psoriasis: Drop-like lesions appear on the trunk, limbs, and scalp. Guttate psoriasis may be triggered by viral respiratory infections or certain bacterial (streptococcal) infections.
Pustular Psoriasis: Blisters of noninfectious pus appear on the skin. Attacks of pustular psoriasis may be triggered by medications, sunlight, infections, pregnancy, perspiration, emotional stress, or exposure to certain chemicals.
Inverse Psoriasis: Large, dry, smooth, vividly red plaques occur in the folds of skin near the genitals, under the breasts, or in the armpits. Inverse psoriasis is related to increased sensitivity to friction and sweating.
Erythrodermic Psoriasis: Widespread reddening and scaling of the skin is often accompanied by itching or pain. Erythrodermic psoriasis may be precipitated by severe sunburn, use of oral steroids (such as cortisone), or a drug-related rash.
What treatments are available for psoriasis?

Psoriasis is generally treated in steps.‚ This is sometimes called the “1-2-3″ approach. In step One, medicines are applied to the skin (topical treatment). Step Two involves treatments with light (phototherapy). Step Three involves taking medicines internally, usually by mouth (systemic treatment), but also by injection and intravenously.

Over time, affected skin tends to resist some treatments. Also, a treatment that works like magic in one person may have little effect in another. Thus, doctors commonly use a trial-and-error approach to find a treatment that works, then they switch treatments every 12 to 24 months to reduce resistance and adverse reactions. Selection of treatment depends on the location of lesions, their size, the amount of the skin affected, previous response to treatment, and patients’ perceptions about their skin condition and preferences for treatment. In addition, treatment is often tailored to the specific form of the disorder.

Topical Treatment

Treatments applied directly to the skin are sometimes effective in clearing psoriasis. Doctors find that some patients respond well to sunlight, steroid ointments, medicines made from vitamin D3, coal tar, or anthralin. Other topical measures, such as bath solutions and moisturizers, may be soothing but are seldom strong enough to clear lesions for a sustained length of time and may need to be combined with more potent remedies.

There is an unending supply of articles and opinions about psoriasis available Online.‚ There are also Online support groups and chat rooms where people with Psoriasis can find advice and empathy from fellow victims.

Medical personnel and researchers are constantly looking for new and improved products.‚ Healing Leaf LLC has developed PsoriaCEASE‚®, a topical salve made from all natural healing herbs and oils.‚ This salve soothes and comforts most flare-ups.‚ Since Psorisis is such a complex disease, going as deep as seven layers of skin and tissue, not all products work for all people.‚ But earth and people friendly PsoriaCEASE‚® is economical, all natural, and avoids the constant barrage of chemicals aimed so relentlessly at this skin condition.

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Beverly Vines-Haines is the Marketing, Research and Text Coordinator for Healing Leaf LLC.‚ This is a company that tackles the toughest skin and nail conditions known to man.‚ A best-selling author for years before she became a part of Healing Leaf LLC, she is dedicated to natural healing and creating pure products that are both safe and earth friendly. To learn more about these effective products, visit www.NoFungusAmongUs.com.