What is psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a
common skin condition affecting 2-3% of the population of the United Kingdom
and Ireland. Psoriasis is an immune condition, which affects the skin and
sometimes the joints. When a person has psoriasis, the skin replacement process
speeds up, taking just a few days to replace skin cells that usually take 21-28
days. This results in an accumulation of skin cells on the surface of the skin,
in the form of a psoriatic plaque. This process is the same wherever it occurs
on the body. Psoriasis is a long-term condition that may wax and wane, ie.
sometimes it is mild and sometimes it is more severe. Whilst there is not a
cure, there are many treatments available to help manage the condition.
What does it look
like?
Patches of
psoriasis (also referred to as plaques) are raised red patches of skin, covered
with silvery white scales. The silvery white scales are the accumulation of the
skin cells waiting to be shed, and the redness is due to the increase in blood
vessels required to support the increase in cell production.
Psoriasis can range
in appearance from mild to severe. The plaques can appear in a variety of
shapes and sizes, varying from a few millimetres to several centimetres in
diameter. Plaques of psoriasis have a well defined edge from the surrounding
skin. For some people, plaques of psoriasis may be thin or flat to the skin
surface, whereas for others they may be much thicker.
Who gets it?
Psoriasis can occur
at any point in the lifespan, affecting children, teenagers, adults and older
people. However, there seems to be two ‘peaks’; from the late teens to early
adulthood, and between the ages of around 50 and 60. It affects males and
females equally. Some people with psoriasis have a family history of the
condition, but some do not.
Can you catch it?
No - Psoriasis
cannot be transmitted from person to person through contact, such as touching
each other. Nor can it be transferred from one part of the body to another.
However, around 30% of people with psoriasis have a family history of the
condition, and certain genes have been identified as being linked to psoriasis.
However, many genes are involved and even if the right combination of genes has
been inherited, psoriasis may not appear.
What causes it?
Traditionally
psoriasis was thought to be a condition of the uppermost layer of the skin (the
epidermis), but recent research has found that the changes in the skin begin in
the immune system when certain immune cells (T cells) are triggered and become
overactive. The T cells produce inflammatory chemicals, and act as if they were
fighting an infection or healing a wound, which leads to the rapid growth of
skin cells causing psoriatic plaques to form. You may therefore hear psoriasis
being described as an “auto-immune disease” or “immune-mediated condition”. It
is not yet clear what triggers the immune system to act in this way.
(Source: Psoriasis
Association)
What is psoriasis?
Psoriasis is a
common skin condition affecting 2-3% of the population of the United Kingdom
and Ireland. Psoriasis is an immune condition, which affects the skin and
sometimes the joints. When a person has psoriasis, the skin replacement process
speeds up, taking just a few days to replace skin cells that usually take 21-28
days. This results in an accumulation of skin cells on the surface of the skin,
in the form of a psoriatic plaque. This process is the same wherever it occurs
on the body. Psoriasis is a long-term condition that may wax and wane, ie.
sometimes it is mild and sometimes it is more severe. Whilst there is not a
cure, there are many treatments available to help manage the condition.
What does it look
like?
Patches of
psoriasis (also referred to as plaques) are raised red patches of skin, covered
with silvery white scales. The silvery white scales are the accumulation of the
skin cells waiting to be shed, and the redness is due to the increase in blood
vessels required to support the increase in cell production.
Psoriasis can range
in appearance from mild to severe. The plaques can appear in a variety of
shapes and sizes, varying from a few millimetres to several centimetres in
diameter. Plaques of psoriasis have a well defined edge from the surrounding
skin. For some people, plaques of psoriasis may be thin or flat to the skin
surface, whereas for others they may be much thicker.
Who gets it?
Psoriasis can occur
at any point in the lifespan, affecting children, teenagers, adults and older
people. However, there seems to be two ‘peaks’; from the late teens to early
adulthood, and between the ages of around 50 and 60. It affects males and
females equally. Some people with psoriasis have a family history of the
condition, but some do not.
Can you catch it?
No - Psoriasis
cannot be transmitted from person to person through contact, such as touching
each other. Nor can it be transferred from one part of the body to another.
However, around 30% of people with psoriasis have a family history of the
condition, and certain genes have been identified as being linked to psoriasis.
However, many genes are involved and even if the right combination of genes has
been inherited, psoriasis may not appear.
What causes it?
Traditionally
psoriasis was thought to be a condition of the uppermost layer of the skin (the
epidermis), but recent research has found that the changes in the skin begin in
the immune system when certain immune cells (T cells) are triggered and become
overactive. The T cells produce inflammatory chemicals, and act as if they were
fighting an infection or healing a wound, which leads to the rapid growth of
skin cells causing psoriatic plaques to form. You may therefore hear psoriasis
being described as an “auto-immune disease” or “immune-mediated condition”. It
is not yet clear what triggers the immune system to act in this way.
(Source: Psoriasis
Association)
