What Are The Types of Psoriasis
What Are The Types of Psoriasis
If you have ever dealt with Psoriasis you know the feeling of struggling with red, itchy, scaly skin.
Do you know what type of Psoriasis you have?
Were you even aware there were more than just one type?
There are in fact three main types of Psoriasis and although the basic symptoms are the same, they are all a little bit different.
All types of Psoriasis affects the skin, however the actual symptoms can vary. If you are lucky you only suffer one of the symptoms one at a time. Psoriasis is famous for the redness and the shedding of skin that can occur. There are two layers of skin, the top and bottom. The top layer is the old skin, it lasts for a few weeks and then begins to shed off on its own. The bottom layer is the new skin growth that takes over for the shedding skin.
The shedding of skin is a normal process and happens everyday without humans even noticing. In Psoriasis, we notice the skin shedding process because the bottom lay tries to move up to the top before the top is ready to shed. This leaves cracks in the skin and gives it that red look. On top of that, the skin may start to become inflamed. If you scratch at the skin while it is flaky, red, and peeling, you could get weeping lesions and scaling on the affected area.
Those are the main symptoms for the basic three types of Psoriasis:
- Guttate – Guttate Psoriasis mainly affects children and young adults. It often follows after a bout of strep throat or other infection and can cause red bumps on the skin. Guttate Psoriasis is often misdiagnosed as an allergic reaction rash or a fever rash. The good news is that it can be cleared up with antibiotics, the same kind that can be taken for strep, and it almost never comes back again.
- Plaque – Plaque Psoriasis is the most common type of the disease. Each person is different, but for the most part it appears as patchy, thick flaky skin that causes itching and inflammation. If the skin is damaged and gets injured in some other way, it is easily infected.
- Seborrheic – Seborrheic Psoriasis is often mistaken for a serious cause of dandruff as it affects the scalp, ears, hairline, and forehead. Some medicated shampoos work to eliminate the flaking, but it can still be problematic as it does not attack the root cause of the disease.
What ever type of Psoriasis you may suffer from, there are actions that you can take to free yourself from Psoriasis.