Psoriasis is a common skin condition that is caused by an inflammation of the skin
. Psoriasis can be identified by the distinctive red rashes with silver or grey colored tops.
These rashes can appear over the body but the most common areas for this skin condition to appear is the scalp, elbows and knees. Unlike eczema, psoriasis can become a permanent condition lasting through the length of a person's life. Even though the condition tends to persist throughout the years it has been observed in many cases that the skin condition and the symptoms can reduce in the warmer summer months.
The skin condition affects both men and women and can appear at any age however, it is more common to appear when people are in their late teens and early twenties. Unlike eczema, psoriasis rarely affects young children even though the 2 conditions are often mistaken for each other. There may be a genetic link with around 35 to 40 % of cases having it run in the family. It has been noted that this particular skin condition is more prevalent in Europe and North America than compared to Africa and Asia.
As with many skin conditions it is difficult to pinpoint one specific cause of the skin condition psoriasis. However, medical research has revealed that a likely cause could be due an abnormality in the way the body cells divide or separate.The treatment of psoriasis usually depends on the severity of the case. If the condition is mild then the application of topical creams can help relieve the symptoms of the condition. When the skin condition is more severe then stronger creams may be used. In severe cases other treatments can be used in combination the cream treatments. For example, these other treatments can include with phototherapy.