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When Jackie was 15, patches of skin near her elbows turned thick and red and began to itch. Sometimes it would get a little better. Other times it got worse. But it never seemed to go away.

Jackie's doctor told her she had a condition known as psoriasis. He recommended a prescription cream and suggested Jackie get outside for 20 minutes in the early mornings before the sun got too strong.

Psoriasis (pronounced: suh-RYE-uh-sus) is a disease that causes skin cells to build up on the surface of the skin. There they form itchy, red areas (called plaques) and thick scales. Psoriasis can appear anywhere on the body, but is usually found on the scalp, knees, elbows, and torso.

Psoriasis can get better then worse again. It may seem to disappear and then come back. Once someone has it, though, the tendency to get outbreaks isn't likely to go away permanently. For many people, psoriasis isn't a big deal. For others, it can be quite serious.

Right now, there's no cure for psoriasis, but there are good ways to treat it. Eating healthy foods, using moisturizers, and keeping weight in a normal range seem to help for some people. If psoriasis gets bad, though, most people need to see a doctor.

Doctors aren't sure why people get psoriasis, but they do know how the disease works. We all have a kind of white blood cell, called a T lymphocyte (or T cell), in our blood. These cells are part of the immune system. They travel through the bloodstream fighting off bacteria, viruses, and other things that make us sick. Psoriasis causes a person's T cells to mistakenly attack healthy skin as if they were trying to fight an infection or heal a wound.

When psoriasis triggers T cells to attack healthy skin, the body's immune system reacts as it would to a wound or infection it sends more blood to the area to make skin cells and white blood cells.

Our skin cells are made deep in the skin. Normally, they take about a month to rise to the surface. Once they get there, they die and are sloughed off. With psoriasis, this process is sped up. Skin cells rise to the surface in a few days instead of a month.

The dead skin and white blood cells can't be shed quickly enough. They build up on the surface of the skin as thick red patches. As the skin cells die, they form silvery scales that eventually flake off.

You can't catch psoriasis from another person. You may inherit the genes that make you more likely to get it, though. About 40% of people with psoriasis have a family member who has the disease.

Some of the things that can increase the chances of a psoriasis outbreak are:

People with psoriasis will probably notice one or more of these things:

There are different types of psoriasis:

If you think you might have psoriasis, it's a good idea to see a doctor. He or she will look at your skin, scalp, and nails. The doctor will also ask questions if anyone in your family has psoriasis, if you've been ill recently, or if you've started a new medication.

In some cases, the doctor may remove a sample of skin (known as a biopsy) to examine it more closely. A biopsy can help doctors decide whether someone has psoriasis or another condition with similar symptoms.

There are lots of ways to treat psoriasis. Different treatments work for different people, so doctors often try a few to find the one that works best:

A doctor might try one therapy for a while and then switch to another. Or a doctor may combine different therapies. It's all about finding one that works for each person.

Sometimes what works for a while might stop working. This is one reason why it's important to work closely with a doctor. Trying out new treatments can get a little frustrating, but most people eventually find one that works.

Making healthy choices can help with psoriasis. Here are some things you can do:

People who have psoriasis may feel self-conscious about how it looks. That's one reason why some people turn to a trained therapist or join a support group of people who understand what they might be going through.

The key to psoriasis treatment is keeping up on whatever your doctor prescribes. If that means applying an ointment twice a day, then find a way to remind yourself to do it (like setting an alarm on your phone) so you don't forget. Psoriasis is one of those things that you need to stay focused on treating, even when you're feeling OK.

Reviewed by: Rupal Christine Gupta, MD Date reviewed: April 2015

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Psoriasis - KidsHealth

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that causes areas of thickened, swollen, and red skin, often covered with silver scales.

In people without psoriasis, skin cells grow deep in the skin and slowly rise to the surface. This process is called cell turnover, and it takes about a month. With psoriasis, it can happen in just a few days because the cells rise too fast and pile up on the surface.

This disease affects 2 percent to 2.6 percent of the United States population, or between 5.8 and 7.5 million people. Anyone can get psoriasis, but it occurs more often in adults. Sometimes there is a family history of the disease. Certain genes have been linked to it, and men and women get psoriasis at about the same rate.

This condition begins in the immune system, mainly with a type of white blood cell called a T cell. T cells help protect the body against infection and disease. With psoriasis, T cells are put into action by mistake. They become so active that they set off other immune responses. This leads to swelling and fast turnover of skin cells.

People with this condition may notice that sometimes the skin gets better and sometimes it gets worse. Things that can cause your symptoms to worsen include:

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Psoriasis - eMedTV: Health Information Brought To Life

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Psoriasis - American Family Physician

Psoriasis,psoriasis kenxro/Shutterstock.coma chronic, recurrent inflammatory skin disorder. The most common type, called plaque psoriasis (psoriasis vulgaris), is characterized by reddish, slightly elevated patches or papules (solid elevations) covered with silvery-white scales. In most cases, the lesions tend to be symmetrically distributed on the elbows and knees, scalp, chest, and buttocks. The lesions may remain small and solitary or coalesce into large plaques that often form geometrical patterns with a central area of normal skin. In many cases the nails become thickened, irregularly laminated, and brittle. In addition to plaque psoriasis, there are four other types of psoriasis, including guttate, pustular, inverse (or flexular), and erythrodermic.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated (or autoimmune) disorder that occurs when immune cells known as T lymphocytes, or T cells, attack healthy skin cells in both the nonvascular horny outer layer of the skin and its deeper vascular layer. This attack causes the life span of the skin cells to shorten to about 3 to 5 days (skin cells normally live about 20 to 28 days) and forces the cells to reproduce more rapidly than normal. Psoriasis occurs in both sexes with equal frequency, being most prevalent between the ages of 10 and 30. It is most often seen in northern climates. An estimated 2 to 3 percent of the U.S. population is affected by psoriasis. In contrast, between 0.05 and 0.3 percent of Asians experience the condition. In European countries the incidence of psoriasis is highly variable, affecting anywhere from less than 1 percent to more than 6 percent of populations.

The onset of psoriasis is usually gradual but occasionally explosive. Precipitating factors may include injury to the skin, acute infection, and psychological upsets. Ordinarily, the lesions become less severe and sometimes disappear during the summer, possibly owing to the effect of sunlight. The severe complications of psoriasis are extensive sloughing of the outer layer of the skin, with resulting inflammation, and psoriatic arthritis. Generally, however, individuals with psoriasis are in relatively good health. The variability in the progression and severity of the disorder has led researchers to suspect that the underlying causes of psoriasis are the result of complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors.

There is no permanent cure for psoriasis, but there are a variety of treatments aimed at relieving the associated skin symptoms. Topical treatments for psoriasis come in different forms (e.g., creams and gels) and generally provide relief from inflammation and scaling. Some, such as retinoids (derivatives of vitamin A) and synthetic forms of vitamin D, work by slowing skin cell reproduction, whereas others, such as corticosteroids, coal-tar ointment, and salicylic acid, work by reducing inflammation. Psoriasis can also be treated with phototherapy, in which the skin is exposed to ultraviolet light. While phototherapy can be highly effective, it does have side effects, including pain, irregular pigmentation, and scarring. In addition, long-term treatments are associated with an increased risk of skin cancer. Oral medications are also available to treat psoriasis but are often used as a last resort. This is because the drugs that are most effective in treating psoriasis suppress the immune system, making patients susceptible to a multitude of infections and illnesses that can be life-threatening. Oral drugs that are used to reduce inflammation include methotrexate, cyclosporine, and azathioprine. Oral drugs called biologics (because they are made from human or animal proteins) modulate the immune system by attacking immune cells that are working improperly. Several biologics have been approved for psoriasis, including alefacept (Amevive), infliximab (Remicade), and etanercept (Enbrel).

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psoriasis | pathology | Britannica.com