The first symptoms of psoriasis: in women, men and children

Although psoriasis belongs to a group of infectious diseases that do not pose a danger to others, for a person who has discovered some manifestations of this disease, this is already an occasion to sound an alarm. Once emerged, in its development the disease begins to cover all the large areas of the skin and affect the functioning of certain body systems, so it is so important to pay attention to the first signs of psoriasis and start treatment in time, not allowing pathology to take power into their own hands.

Considering the fact that psoriasis has several species, as well as the sex and age characteristics of patients, it is necessary to understand that the manifestations of psoriasis in each specific case may differ markedly. What should be paid attention to not to miss the development of the disease and take all the necessary measures in time to spread it?

Psoriasis in women, men and children

Psoriasis is a disease for which age and sex do not matter much. It can occur even in childhood, changing the life of the child for many years. We can say that no one is immune to psoriasis. The mechanism of the disease itself has not been thoroughly studied, and the reasons for its development are so diverse that it is very difficult to prevent the occurrence of an event. Nevertheless, in order to capture the onset of the disease, it is very important to get acquainted with certain patterns and peculiarities of its occurrence in different groups of patients.

Despite the fact that the first signs and later manifestations of psoriasis in patients of both sexes are generally similar, there are some differences in the causes and time of pathology development. For example, in women, early development of psoriasis is associated with the first period of significant hormonal changes, covering an age of about 15 to 20 years. At this time, the risk of developing the disease is particularly great.

The second peak of hormonal reorganization of the female body can be considered the onset of menopause. This occurs at the age of about 40-50 years, because the timing of the onset of the climacteric period is purely individual. During this period, both development and exacerbation of the already existing pathological process can be observed.

Signal to the onset or worsening of the disease can serve as periods before the menstruation, characterized by a certain hormonal surge. For the same reason, psoriasis is often diagnosed in pregnant women.

As for the varieties of the disease, in the fairer sex more often than in men, develops psoriasis folds with localization in the chest. This is due to the physiological features of the structure of this part of the female body, where the moments of sweating and rubbing the skin areas of each other and clothing are especially important.

The most dangerous period for men, when the development of psoriasis is again associated with hormonal changes, is the age of 20-23 years. It is at this age that the probability of pathology development is particularly high, which is confirmed by a large number of cases of diagnosis of the first signs of psoriasis in young people.

Children's psoriasis is somewhat different from the adult. In infants, as in women, because of the large number of skin folds, there is a special predisposition to the development of psoriasis in these places. In appearance, it resembles an opacity with reddening and moisture on the surface of the affected area, sharply delimited from healthy skin.

In young children, psoriasis also has its own characteristics. This concerns most of the localization of psoriatic spots, which is not characteristic of the disease. Areas of lesions in children older than a year can be observed on the face or genitals.

There is a kind of psoriasis (drop-shaped), which is diagnosed mainly in childhood and adolescence. In this case, there are small rashes, reminiscent of drops. Such sites are located symmetrically, the rash on them usually has a rich red or a few violet tints, is prone to rapid growth and peeling.

How does ordinary psoriasis begin?

With the usual, or vulgar, psoriasis, the situation is more or less clear. It has its own special manifestations, not peculiar to other skin diseases, which facilitates the diagnosis.

The main feature of vulgar psoriasis is the appearance of specific eruptions - psoriatic plaques, which are convex bright pink or reddish areas of skin with silvery scales. But at the very beginning of the development of the disease, most plaques are not observed, in place of their future development, you can see several pink seals (papules) located, as a rule, in the scalp or joints (elbow - on the hands or knee and ankle if developed psoriasis on the legs). The appearance of papules is the first sign of the development of vulgar psoriasis.

The danger of such manifestations lies in the fact that they simply can not pay attention. They are of little concern to the patient, since they almost do not differ from acne or allergic rashes, almost do not itch and do not cause pain. Peeling on the surface of the papules does not occur in all cases, usually it is noticeable when the seal is carefully scraped off.

There is one more important point. Papules, which are the initial symptoms of psoriasis, tend to decrease and even disappear completely under the action of sunlight, which happens in the summer.

The acute form of simple psoriasis begins immediately with a profuse, noticeable rash, which also itchs badly, resembling an allergic one. And only scraping the surface of the papules allows you to diagnose psoriasis by its characteristic peeling, terminal shiny film and bloody dew (microscopic bleeding on the surface of the papule when scraping).

How not to miss the onset of seborrheic psoriasis?

Seborrheic psoriasis therefore is called that the disease originates on the scalp, gradually spreading to the face, neck, shoulders. The first signs of this type of psoriasis can not attract the patient's attention for a long time. After all, normal peeling without the formation of papules and plaques with minor redness can simply be mistaken for banal dandruff. Such a process can continue for a long time, confusing both patients and doctors.

Only when the treatment with special shampoos, creams and emulsions from dandruff does not help, a person seeks help from a dermatologist whose task is to determine what he is dealing with: "hardened" seborrhea or seborrhoeic psoriasis.

If the process is started and does not begin in time to effectively treat the symptoms of psoriasis will gradually cover all the larger surfaces, moving to the forehead and the area behind the ears along the edge of the hair. Over time, at the site of peeling, psoriatic plaques begin to appear, which you can not hide with your hair.

Attention: insidious psoriasis folds!

Psoriasis can appear not only on the head or limbs, it is not uncommon that it occurs in places with high humidity, on the folds of the skin. These areas include skin in the armpits, under the breast (especially in women), in the groin and on the genitals.

The first signs of psoriasis folds - the appearance of bright red, almost do not rise above the surface of the skin spots with a shiny flat surface, a little wet to the touch. Occasionally on the affected surface, cracks are noted.

The insidiousness of this type of psoriasis is that, because of the lack of noticeable flaking and itching, it is taken for usual irritation due to constant moisture and possible friction. This applies to the axillae and areas of the body under the mammary glands. Difficulties with diagnosis and causes the localization of the disease on the genitals. Psoriasis folds are very easy to take for balanoposthitis in men and vulvitis in women. These diseases are characterized by similar symptoms - rashes on the external genitalia.

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The first signs of psoriasis on the limbs

Palms and soles are also favored places of psoriasis dislocation. This kind of pathology is sometimes called - the palmar-plantar psoriasis, which often occurs when the disease is already developing in other parts of the body.

On the brush, psoriasis can be located not only on the palms, but also on the back side of it, on the fingers and skin between them. The first signs of psoriasis of the palms are the formation of inflammatory foci of red color, covered with flaky skin, on which cracks occur periodically. Very quickly, the skin in the affected areas becomes coarser, and on it appear scaly plaques of rounded shape, which can be disposed or merged. A strong itching begins.

Further, there are complaints about dryness of the palms and painful sensations when moving with a brush and fingers, while the sensitivity of the fingers themselves deteriorates noticeably.

Psoriasis of the feet, which is most often diagnosed in women after the onset of menopause and in people whose activities are associated with the risk of traumatism of the feet, usually affects the skin on the sole and between the fingers. It is characterized by dense papular eruptions with a clear boundary.

Sometimes the papules look like wet whitish clearly defined seals. This pathology is called whitish psoriasis.

In some cases, the papules can merge and form foci resembling corn with yellowish scales. The surface of this formation is quite dense and difficult to scrape, which significantly hinders the diagnosis of the disease. Such "corns" are prone to cracking, resulting in painful sensations, difficulties in walking and performing professional duties.

Palmar-plantar psoriasis can also look different. On the skin bubbles with transparent yellowish contents are formed, located deep in the skin (pustules), which subsequently burst. The skin on their place dries up, and on it bleeding cracks are formed. This kind of psoriasis of the extremities is called palmar-plantar pustules.

The first signs of psoriasis of the extremities are very often various changes in the appearance and structure of the nail plate (psoriatic onychodystrophy), which are manifested in changes in the color of the nail, the appearance of white spots, spots and streaks on its surface, as well as focal hemorrhages under the nail plate. The nail becomes brittle and stratifies, sometimes noticeable thickening on the nail.

Already later inflammatory foci can appear on the skin around the nail and spread to the interdigital space. Until then, all the symptoms can indicate both the development of fungal infection, and the beginning of psoriasis of the nails. The correct diagnosis in this case can be made only by a specialist on the basis of certain studies. But the very fact of changing the nail plate should alert those who have had cases of psoriasis in their family.

What should I do if I suspect psoriasis?

Above, only skin manifestations of psoriasis peculiar to the initial stage of the disease have been described. They can be accompanied by other symptoms of psoriatic disease, such as fatigue, general weakness, depression. In themselves, these manifestations do not indicate psoriasis. Such symptoms are typical of most minor pathologies. But against the background of skin rashes and the formation of specific plaques, they are likely to talk about the development of psoriatic disease, which should be a signal for immediate action.

Despite the fact that the disease is still considered incurable, treating it as an inevitability is not worth it. There are many effective methods and means that can slow the development and spread of the disease to other areas of the body, reduce the manifestations of the disease for a more or less long time, or remove symptoms in general, allowing a person to live a full life. The main thing in time to notice the first symptoms of psoriasis and seek help in the medical department, where the specialist doctor after the diagnosis and clarification of the diagnosis will appoint an effective treatment.

If you find the initial symptoms of the disease, you should not go to extremes: to lower your hands, plunging your head into your experiences, or vice versa, to rush into all the heavy ones, experiencing a variety of methods and means, advertising which are strewn with Internet pages. Such self-treatment is fraught with the fact that precious time will be spent on effective procedures, and the disease will gradually move to the next stage of development, when its treatment will be difficult.

If the skin has an incomprehensible rash, do not wait until it spreads to large areas of the body or manifests itself with other symptoms. Going to a dermatologist, in this case, is the only correct decision. To diagnose psoriasis in the early stages, when its manifestations are similar to the symptoms of other diseases, only a specialist doctor can do. And then the diagnosis is preceded by additional studies.

In addition, psoriasis - a rather peculiar disease, characterized by seasonality of manifestations. In summer, the symptoms of psoriasis can disappear, which sometimes only prolongs the process of diagnosing and treating pathology.

Psoriasis can manifest itself in different ways and with regard to various medicines. By prescribing drugs for yourself, you can not only delay the improvement of the condition, but also cause an exacerbation of the disease. The same goes for the treatment procedures prescribed by doctors in the treatment of other diseases. This applies not only to medicines, but also nutritional supplements, vitamin complexes, various procedures.

All these appointments must be notified to the dermatologist, and when the diagnosis of "psoriasis" is confirmed, it must be mentioned when you are prescribed drugs for the treatment of pathologies that are not associated with psoriatic disease.

Summer sun, outdoor activities, sea procedures and hygienic procedures have a positive effect on the condition of the skin affected by psoriasis and on the overall well-being of the patient. You should not neglect it!

Malnutrition and impaired mental health can adversely affect the development of the disease. Therefore, when the first signs of psoriasis appear, care must be taken to ensure that stress and bad mood do not cause an exacerbation of the disease. To this end, it is necessary to learn the basics of self-regulation of the neuropsychic state or seek help from a psychologist. Together with this it is advisable to begin to adhere to a special diet that excludes alcohol and reduces the consumption of unproductive food, such as sweets, smoked products, preserves, sharp, fatty foods and foods containing preservatives. And believe me, if you want to do it is not so difficult as it seems.