What is Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is NOT infectious (cannot be ‘caught’). Psoriasis is a common condition that causes areas of the skin to become inflamed, scaly and itchy. Psoriasis varies in different people, both in how extensive it is and what treatments help. Although there is no cure for psoriasis there are many types of treatments depending on where it is on the body and how much it is affecting you.
Why have I got this condition?
Psoriasis affects about 1 in every 50 people. It can develop at any age – from a baby to an old person. About one third of psoriasis develops before the age of 20 years.
Psoriasis is a complicated disease and although the exact cause is not known it seems that many different factors are involved. We know that the way your immune system (the cells designed to fight infection) works is important. In people with psoriasis the immune system is active and the cells in the skin grow faster than normal. All skin has cells that constantly grow and then fall off. This normally takes around 2-3 weeks to happen. In the skin with psoriasis the cells do this very quickly (10 times quicker than normal) which is why the skin becomes scaly.
It can be more likely that you will get psoriasis if someone in your family has it too. Sometimes injury to the skin or certain infections can cause psoriasis to start or make the psoriasis reappear. Up to half of children or young people with psoriasis will have more psoriasis after infectious illnesses (including colds, throat and ear infections). It is important to remember your psoriasis is not because you have done something wrong or not done something right.