Many people consider itching of the skin as a common disorder and do not need to watch out for further. Actually itching is not dangerous, as long as it is not accompanied by other more serious symptoms such as rashes, scaly or flaky skin. If itching appears together with some of these symptoms, it's a good idea to immediately see a dermatologist to find out more about the health condition of your skin.
One of the serious health problems that have initial symptoms in the form of itchy skin is psoriasis. In general, psoriasis is a skin disease characterized by the growth of new skin cells that are too fast to form patches and red rashes. In addition, psoriasis also causes the skin to feel dry, thick, scaly, itchy, painful, and peel easily. Generally, the symptoms of psoriasis appear in the areas of the knees, elbows, lower back, and scalp. Not only the skin, psoriasis sufferers nails are also usually yellow and uneven.
Knowledge about psoriasis is important because psoriasis is a type of disease that can be experienced by anyone, but it is more common in people with an age range of 15-35 years. This disease is not contagious, so direct contact with rashes on the skin of sufferers is allowed because it will not cause someone to contract this disease.
Symptoms can vary depending on the type and severity. In addition, the symptoms can come and go. For example, sufferers experience symptoms for several days or several weeks, then these symptoms disappear for some time until they finally reappear when exposed to triggering factors. The most common triggers for psoriasis are heredity, stress, infection and trauma to the skin. Psoriasis that appears due to hereditary factors is indeed a difficult thing to avoid, but psoriasis that arises due to other factors can be avoided by staying away from stress and avoiding infection or injury to the skin. Even though psoriasis due to heredity is difficult to avoid, this disease can still be controlled for its recurrence symptoms so that people who suffer from it can still have a quality life.
To find out whether the itching and symptoms that you have are symptoms of psoriasis or not, you need to see a doctor to get the appropriate diagnosis. There are two main procedures that are often used to diagnose psoriasis, namely a physical examination and a biopsy. During a physical examination, the doctor will usually check the patient's medical history. The doctor will also thoroughly examine the patient's skin, including the scalp and nails to see the symptoms shown. In addition, the doctor will also ask about your family's medical history, the goal is to check whether you have a decreased risk of psoriasis from your family or not.
Biopsy examination is performed if the diagnosis leads to psoriasis and the patient requires further observation for a proper diagnosis. At this stage, the doctor will usually take a small sample of the skin for examination. This biopsy process is painless because before taking a skin sample, the doctor will first give it a local anesthetic. After the skin sample is obtained, the sample will be examined under a microscope for further investigation to confirm the diagnosis of psoriasis or the possibility of other diseases.
Treatment of psoriasis can be done in various ways, depending on the type and severity. There are several types of drugs that are usually given to treat psoriasis, such as topical medications, oral medications, injections, and light therapy. There are also several ingredients that are believed to relieve psoriasis symptoms, such as corticosteroids, retinoids, anthralin, salicylic acid, vitamin D analogues, calcineurin inhibitors, coal tar, and moisturizers.
Apart from receiving treatment from a doctor, it is also important for psoriasis sufferers to manage stress. Stress causes inflammation in the body, which triggers flare-ups of psoriasis symptoms. To manage stress, psoriasis sufferers can try to do relaxation techniques, psychotherapy, meditation, yoga, or light exercise according to ability. In addition, increase your intake of foods that can reduce inflammation, such as dark green vegetables, as well as fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines.
Knowing the symptoms and treatment of psoriasis is very important so that the risk of getting psoriasis is reduced or it can be treated promptly. With proper prevention and treatment, psoriasis can be controlled and psoriasis patients can carry out their daily activities comfortably without significant disturbance. #LiveExcellently