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How psoriasis starts: symptoms, pictures, treatment

Psoriasis is one of the most common skin pathologies.It can occur in patients of any age.The etiology of the disease has not been fully established, so it is impossible to cure psoriasis completely.That is why it is so important to recognize it at an early stage of development.In this article we will see what psoriasis is, how it manifests itself and how to treat it.

What is psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a polyetiological skin disease characterized by a monomorphic rash. Pathology is chronic.Psoriasis occurs in waves, with periods of relapse and remission possible.

Relapse can be triggered by lack of adequate treatment, alcohol abuse, stress, etc.The rash in adults and children spreads gradually, involving more areas of the skin.Psoriasis is characterized by the formation of raised, reddish, dry patches with a scaly, silvery-white surface.This rash is called "psoriatic plaque."

Most often, psoriasis is observed in the elbow and knee areas, on the back, that is, in places with the greatest pressure and friction.In some cases, the rash occurs on the scalp, palms, soles of the feet, and external genitalia.Psoriatic plaques on the face are very rare.

Cause

Many people wonder whether or not psoriasis is contagious to others.The pathology is not contagious, that is, it is not transmitted to others.Among the causes of psoriasis are:

  1. Hereditary tendency.
  2. Endocrine diseases (diabetes mellitus, thyroid gland dysfunction).
  3. Stress, excessive nervous tension.
  4. Parasitic infestation (giardiasis, ascariasis, infection by pig or cattle tapeworm).
  5. Metabolic pathology (silicon deficiency is particularly dangerous).
  6. Propensity to allergies.
  7. Infectious diseases of viral nature.
  8. Weak immune system.
  9. Long-term use of medications.

In most cases, psoriasis makes itself felt between the ages of 15 and 30 due to one or more causes. According to medical statistics, more than 60% of psoriasis patients have relatives with this disease.

Symptoms of psoriasis in the early stages

To recognize how psoriasis begins, you should familiarize yourself with the main signs of this disease.You should be careful:

  • the formation of a light-colored skin rash with clearly visible edges (most often it appears at the site of injury - burns, wounds, frostbite);
  • the appearance of peeling in the middle of the plaque;
  • itching of psoriatic formation (only shown in half of cases due to weak immunity);
  • swelling and inflammation in the area where the rash appears.

At first the rash is very small, about the size of a pinhead.They have a hemispherical shape and a smooth shiny surface.After a few days, the rash grows and is covered with light scales that are easy to separate.When the plaque is scraped, drops of blood appear on its surface, which indicates proper bleeding.

Sometimes psoriasis can be complicated by exudative phenomena (serous fluid).The scales absorb this exudate and turn into a rough crust.If you remove it, the wet area remains underneath.Such a phenomenon is dangerous because of the addition of secondary bacterial infections.

As a rule, psoriasis in the early stages lasts 2-3 weeks. If left untreated, the plaque grows up to 5-7 cm, merges and forms a whole conglomerate, covering a large area of the skin.

What does psoriasis look like in the early stages?

Now let's see how psoriasis looks at the beginning of its development in different locations.To facilitate perception, we present the corresponding photos.

  1. legs.The disease begins with a single small rash, located mainly on the knees and feet, but can also be observed on any surface of the feet.
    2. Early stages of psoriasis on the surface of the feet
  2. Elbow.In most cases, plaque type psoriasis appears at this site, which is characterized by small rashes with very severe peeling.The skin on the elbow becomes rough.
    3. Psoriatic plaque early stage of the disease on the elbow
  3. hand.In this area, psoriasis appears suddenly in the form of small rashes, which many people mistake for allergies.Only after dry scales appear, people see a doctor.Often the rash is localized between the fingers on the palm.
    4. A rash in the early stages of psoriasis on the arms
  4. head.Psoriasis often affects the scalp, ear area and back of the head.The rash in this area is characterized by moist scales and is almost always itchy.
    5. Early stage psoriasis on the scalp
  5. face.The rash affects the nasolabial folds, eyelids, eyebrows and eyes.This form of psoriasis is considered atypical.
    6. A rash on the eyelids in the early stages of psoriasis
  6. nails.Psoriasis on the nails is more like a fungal disease.First, a longitudinal strip or point appears on the edge of the nail, and then spreads to the root.At the same time, the nail plate itself becomes dull and thickens.
    7. Longitudinal stripes on the nails - a manifestation of the early stages of psoriasis

Treatment of psoriasis

Therapy should begin with a visit to a dermatologist. Under no circumstances should you self-medicate.Treatment of psoriasis in the early stages should be comprehensive.Nowadays, new treatment methods have been developed that help completely get rid of scaly rashes, although they do not completely cure the disease itself.During therapy, it is necessary to exclude all factors that provoke the severity of the pathology, change the diet and adhere to a special diet.

Drug therapy

Treatment tactics for early-stage psoriasis are gradually changing.If hormonal drugs of general action were previously prescribed, now local agents are widely used.

The following ointments provide good relief from the manifestations of psoriasis:

  1. Keratolytic and moisturizing.
  2. vegetables.
  3. Glucocorticoids.
  4. Cytostatic.
  5. Solid oil based.
  6. petroleum based.

The doctor can also prescribe sedatives, antihistamines for severe itching, immunomodulators and vitamin-mineral complexes.Treatment should also include physical therapy.The following methods are widely used:

  • paraffin bath;
  • PUVA therapy;
  • UV irradiation;
  • sulphide and radon baths.

Electrosleep and magnetic laser therapy have beneficial effects.Cryotherapy (cold treatment) and hirudotherapy (leech treatment) are gaining popularity.

When treating psoriasis on the head, you should not brush the skin.The head should be washed daily with medicated shampoo with zinc, tar, and selenium sulfide.

Treatment at home

Before using any recipe, you should consult your doctor so that it does not trigger the development of complications. Treatment with traditional medicine mainly aims to strengthen the immune system and relieve the inflammatory process.Therefore, it is necessary to drink vitamin tea - a decoction of rose hips, lemon, viburnum, raspberry, chamomile, etc.It is recommended to add honey to herbal tea.

The most effective home therapy treatments include:

  1. Celandine.It relieves inflammation well and soothes the skin.The plaque must be lubricated daily with the juice of this plant.
  2. Hydrogen peroxide.To begin, dilute the peroxide with water in a ratio of 1:3 and use the solution to lubricate the psoriatic rash for disinfection.Use before applying ointment or lotion.
  3. Linseed oil.Relieves inflammation and heals the skin perfectly.Apply to the affected area twice a day.
  4. Baking soda.Neutralizes the acidity of the skin, which increases with psoriasis.
  5. Solid oil.It helps well at the beginning of the disease.You need to lubricate the affected area before going to bed.

Prevention and recommendations

To reduce the risk of psoriasis, prevention is necessary. Follow these guidelines:

  • moisturize your skin regularly with cream;
  • avoid skin damage in the form of burns, scratches, bites, etc.;
  • strengthen your immune system, play sports and walk more in the fresh air;
  • giving up bad habits (smoking, drinking alcohol);
  • Take only medicines prescribed by your doctor.

It is important to pay special attention to a special diet for psoriasis. It helps to achieve remission faster and reduce the period of relapse of the disease.The table below contains a list of permitted, prohibited and restricted products.

Product allowed Limited use prohibited
Fish and meat lean turkey, chicken, rabbit, river fish lean beef and lamb pork, sea fish
Cereals and flour products oatmeal, buckwheat, cereal, pearl barley, corn, wheat flakes rice semolina, puff pastry, baked goods made from wheat flour, bread
Dairy products low-fat cottage cheese, skim milk kefir, fermented baked milk, sour cream cheese
Vegetables carrots, broccoli, cucumber, asparagus, lettuce, green beans corn, pumpkin bell pepper, tomato, potato, eggplant
Fruits and berries kiwi, pineapple, mango, grape, nectarine, cherry plums, blueberries, currants, cranberries, avocados strawberry, citrus, red apple
Nuts almonds pine nuts everyone else
sweets dried apricots, raisins, dates honey chocolate, candies and other confectionery products
spices dill, parsley, green onion horseradish, garlic, onion pepper, cloves, nutmeg
Oil sunflower, olive, cotton, corn butter spread, margarine
drinks herbal tea, juice, compote green tea black tea, coffee, carbonated drinks, alcohol

Do not forget about the drinking regime.You need to drink 1.5-2 liters of drinking water every day.

Psoriasis is a rather unpleasant skin disease that causes a lot of discomfort.It cannot be completely eliminated, but with an efficient approach to treatment, a stable remission can be achieved.To do this, you need to contact a dermatologist.Psoriasis in the early stages responds well to drug therapy.You can not self-medicate, because this will only worsen the course of the disease.