Skin Problems

About of Skin Problems

Dermatitis is used as a term to describe a number of conditions that are inflammatory processes and are generally characterised by erythema. The term literally means an inflammation of the skin. Dermatitis can be characterised by various skin appearances, such as a macula, wheal, subcorneal blister, intradermal blister, etc.

Dermatosis is a nonspecific term used for any cutaneous abnormality or eruption. It includes many disorders and literally means, a disorder of the skin. Treatment depends upon the specific problem and the portion of the skin involved.

Eczema is a generic term for inflammatory conditions of the skin, particularly with vesiculation in the acute stage, typically erythematous, edematous, papular and crusting; followed by lichenification and scaling and occasionally by duskiness of the erythema and, infrequently, hyperpigmentation.

Definition of Psoriasis

Psoriasis is actually a non-contagious, chronic skin disease presenting in many different forms and any different levels of severity. When joints are involved, it is called psoriatic arthritis and is similar to rheumatoid arthritis. Individuals with psoriasis often experience a variety of emotions, including sadness, despair, guilt, anger and even low self-esteem. Sometimes they are embarrassed due to the unsightly patches skin that manifest the disease and sometimes are frustrated at not knowing why they developed the disease or why it cannot be cured.

Psoriasis is defined as “a common multifactorial inherited condition characterised by the eruption of circumscribed, discrete and confluent, reddish, silvery-scaled maculopapules; the lesions occur predominantly on the elbows, knees, scalp, and trunk, and microscopically show characteristic parakeratosis and elongation of rete ridges with shortening of epidermal keratinocyte transit time due to decreased cyclic guanosine monophosphate.

Cause of Psoriasis

The actual cause of psoriasis is unknown but may be related to disorders in the body’s immune system; it is an immune-mediated disorder. Signals are generated which increase the growth rate and cycle in skin cells resulting in cells that accumulate on the surface of the body and they are not shed fast enough. Where normal skin cells mature in 28 to 30 days, a psoriatic cell may mature in only 3 to 4 days and stack up on top of each other on the skin surface, forming elevated red lesions. Psoriasis apparently has a genetic component but may also involve certain “triggers” for it to appear. These triggers may be environmental or involve emotional stress, injury to the skin, certain infections and reactions to certain drugs.

Plaque psoriasis (psoriasis vulgaris) is the most common, affecting about 80% of individuals suffering from the disorder. It appears on almost any skin surface, especially the elbows, scalp, knees, trunk and nails.