Psoriasis

Guide 5

Guide to diagnosis
Visit your doctor
If you think you have psoriasis, it is best to see your doctor. Your doctor should be able to tell whether you have psoriasis just by looking at your skin, nails and scalp. You shouldnt need any special tests, but in some cases your doctor may take a scraping of skin flakes to help make sure their diagnosis is correct. This is painless as the scrapings are dead cells sitting on top of healthy skin.
People are affected in different ways by psoriasis; you may see, only a couple of patches at a time or lots of patches all over your body. You may have psoriasis patches all the time, or go several months with psoriasis-free skin. Overleaf we have outlined the main types of psoriasis and what to look for to help understand which type affects you. You should always see a doctor to gain a proper diagnosis.

Types of psorasis

Guttate psoriasis Inverse psoriasis Erythrodermic

Plaque psoriasis

Pustular psoriasis

Psoriasis
The different types of psoriasis and how to spot them:1 1
Plaque psoriasis
The most common form of the disease affecting 80% of those with psoriasis. If you have plaque psoriasis, you will notice raised, inamed red patches of thickened skin covered with silvery white scales. It is usually found on the elbows, knees, scalp and lower back.

Erythrodermic psoriasis
This rare form of psoriasis affects most of the body surface. It usually appears as widespread, bright red inammation of the skin and the shedding of scales in sheets, rather than in akes (as with plaque psoriasis). People who have this type of psoriasis also experience itching and pain, and sometimes changes in body temperature. People who think they may have erythrodermic psoriasis should see a doctor as soon as possible, as it can lead to high levels of uid loss. The triggers of erythrodermic psoriasis include suddenly stopping systemic psoriasis treatments including cortisone; allergic reaction to a drug; severe sunburn; infection; and medications such as lithium and anti-malarial drugs.

Guttate psoriasis
Mainly affects children and young adults. It appears as small red individual spots in the shape of water-like drops on the skin. These are not usually thick like plaque psoriasis. Guttate psoriasis can appear quite suddenly and usually occurs after an infection, such as tonsillitis, throat infections, in response to stress, or injury to the skin.

Inverse psoriasis
Inverse psoriasis is usually found in skin folds and tender areas such as the armpits, groin, under the breasts, around the genitals and the buttocks. It appears as bright-red smooth and shiny patches. Inverse psoriasis can get irritated from rubbing and sweating because of where it appears on the body. It can be more severe in overweight people and those with deep skin folds.

Pustular psoriasis
Primarily seen in adults, pustular psoriasis looks like small white blisters of non-infectious pus (containing white blood cells) surrounded by red skin. There are different types of pustular psoriasis, including Von Zumbusch, Pustular Psoriasis and Palmoplantar Pustular Psoriasis. Pustular psoriasis may be triggered by internal medications, irritating topical agents, overexposure to UV light, pregnancy, systemic steroids, infections, stress and sudden withdrawal of systemic medications or potent topical steriods.