Psoriasis: Causes & Concerns

Psoriasis is a complex skin disorder that is identified by red flaky patches of skin. It is not contagious and with most people it affects only small areas of the body. Approximately 125 million people suffer from this condition, making this a very prominent chronic disease.
So how does it occur?
Typical life cycle for a skin cell completes in 21 – 28 days, starting from the day 1 where the new skin cell is created till it reaches the outer most level, where the cells die and flake off. For people diagnosed with psoriasis, the entire cycle is completed in 2- 6 days. This means that the cells are not mature are accumulating at the skin surface, causing red flaky patches on the skin.
The severity of the symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. For some, it’s nothing more than a minor irritation. But for others, it can have a massive impact on their quality of life.  The recurrence of the symptoms has been observed and the severity of it can be attributed to external factors like stress pregnancy, anxiety and other such factors.
Treatments for Psoriasis:
The treatments for Psoriasis vary depending on its severity. In most cases, treating psoriasis is a combination of various treatments. There are several topical treatments (skin treatments like ointments, oils etc), phototherapy (treatment using light, in this case U.V.  B therapy) and medications (drugs).
Apart from these, there is documented research that shows how bathing in the Dead Sea also alleviates the symptoms of psoriasis.
As with most complex diseases, psoriasis is theorized to have several genes involved in its occurrence. Even with the knowledge we have today it is almost impossible to design a cure for psoriasis. So for now, there are many ways that one can alleviate the symptoms of psoriasis. There are many unexplored venues for treating psoriasis and alternative medicine could give more insight on how to treat psoriasis as a physiological condition as opposed to a genetic one.