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So as it turns out, this is another
one of those annoying, self esteem breakers. Yes the skin disease
Psoriasis. You read that right it is a disease. A rather embarrassing
skin disease that has been known to lead to frustration and in
some cases deep depression. If you suffer from it don't feel
alone, you are just one of 80 million people world wide that
suffer with the same skin disease. This makes it a rather common
skin disease.
As you can imagine since Psoriasis
comes from the Greek word "psora" which means "to
itch", the skin disease it is well known in living up to
its name. As if itching is not bad enough it is sometimes rather
painful too.
Views seem to differ in when Psoriasis
may occur, yet the most common thought is that Psoriasis can
happen at any age between 12 and 45. It is not prone to effect
one sex more than another yet it does seem to be more common
in adults than in children. Caucasians seem to be at a slightly
higher risk too.
Ok, so what is it, well if you suffer
from it, or know someone who does you need no introduction, but
for those who are not as familiar with it, the most common form
of Psoriasis (plaque Psoriasis) is when you find the skin red
and inflamed with a silvery white scale on top. These scales
gradually enlarge and increase in number. When the scales are
scraped off a few bleeding points are visible.
Basically what happens is the skin
regenerates too quickly. Skin rapidly accumulates at the effected
site which causes the silvery white scales. But my next question
was what causes that to happen? Well the blame seems to lie at
the doorstep of the T-Cells making it an immune system disorder.
Ordinarily these T-cells are supposed
to help protect the body from infection yet in the case of Psoriasis
they cause inflammation and rapid production of skin cells. They
seem to be trying to heal an injury, one that is not really there.
It is still not known what triggers the T-cells to be released
to the dermis yet it is known that a normal skin cell matures
in 28-30 days but in the case of Psoriasis it can happen as quickly
as 3-6 days.
This is not the only form of Psoriasis;
there seem to be many variations. People generally only have
one form of Psoriasis at a time yet they can change from one
form to another. One form of Psoriasis may clear up and later
another form will appear.
The other, some refer to it as the
more severe form of Psoriasis, is Pustular Psoriasis. These are
blisters that are not infectious yet are filled with pus. This
pus consists of white blood cells. The skin around this area
is red and tender. The blisters eventually turn brown and form
a scaly crust.
Guttate Psoriasis derives from the
Latin word meaning "drop" and they are small red individual
spots that usually appear on the trunk and the limbs. There name
is because they look like little tear drops. This form of Psoriasis
is mostly commonly yet not solely linked with Streptococcal infection.
Inverse Psoriasis is found in the
arm pits, under the breasts, and other skin folds around the
genitals. This appears as shiny red areas with out the scales
that are found with Plaque Psoriasis. It tends to be more common
in over weight people as with skin folds and sweating the problem
becomes much more irritated.
The general consensus seems to be
that even though this disease is not contagious it does seem
to be to a large degree hereditary. It is not guaranteed that
it will develop from these genes that carry it but there does
seem to be certain conditions that may bring it out. Skin damage
due to the sun, alcohol, strep throat, stress and some medications
(including pain killers and anti malarial medication) may be
all that is required to trigger Psoriasis and bring it to the
fore. Stress and emotional traumas are rather large contributors
to Psoriasis.
It may affect anywhere yet it is
most commonly found on the scalp, elbows, knees and lower back.
The groin, the nails and the palms and soles of the feet are
also affected areas. When the nails become affected they become
pitted or discolured. The joints may also be affected and in
such cases the Psoriasis is called Psoriatic Arthritis.
In the case of Psoriatic Arthritis
the condition is characterized by stiff, tender and inflamed
joints. There are five different forms of Psoriatic Arthritis.
Generally it only affects a few fingers and toes yet in severe
cases this can be rather debilitating to the point that the individual
suffering cannot work as all his/her time is preoccupied in trying
to alleviate the pain.
Because there is no known cure Psoriasis
can be absolutely heart breaking to the person suffering with
it. There are medications and therapies that are able to clear
up the patches of Psoriasis and to help it go into a state of
remission. Treatment varies due to the severity of the Psoriasis
and what form of Psoriasis the individual is suffering from.
Consulting ones doctor is imperative. It will most likely flare
up again over ones life time yet you do not have to give up all
hope as the positive thing is that it can be controlled. It is
just a matter of finding what works for you.
About the author: Michelle Ludick lives in Johannesburg South
Africa with her husband and two small children. Her interest
in health lead to her website http://www.bhealthy247.com
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