Psoriasis

There are over a thousand entities in dermatology; it is difficult to understand all in just a few pages. We are going to describe a few common skin problems. This is purely educational; if you have a skin disease, please consult your dermatologist.

About 3% of the population suffers from psoriasis worldwide. In Hong Kong and China, this figure drops to 0.3%. Psoriasis is a “disfiguring” disease that greatly affects our daily lives.

We believe psoriasis is a kind of auto-immune disease. Patients will have skin plaques of various shapes and sizes all over the body. These plaques will have the appearances ranging from silvery scales to a raw red surface. The top layer of the skin is reproducing itself at an unusually fast rate. Psoriasis may have systemic consequences and may affect our eyes, nails and joints.

There is a hereditary component in psoriasis, although some come without a family history. There is no effective cure for psoriasis, but we can control the flaring up with different medications. Mild conditions just require topical medication, whereas severe cases may warrant oral medications that alter our immune system. The recent use of biologic treatments in psoriasis also opens up a new arena in psoriasis treatment, giving chronic sufferers new hope.