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PSORIASIS, WHAT IT IS, WHAT TO DO !
A noncontatagious chronic condition of the skin, marked by bright red patches covered by silvery scales. The areas most often affected are the knees, elbows, scalp and the trunk. And less frequently the areas under the arms and around the genitals.
The specific cause of Psoriasis has not yet been discovered but it is thought to be an inherited abnormilty in which the formation of new skin cells is too rapid and disorderly. In it's mild form, Psoriasis responds well to a variety of long term treatments.
When it is acute, the entire skin surface may be painfully red and large sections of it may scale off. In such cases, promt hospitilization and intensive care is reccommended.
Conditions That Can Bring On An Outbreak.
The onset or aggrevation of Psoriasis can be triggered by some of the following factors :
* bruises, burns and scratches.
* sudden drops in temperature, a mild stable climate is most beneficial.
* sudden illness from another source, or usual physical or emotional stress.
* infections of the upper respiratory tract, especially bacterial throat infections and the medicines used to cure them.
Treatment.
Although there is no specific cure for Psoriasis, these are some of the recommended treatments :
* controlled exposure to sunlight or an ultraviolet lamp.
* creams or lotions of crude coal tar or tar distillates, used alone or in combination with ultraviolet light.
* Psoralen and ultraviolet light ( PUVA ), a combination systematic external therapy in which a psoralen drug is taken orally before exposure to ultraviolet light.
* systematic drugs, such as methotrexate, which can be taken orally.
* steroid hormone medications applied to the skin surface under dressings.
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