Psoriasis is a skin condition that occurs when some irritant or allergen causes the skin to become inflamed and irritated in a reaction to that substance. It's a common condition that's also chronic, meaning that you'll deal with it your whole life. Though there is no cure to stop symptoms altogether, there are medications and lifestyle changes that can keep psoriasis symptoms at bay.
Step 1
Look for colored patches. Typically, psoriasis is detected by looking at the skin for its characteristic symptoms, including patches or lesions on the skin that are often red or pink in color. There may be a silver sheen to the patches, says the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Step 2
Check the location. Though psoriasis can really occur anywhere on the body, most often, its distinctive patches of irritated skin appear on the torso, elbows and knees. It may also occur on the scalp, says the NLM.
Step 3
Check the texture. Psoriasis is generally identified by its thickened patches of skin. Skin typically looks dry, scaly and flaky, says the NLM.
Step 4
Get a biopsy. Most of the time, a doctor can identify psoriasis by looking at it--and you should head to your doctor for a diagnosis and treatment as soon as you spot the warning signs. But he may take a biopsy of the skin to confirm the diagnosis and be sure that a similar skin condition isn't the cause. A small sample of the affected skin area is taken and examined to diagnose psoriasis.
Tips and Warnings
- Stay away from things that trigger your psoriasis symptoms, which could be dry weather, stress or sunburn.
- It's best to get a diagnosis for psoriasis so that your doctor can determine the best treatment--secondary infections can occur if psoriasis goes untreated.
