Manage Skin Plaques and Other Symptoms in the Little Rock Area, Central Arkansas, and Beyond
Psoriasis is a very common medical condition, impacting more than 8 million people in the United States alone with inflammation, skin plaques, and more. While there is no clear cause for the chronic skin problem, there are many things people can do to manage the ongoing symptoms of psoriasis. The Little Rock area’s Dermatology Group of Arkansas works to help each patient get the problem under control, then reduce the chances and severity of future flare-ups.
Although psoriasis has not always been well understood, years of research have led to an expanding array of treatment options. That means the condition can now be managed well, and patients can enjoy a much-improved quality of life. To achieve this, however, it is important to seek professional medical care from a practice staffed by dermatologists experienced in diagnosing and treating the skin condition.
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Schedule your consultation for psoriasis for Little Rock, all of Central Arkansas, and beyond today. Call us at the Dermatology Group of Arkansas at 501-227-8422.
Psoriasis Basics
The condition known as psoriasis is typically associated with scaling red plaques that develop on the skin. This is the result of an overactive immune system, which causes the process responsible for the natural turnover of skin cells to speed up.
The journey of a skin cell from its birth below the surface to its transition up through the layers to its eventual sloughing off takes about a month in an otherwise healthy person. For psoriasis sufferers, the journey takes only a few days. This rapid skin cell creation does not give the outermost cells the proper time to die and flake away, so they instead accumulate in layers. This creates raised scaly patches, known as plaques, that tend to be red and uncomfortable. Certain patients say they experience itching, burning, or stinging sensations in the skin where their plaques develop.
These plaques are frequently found on the body’s larger joints (knees and elbows), as well as the scalp. Some people with psoriasis—roughly one in three—also have arthritis, which manifests as joint pain.
There is no cure yet for this chronic condition, but the symptoms can be managed.
Treating symptoms of psoriasis at the Little Rock area’s Dermatology Group of Arkansas involves not just medications and phototherapy, but educating patients on what the skin condition is, how it manifests, and how to manage flare-ups of surface scaling and other unwanted effects. Our physicians will explain how the immune system’s function impacts skin cell turnover and more.
Types of Psoriasis
Several types of psoriasis exist, with each form developing specific symptoms that would be recognizable to a trained dermatologist.
Plaque
The most common form, plaque psoriasis is marked by scaly patches that may be red, silvery, or even purple. Although the scalp, knees, and elbows are typical areas where plaques develop, they can also form on the lower back, around or even in the navel, and virtually anywhere else on the body.
Inverse
Only about a quarter of patients develop the inverted form, which presents as very red, very itchy, but smooth patches of skin, often in areas that crease into folds: the underarms, beneath the breasts, and the buttocks. Perspiration and friction can cause the sensations to be quite painful.
Guttate
Guttate psoriasis—developing in about eight percent of patients—frequently takes the form of reddened and inflamed circles on the torso and limbs, though it can show up anywhere.
Pustular
Somewhat resembling acne, pustular psoriasis appears as painful bumps filled with pus. About three percent of patients have this form, which can also involve inflamed skin around the pustules on the hands, feet, and elsewhere.
Erythrodermic
Only two percent of psoriasis patients have the erythrodermic form, which is dangerous in the way it causes large-scale redness, skin pain, and shedding.
Meet Your Doctors
What Treatments Are Available for Psoriasis?
At Dermatology Group of Arkansas, we frequently rely on “topicals, orals, and biologics” to help our psoriasis patients. There are many medications developed specifically to help sufferers by reducing plaques, soothing itching and burning sensations in the skin, and evening red tones. We also use phototherapy, which is a light-based treatment to address symptoms.
Psoriasis treatment should also involve education that helps patients to identify and avoid factors that trigger flare-ups. Common triggers are stress, injuries that break the skin, anything that causes the immune system to kick into high gear, low temperatures and dry climates, and more.
Contact Us Today
Contact the Dermatology Group of Arkansas today for psoriasis in the Little Rock area. Call 501-227-8422.