What is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin condition that is characterized by raised red patches and flaky, silvery scales.

Generally seen in adults, psoriasis can develop at any age. Symptoms can be permanent or intermittent. How do you get psoriasis? A trigger (e.g. emotional stress, local injury to skin, systemic infection or the use of some medications) may cause a flare-up or even lead to the development of psoriasis.

Causes and Triggers:

The exact cause of psoriasis is not quite understood, but experts tend to agree that this disease begins with a malfunction of the immune system and resulting inflammation. Something triggers the white blood cells found in the immune system, inflammation ensues, and skin cells rise to the surface, shedding at an unusually fast rate (30 days for normal skin cells vs. 3–4 days for psoriasis skin cells).

What triggers psoriasis in one person is likely different from another person. Psoriasis triggers may include stress, injuries to the skin (e.g. vaccinations, sunburns and scratches), certain medications (e.g. lithium, an antidepressant; quinidine for heart conditions), beta blockers (antihypertensive) and infections (e.g. earache, bronchitis, tonsillitis or a respiratory infection). The weather may affect psoriasis positively or negatively; the winter months often dry and irritate the skin, while the summer sun often helps psoriasis plaques fade.