How bad can psoriasis get?
Psoriasis can be limited to a few areas of the skin (mild), or it can be moderate or widespread and severe. A normal skin cell matures in 28 to 30 days and sheds from the skin unnoticed. Psoriatic skin cells mature in only three to four days. They “heap up” and form scaly lesions. Psoriasis lesions can be painful and itchy and they can crack and bleed. How do I know I have psoriasis? A physician usually makes the diagnosis after looking at the skin. Occasionally a physician examines a skin biopsy under a microscope. Pitting of the nails is sometimes a sign of psoriasis. There is no specific medical test for psoriasis. Is psoriasis contagious? No, people cannot catch psoriasis from someone else. What are some of the myths surrounding psoriasis? Unlike other ailments, psoriasis can be seen on the skin and often people guess at what is wrong. They wonder if the lesions might be contagious, which they are not, or that the person who has psoriasis is unclean, overly nervous or high-strung,
