What Is Pustular Psoriasis?
Pustular psoriasis can affect just the hands and feet, with round yellow pustules (raised areas of skin containing pus) appearing under the skin surface of the palms or soles, or both. They gradually turn brown as they reach the surface and are shed as scales. The pustules are sterile and not due to infection. This pattern is most often seen in middle-aged people who are smokers. Generalised pustular psoriasis, with sheets of very small pustules on a background of very red, hot skin, is a medical emergency. A person can become very ill from loss of heat and fluid, and feels very feverish. It is sometimes triggered if large amounts of strong steroid creams have been used to treat widespread plaques or after oral steroids.
