Cause of Psoriasis

Cause of Psoriasis are many, but they often have similar results. They affect the derma or both layers of the skin and can cause a variety of problems, most notably itchiness and the discoloration of the outbreak itself. The skin consists of the epidermis, which is the outer layer, and the inner layer known as the dermis. The dermis is where new skin cells are created and they eventually move to the epidermis. As they die, the skin cell flakes off and is replaced by a new skin cell, this process generally repeats every 30 days. Psoriasis affects this normal process of skin replacement by speeding it up. New skin cells are replaced much faster than normal and only live on average 3 to 4 days. The dead cells do not have time to normally flake off and the result is a buildup of skin cells that form thick, flaky patches commonly known as plaque. The increased blood flow to these areas because of the rapid skin cell growth also gives these patches a reddish appearance. It is not fully understood why skin cells multiply in this fashion or the  cause of psoriasis.

Cause of psoriasis developingif one of their parents is also affected can be as little as one in ten to as little or as great as one in four. If both parents have psoriasis, the odds become 50/50 that the child will inherit it as well. Studies have suggested that psoriasis may be a disorder of the immune system. Normally, the immune system is keyed to destroy infections from bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances. But in the case of psoriasis, the immune system is destroying skin cells in the derma, which leads to the variety of splotches, discolorations and thickening of the skin. This theory about psoriasis is based on the unusually high number of “t-cells”, which are variants of white blood cells, in the red patches of skin from those who suffer from psoriasis. Normally, these t-cells are created by the body to fight off infections, yet their presence suggests that they are mistakenly attacking normal skin cells. This suggests some type of auto-immune deficiency in the derma which may account for psoriasis to exist. Since auto-immune deficiencies run in families, this leads to the conclusion that many types of psoriasis may be genetic in nature and the cause of psoriasis.

Cause of psoriasis have included other factors which can contribute to psoriasis, changes in the environment is one potential cause or contributing factor in the development of psoriasis in some individuals. Also, fungal infections can have an effect, particularly in nail psoriasis, which is more common among the elderly. Normal treatment for psoriasis usually consists of topical creams or lotions that dry out the affected skin cells, which is addressing the symptom, not the cause. By dehydrating the skin, this reduces the itch and swelling caused by the psoriasis, but there is at this time, no overall cure to psoriasis that has been developed and doctors strive to understand fully the cause of psoriasis.