Have you been diagnosed with psoriasis or suspect you may have this stubborn skin condition? Psoriasis is not dandruff, and it is more than dry, itchy skin in the winter. In simplest terms, psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that causes your skin cells to build up too quickly. It can be a very disruptive and frustrating skin condition because psoriasis symptoms can flare up suddenly and include the following:
- Red, raised, and inflamed patches on your skin
- Thick, whitish-silver scales on the red patches
- Itching and burning
- Pain around the patches
- Painful, swollen joints
- Dry, cracked skin
- Thickened, pitted, or ridged nails
The Effect of Psoriasis on Your Whole Body
Unfortunately, the effects of psoriasis don’t always stay on your skin. This is a systemic skin condition that can impact your entire body, ranging from your vision to your mood. Those that suffer from psoriasis are considered to be more at risk for developing liver disease, kidney disease, and Crohn’s disease. In addition, it is not uncommon for patients to battle mood changes or feel sad or anxious due to their condition.
Surprisingly, poorly managed psoriasis can even affect the eyes and include itchy eyelids that stick together or blurry vision, seeing dark spots, redness, tearing and discharge coming from your eyes. This makes an effective psoriasis treatment even more important for each patient that is diagnosed.
Treating Your Psoriasis
If you have been diagnosed with psoriasis, you probably know that there is currently not a cure. However, that doesn’t mean that your symptoms can’t be managed and greatly minimized. At Olansky Dermatology, we proudly help patients tackle psoriasis with an integrated approach that may include one or more of the following:
- Lifestyle changes
- Topical medication
- Oral or injected medication
- Light therapy
Our goal is to tailor a treatment plan to meet the needs of each individual patient. When it comes to psoriasis, we want to ensure your skin condition doesn’t compromise your quality of life. Therefore, we will also help patients cope with the psychological effects caused by psoriasis, which can include learning about their skin disease and finding support groups to helping them find better ways to cover up flare-ups when they occur.
To learn more about the latest and most proven psoriasis treatment options available at Olansky Dermatology in Atlanta, please give us a call or schedule an appointment online.
