Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Live Well with Psoriasis - Symptoms
- Topic Overview
-
Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Treatment
- Other Places To Get Help
- References
- Credits
The classic symptoms of
psoriasis are raised, red
patches of skin 
topped with loose, silvery scales, usually on the knees or
elbows.
There are several types of psoriasis. Symptoms for each type may vary in severity and appear in a wide array of combinations. In general, the major symptoms of psoriasis include:
- Bright red areas of raised patches (plaques) on the skin, often covered with loose, silvery scales. Plaques can occur anywhere, but commonly they occur on the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet, or lower back. Nearly 90% of people with psoriasis have plaque-type psoriasis.1
- Tiny areas of bleeding when skin scales are picked or scraped off (Auspitz's sign).
- Mild scaling to thick, crusted plaques on the scalp.
- Itching, especially during sudden flare-ups or when the psoriasis patches are in body folds, such as under the breasts or buttocks.
- Nail disorders. Nail disorders are common,
especially in severe psoriasis. Nail symptoms include:
- Tiny pits in the nails (not found with fungal nail infections).
- Yellowish discoloration of the toenails and sometimes the fingernails.
- Separation of the end of the nail from the nail bed.
- Less often, a buildup of skin debris under the nails.
Other symptoms of psoriasis may include:
- Similar plaques in the same area on both sides of the body (for example, both knees or both elbows).
- Flare-ups of many raindrop-shaped patches. Called guttate psoriasis, this condition often follows a strep infection and is the second most common type of psoriasis. It affects less than 10% of those with psoriasis.1
- Joint swelling, tenderness, and pain (psoriatic arthritis).
Koebner's phenomenon can occur when a person with psoriasis has an injury (such as a cut, burn, or excess sun exposure) to an area of the skin that is not affected by psoriasis. Psoriasis patches then appear on the injured skin or any other part of the skin from several days to about 2 weeks after the injury. Because this response is common, it is important for people who have psoriasis to avoid irritating or injuring their skin.
Several other skin conditions have symptoms similar to psoriasis. Some medicine reactions can cause symptoms (such as reddened skin) similar to psoriasis. Talk to your doctor about the medicines you are taking.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: January 13, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Alexander H. Murray, MD, FRCPC - Dermatology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network