Currently 4% of women enrolled in the Illinois Womens Health Registry suffer from this skin condition that causes itchy or sore red patches of skin with silvery scales.
http://www.visualdxhealth.com/adult/psoriasis.htm
Psoriasis occurs when the normal life cycle of skin cells is accelerated by the immune system, causing buildup of dead skin cells, which form the thick, silvery scale-like appearance. There are several types of psoriasis, the most common of which include Plaque Psoriasis, causing the red, scaly lesions; Scalp Psoriasis; Nail Psoriasis, causing abnormal nail growth; and Psoriatic Arthritis, causing stiffness and progressive joint damage. For many people, psoriasis is just a nuisance, however patients usually seek medical advice if their psoriasis causes discomfort and pain, interferes with daily tasks, or causes concern about the appearance of skin. There is no cure for psoriasis, but many treatments exist to interrupt the overproduction of skin cells and to provide significant relief.
Resources at Northwestern for Psoriasis:
Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Department of Dermatology offers state-of-the-art treatment options for dermatology conditions such as psoriasis. The department also provides cosmetic treatments to patients with various dermatological symptoms. Treatment options include laser surgery, microdermabrasion, camouflage makeup, skin peels and phototherapy (PUVA).
http://www.nmh.org/nmh/specialtiesandservices/medicalspecialties/dermatology/main.htm
The Department of Dermatology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine runs a Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Clinic on Tuesday mornings. The clinic is headed by Prashant Singri, MD from dermatology and by Eric Ruderman, MD from Rheumatology. The clinic is ideal for patients with both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact the clinic at 312-695-8106.
Northwestern Physicians/Researchers Specializing in Psoriasis Treatment:
The Department of Dermatology at Feinberg School of Medicine has active areas of laboratory and clinical outcomes research. Nearly all of the clinical faculty in the department serve as principle investigators in clinical trials. Dr. Amy Paller, Chair of the Northwestern Department of Dermatology and Professor of Pediatrics conducts laboratory research related to Psoriasis and other hyper-proliferative skin disorders. Also conducting research involving psoriasis is Dr. Prashant Singri, head of the Psoriasis clinic.
IWHR Highlighted Researcher
Dr. Anne Laumann, MBChB, MRCP (UK), FAAD is an Associate Professor of Dermatology in the Feinberg School of Medicine. She is an active member of many dermatology organizations including the American Academy of Dermatology, the Society of Investigative Dermatology, the Scleroderma Foundation, the Vitiligo Foundation, and the Psoriasis Foundation. Dr. Laumann is the principal investigator on a number of clinical trials related to Raynaud’s phenomenon, psoriasis, and itching. Currently she is conducting clinical trials to evaluate the use of different medications for the treatment of active secondary Raynaud’s disease. She is the local principal investigator in a study studying the outcome and safety of the use of infliximab and golimumab in patients with chronic moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. This study is a multicenter, prospective, 8-year surveillance study involving patients on biologics.
Useful Links and Resources:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/psoriasis.html
http://www.psoriasis.org/
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10 Comments
That picture is pretty gross, Michelle.
Oh hey, I know that my favorite skin condition, acne of doom, is affected my femaleness, any idea about psoriasis?
Also, I think I just self-diagnosed some psoriasis on my elbow. Good job, blog!
You bring up a good point Candace. Although Psoriasis is not really a ‘women’s’ condition (it does effect both sexes equally), I think that women are often more likely to feel emotional and psychological effects of skin conditions. This is not to say that men can’t feel self-conscious about their appearance, but I think women are often expected to have soft, clean skin whereas many men really pull off the rugged, unshaven, unmoisturized look.
Good point, I’m always incredibly jealous that men can grow a beard to cover their acne. I’d love to grow a beard! Ok, not really, but you know what I mean.
Our lab MD said that there are really good medications out there now for psoriasis. Is it pretty much curable, or is it kind of just a chronic condition that you have to do your best to deal with?
This look bad!
Does diet play a part in the helping to clear up psoriasis or should I just take medication?
From what I understand psoriasis is only treatable, not curable. There are a variety of topical treatments, oral treatments, and light therapies. I do not think that diet plays a large role in the severity of psoriasis, but lifestyle changes such as moisturization and frequent bathing can help.
Very informative. The image seems to be a “worser” case.
I didn’t found any info for certain special medication for these kind of skin problem. However I think we can treat the condition by balanced the skin’s cell reproduction with the activities that can caused our skin’s cell dead faster too… just my opinion..
Wow, it’s pretty rare to see someone put things into perspective the way you just did. I wish that other bloggers and people that post content to the web would take a page from your book! Do you have any other sites that I could visit or could you possibly make a recommendation as to where I might be able to find some more information? Either way, thanks for an excellent resource and I look
forward to being a repeat reader!
Thanks Ryan! I hope you continue to read our blog as we are constantly posting more information – mostly on women’s health but much of it has implications for both men and women. If you are looking for more information on psoriasis, I recommend Mayo’s website http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/psoriasis/DS00193 and http://www.psoriasis.org. Please keep reading and posting!