National Institutes of Health - The primary NIH organization for
research on Psoriasis is the National Institute of Arthritis and
Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Psoriasis is a skin disease
that causes itchy or sore patches of thick, red skin with
silvery scales. You usually get the patches on your elbows,
knees, scalp, back, face, palms and feet, but they can show up
on other parts of your body. A problem with your immune system
causes psoriasis. In a process called cell turnover, skin cells
that grow deep in your skin rise to the surface. Normally, this
takes a month. In psoriasis, it happens in just days because
your cells rise too fast. Psoriasis can be hard to diagnose
because it can look like other skin diseases. Your doctor might
need to look at a small skin sample under a microscope.
Psoriasis can last a long time, even a lifetime. Symptoms come
and go. Things that make them worse include Psoriasis usually
occurs in adults. It sometimes runs in families. Treatments
include creams, medications and li