Surprising Signs You Have Psoriasis

Light silver scales

Psoriasis can cause different kinds of patches to appear on your skin. Some of these patches may appear to be silvery-white in appearance. These areas are likely to be flaky and may come off if you rub or scratch them when you are feeling itchy.

What are these patches, though? These are basically dead skin cells. Those with psoriasis will produce extra cells (more on this later), and because they don’t naturally come off quickly enough, dear cells proliferate. Try to avoid scratching the area as this can lead to a skin infection.

Burning and itching

You may have noticed this by now, but one very common sign of psoriasis is your skin burning or itching. Exactly how badly someone is affected depends on many factors, including where the patches are and how sensitive your skin is. Because of this, you may find the itching very mild or you may have a much more serious reaction.

No matter how mild or severe the pain, your first instinct when you feel it will be to start scratching. Try to resist that urge whenever possible. While it’s possible scratching will temporarily relieve your pain, it will also inflame your skin and potentially make your psoriasis much worse.

Red skin patches

We touched on it earlier, but one of the most obvious signs that you have psoriasis is the appearance of red, inflamed patches on your skin. Such patches are most likely to appear in places like your elbows, knees, scalp, and lower back. Patches may crack and bleed, and painful itching is very common.

What actually causes these patches, though? In short, psoriasis can cause a rapid production of cells in your body. This adds up on the surface of your skin, and your body’s immune response can cause prominent patches to appear.

Psoriasis causes bleeding

By now, we’ve reminded you a couple of times that you shouldn’t scratch at the patches of skin caused by psoriasis. One of the primary reasons for this is that scratching the skin will probably cause it to bleed. Scratching the affected area can lead to immense pain, and that may be only the beginning of your problems.

The more you scratch, the more you are likely to bleed. As you scratch, it can lead to skin infection and various psoriasis complications that make healing take much longer. In order to deal with the pain without making things worse, we always recommend consulting with your physician.

Dry skin

Another major sign of plaque psoriasis is that it can make your skin feel dry and cracked. Once again, the reason for this is that the condition causes the production of excess skin cells that may leave you with scaly patches all over your body.

Dry, cracking skin may lead to bleeding, especially when you scratch your skin. You may be able to help fight off this dryness by staying very well-hydrated. Additionally, some over-the-counter emollients can help moisturize the dry areas of your skin while soothing some of the pain you may be experiencing.

Poor nail health

It’s relatively easy to notice large patches of dry, scaly skin over your body. However, not all signs of plaque psoriasis are that straightforward. For example, one sign that most people overlook is nail abnormalities. These can be relatively mild, including the nails being thicker or more discolored than usual. They can also be very severe, including pitting and even complete separation from the nailbed.

When the nails are affected like this, you may begin to experience discomfort. Be sure to see your doctor right away if you notice any pain or any change in your nail’s appearance. Remember: the sooner you get diagnosed, the sooner you can get professional treatment.

Stiff joints and joint pain

While many of the plaque psoriasis signs appear on your skin, one of the biggest signs is more than skin deep. If you experience stiff joints and joint pain, then you may be experiencing a psoriasis side effect that is often referred to as psoriatic arthritis.

What actually causes this to happen? Basically, psoriasis may cause your immune system to attack your joints, leading to painful inflammation. Sadly, this can affect any joints in your body, so it’s important to treat all joint stiffness and pain as a potential plaque psoriasis sign.