PSORIASIS

What is it?

Psoriasis is a condition which makes your skin go thick and flaky in parts. It causes red patches on your skin which may be covered in a silvery scale. It can also affect your nails, eyes and joints.

What causes it?

Psoriasis is caused by inflammation in some of the layers of your skin. Everyone's skin goes through a constant cycle with the top layers peeling off and new layers being formed from the bottom. In psoriasis this cycle is much quicker than usual.

Who gets it?

About one in 50 people suffers from it. Anyone can get psoriasis; it sometimes starts in babies with what looks like nasty nappy rash. You may find that you get psoriasis for the first time after you have been through a lot of stress or a bad infection. Psoriasis can also be triggered by certain medicines.

What are the symptoms?

Psoriasis comes in many shapes and forms.

You will probably notice it first on the front of your knees and the backs of your elbows where the skin becomes red and thickened. Sometimes it starts around the groin or the armpits, or you may notice tiny circular red or silvery patches on your body. Sometimes you may get painful pus- filled spots on your hands and feet. If psoriasis affects your joints it tends to cause only one joint at a time to swell and become painful. Your nails may also develop pits.

In most cases psoriasis does not make you feel ill but it can be ugly and embarrassing. Occasionally, especially if you have pus-filled spots on your hands and feet, you may feel unwell with a temperature.

When should I see my doctor?

If you have a rash that does not settle down on its own within a week or two it is worth making an appointment with your doctor to get it checked.

What tests will my doctor do?

Your doctor will often be able to tell you whether or not you have psoriasis just by examining you. If you have pain and swelling in your joints he may want to do some blood tests.

What is the short-term treatment?

This depends on what sort of psoriasis you have what parts of your body it affects and how bad it is.

The first treatments often include coat tar which is sticky and messy to use but very effective.

Other treatments have to be put carefully just onto the patches of psoriasis because they can damage your normal skin. They also leave a stain on anything they touch. You may have to try several different creams before you find one that suits you. It is worth persevering however and you may find that a cream that does not help you at one time may work better at another.

If your psoriasis is widespread or difficult to treat your GP may refer you to the skin clinic at your local hospital. There you may be sent for courses of daily treatments of cream by the specialist staff which last a few weeks. You may also be sent for a course of special sunbed treatments with ultraviolet light.

Will I need long-term treatment?

Your psoriasis is likely to go through phases of being better and worse. You will probably need to use courses of stronger and more regular treatment every so often. In between you may need only mild skin creams or no treatment at all.

How can I stop it getting worse?

It is important to try and avoid stress if this is what brought your psoriasis on in the first place. You should learn to recognise the signs of a flare-up in your psoriasis and get it treated early.