Psoriasis causes patches of itchy, scaly skin, but it’s more than a skin condition — it’s an immune-mediated disease. If left untreated, psoriasis may worsen, contributing to other health challenges.
Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disease that features patches of raised, scaly, and itchy skin. While its underlying causes aren’t totally understood, psoriasis occurs when your immune system induces a state of inflammation and cues skin cells to multiply too quickly.
Unable to shed fast enough, the rapidly multiplying cells accumulate into psoriasis plaques, pustules, or discolored spots on the skin.
It can be tempting to ignore mild psoriasis, especially if it’s easily concealed. The underlying inflammation from psoriasis can affect other organs in your body, however, and without treatment, it may increase your chances of developing serious health complications.
Treating psoriasis can be an effective way of reducing your risk for comorbid conditions.
Approximately 30% of people living with psoriasis also experience psoriatic arthritis (PsA), joint pain and inflammation caused by underlying immune-mediated processes in the body.
PsA can affect anyone, but the majorityTrusted Source of people who develop this condition already live with psoriasis, and PsA is the most common comorbid condition in psoriasis.
A 2021 review showed that psoriasis is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.
Systemic and cutaneous (skin-based) inflammation from this condition may compromise the integrity of your blood vessels, leading to the process of atherosclerosis, or plaque build-up, within the arteries.
The impact of inflammation on your circulatory system can also increaseTrusted Source the risk for other cardiovascular disease complications and risks, such as:
The link between psoriasis and cancer isn’t well-understood, but experts believe that the inflammatory processes in psoriasis can encourage the abnormal growth of cells leading to cancer.
In a 2019 review of studiesTrusted Source, psoriasis was linked to an increased risk for developing certain site-specific cancers, as well as elevated cancer mortality rate for those living with severe psoriasis.
Psoriasis can affect how your body reacts to insulin, contributing to insulin resistance and raising your risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
While this is one of the most recognized links between psoriasis and diabetes, researchTrusted Source suggests that the conditions may share multiple underlying mechanisms related to genetics, impaired glucose homeostasis, and inflammation, in addition to insulin resistance.
Review data indicates people living with psoriasis are 1.5 times more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, and have higher incidences of schizophrenia and suicidal ideation compared to the general population.
While it’s true that psoriasis can negatively impact your mental health due to stigma and self-consciousness, the relationship appears to be deeper.
A 2016 systematic reviewTrusted Source suggests that psoriasis can be a psychosocial condition, meaning its symptom severity can be affected by the inflammatory response caused by psychological stress.
In other words, psoriasis may worsen certain mental health symptoms and certain mental health conditions may worsen psoriasis.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term used to describe two conditions of chronic gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation:
ulcerative colitis
Crohn’s disease
Crohn’s disease, in particular, has a higher rate of occurrence among people living with psoriasis.
Research suggests that this is likely due to similar underlying genetic factors. Also, autoimmune inflammatory processes can negatively affect the GI microbiome and epithelial cells lining your intestinal barrier.
Psoriasis can increase your chances of developing chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease.
ResearchTrusted Source shows that the more severe your psoriasis, the higher your chances of experiencing these conditions. Psoriasis can extend beyond skin inflammation. It’s associated with immune-inflammatory cells that circulate systemically, causing inflammatory effects on many different organs.
The kidneys and renal system are no exception. Psoriasis may encourage renal inflammation leading to tissue damage.
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) refers to a group of co-occurring conditions that increase the risk for stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
These conditions include:
high blood pressure
elevated blood sugar
excess body fat
abnormal cholesterol levels
nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Research from 2018 suggests that as many as 50% of people living with psoriasis also live with metabolic syndrome, and the more severe your symptoms of psoriasis are, the higher your chances of experiencing MetS.
Like many other comorbid psoriasis conditions, the link to metabolic syndrome is likely caused by an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are cellular messengers that trigger inflammatory responses in the body.
Psoriasis creates a state of chronic inflammation associated with cytokines known to induce insulin resistance and cause weight gain.
A 2021 review showed that psoriasis can also contribute to other factors that promote obesity, such as social isolation, poor eating habits, inactivity, alcohol consumption, and depression.
When your body is in a state of chronic inflammation from psoriasis, your nervous system can be negatively affected.
ResearchTrusted Source suggests that living with psoriasis can increase your chances of developing neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease or dementia. Persistent inflammation can cause damage to the nervous system.
Psoriasis may appear as a skin condition, but it’s an immune-mediated disease that can cause a body-wide state of inflammation.
Over time, the chronic inflammation of untreated psoriasis can cause damage to everything from blood vessels, nerves, and organs — to digestive function and vision.
Severe psoriasis symptoms are often linked to a higher risk of comorbid conditions. Treating psoriasis can help reduce your risk for serious complications.
Psoriasis is an unpredictable condition that may present with mild, moderate, or severe symptoms. Treatment duration depends on the individual, but treating psoriasis can help improve symptoms and reduce flare-ups.
Psoriasis is a skin disorder that affects approximately 3%Trusted Source of adults in the United States. It’s the manifestation of cutaneous (affecting the skin) inflammation caused by psoriatic disease, an immune-mediated condition that causes a state of body-wide inflammation.
The exact underlying causes of psoriasis are not known, but an overactive immune response causes your skin cells to multiply too quickly. This can lead to a build-up of scaly plaques and areas of red, itchy, irritated skin.
The subtypes of psoriasis have different appearances, but the progression and severity are all unpredictable. Your symptoms may never get worse, or your symptoms may be severe from the start. This means treatment options have to be adaptable.
There’s no cure for psoriasis, but it can be treated with medication and lifestyle changes.
Mild to moderate symptoms respond well to topical products such as:
corticosteroids
topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs)
vitamin-D medications
coal tar
retinoids
keratolytics
anthralin
These products work to soothe your skin and decrease thickening and scale by addressing symptoms directly at the site of your irritation.
When larger areas of the body are affected or symptoms are severe, your doctor can add injectable or oral medications that work to reduce inflammation inside or suppress the immune response causing your symptoms.
Phototherapy, which is treatment with ultraviolet light, is also an option when larger areas of your body are affected. It may be used in combination with retinoids to help slow the production of skin cells and reduce inflammation.
Lifestyle changes
Lifestyle changes can help prevent psoriasis from worsening and can improve current symptoms.
Changes dermatologists recommend include:
weight management
reducing alcohol intake
smoking cessation
limiting prolonged sun exposure
keeping skin well-moisturized
It’s common to notice patterns with psoriasis flare-ups. Keeping a journal can help you identify possible triggers like cold exposure, stress, injuries, medications, or illnesses.
Psoriasis is a lifelong condition. How long you keep up treatment depends on your symptoms and current medication routine. Some medications, like topicals, are stopped when there are no active psoriasis patches.
Your doctor may recommend you continue other medications even without symptoms to help reduce the chances psoriasis will return with more severe symptoms.
Psoriasis is unpredictable and can flare up, clear unexpectedly, and flare up again.
Treating psoriasis aims to keep the condition stable at a mild or clear baseline while reducing the frequency of flare-ups.
How quickly psoriasis treatments work depends on your medications and your symptom severity.
You may notice improvement with topical products as soon as 1 to 2 weeksTrusted Source. You may see less psoriasis in 4 to 6 weeks. With stronger medications for moderate or severe psoriasis, like the immune suppressant methotrexate, it may take up to 6 months for you to reach complete clearing.
There’s no way to know what will happen if you stop your psoriasis treatment.
Psoriasis affects everyone uniquely. Many factors can play a role in recurrence, including existing comorbid conditions or the number of risk factors you meet for psoriasis.
If you’re in remission, a time when symptoms are absent, your symptoms might never return.
It’s just as possible that you’ll experience a relapse, where symptoms return but appear improved or the same.
Sometimes psoriasis rebounds, which means it returns worse than it was before remission.
Talking with your doctor as soon as you notice psoriasis symptoms is recommended. Treating psoriasis early may increase the chances of stabilizing the condition, even in severe cases.
A 2019 retrospective studyTrusted Source following clinical outcomes over 15 years found the majority of people who stopped systemic treatments had to be placed on them again within 12 months to three years.
However, early systemic treatment resulted in a lower risk of relapse for people living with moderate to severe psoriasis.
Because of the unpredictability of psoriasis, communicating with your doctor regularly can help ensure the best outcomes. Your doctor can provide guidance about treatment plans, new therapies, and how (or if) you should stop psoriasis treatment.
There’s no guarantee that living with psoriasis means you’ll develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Both are part of psoriatic disease, but they are separate conditions.
Approximately 80%Trusted Source of people living with PsA develop psoriasis first, but you don’t need to have psoriasis to develop PsA.
There’s no evidence that stopping treatment for psoriasis will cause PsA. However, severe psoriasis is a risk factor for PsA.
There’s no cure for psoriasis, but skin plaques and lesions can heal. Your symptoms may resolve totally, and psoriasis can go into remission.
Some people enter remission for long periods of time, experiencing years where symptoms are completely absent. Most episodes of remission last between 30 days to a year.
There’s no way to completely ensure your psoriasis won’t return, but there are steps you can take to help reduce the frequency of flare-ups, including:
stress reduction/coping techniques
avoiding other skin irritants, like scratching, sunburns, bug bites, or abrasions
treating skin injuries as soon as possible
eliminating alcohol consumption
avoiding cigarette smoke
smoking cessation
using warm water to shower instead of hot
applying moisturiser regularly
adding a humidifier to your personal space
covering your skin from cold weather
staying far enough away from sources of direct heat, like fireplaces
avoiding heavily fragranced or harsh skin products
wearing sunscreen
using a moisturising product for shaving
discussing body art and modifications with your dermatologist
Psoriasis is an immune-mediated skin condition that’s unpredictable — but treatable.
Your course of therapy depends on your symptoms, type of psoriasis, and any comorbid conditions you’re experiencing.
Treating psoriasis can help stabilize the condition, improving symptoms and reducing the frequency of flare-ups. While some psoriasis treatments can be stopped when symptoms go into remission, the absence of symptoms doesn’t mean you should stop being proactive about psoriasis management.
Treating psoriasis early, keeping up with lifestyle changes, and following the guidance of your dermatologist can help ensure the best outcomes in this lifelong condition.
Facial psoriasis occurs due to your genetics and immune system and can cause painful or itchy plaques on your face. Treatment may include medications and lifestyle practices.
The majority of people with facial psoriasis also have scalp psoriasis. Some also have moderate to severe psoriasis affecting other parts of their body.
Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin condition that causes inflammation in the body. It can cause extra cells to build up on your skin. This results in scaly plaques that can be painful and itchy. They may appear differently depending on your skin tone:
On fair to lighter skin tones, the plaques tend to be pink or red with silvery-white scales.
On medium skin tones, the plaques can appear salmon-coloured with silvery-white scales.
On darker skin tones, the plaques can look violet with grey scales, or they can also be dark brown and difficult to see.
These plaques can come and go, flaring up for weeks or months before becoming less noticeable.
There are several forms of facial psoriasis that may cause different symptoms. With each, your skin may be:
itchy
painful
irritated
Psoriasis around the eyes can lead to inflamed, crusty eyelids, and eyelashes potentially rubbing against the eye. Psoriasis inside and around the ear can potentially affect your hearing.
Plaque psoriasis, the most common form, tends to appear as raised, scaly plaques, while guttate psoriasis can look like drops with smaller and less thick spots.
Erythrodermic psoriasis is rare and tends to come with a widespread rash and may look red, dark brown, or purple, depending on your skin tone. It may also lead to shifts in body temperature and an increased chance of infection.
Other types of psoriasis, such as scalp psoriasis, may appear alongside facial psoriasis.
A 2018 reviewTrusted Source indicates that facial psoriasis is a sign of more severe psoriasis, compared with psoriasis on other parts of the body.
Scratching plaques may lead to broken skin and infection. Psoriasis can also affect your self-image and general quality of life.
The three main subtypes of psoriasis that appear on the face are the following:
Hairline psoriasis
Share on PinterestHairline psoriasis, or scalp psoriasis, is characterized by discoloured, scaly, thickened plaques. It most commonly occurs on the back of the scalp, but it may occur anywhere. It can cause hair loss in severe cases. surachet virunsap/Shutterstock
Hairline psoriasis is scalp psoriasis (plaque psoriasis) that has spread beyond your hairline onto your forehead and in and around your ears. Psoriasis scales in your ears can build up and block your ear canal.
Sebopsoriasis
Share on PinterestSebopsoriasis is a combination of two conditions: psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis. It includes features of both conditions. People with this type of psoriasis may have greasy scales on the scalp and behind the ears, along with silvery scales. worklater1/Getty Images
Sebopsoriasis results in symptoms of both psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis. Seborrheic dermatitis is a common, chronic form of eczema that usually affects the scalp and causes dandruff. It may affect other parts of the body as well.
Sebopsoriasis is often patchy at your hairline. It can appear on:
eyebrows
eyelids
beard area
the area where your nose meets your cheeks
Even though sebopsoriasis is commonly associated with scalp psoriasis, the plaques are often thinner with a lighter colour and smaller scales.
Facial psoriasis
Share on PinterestFacial psoriasis presents on the face as several thick, discoloured plaques that are very dry. This condition is strongly associated with psoriasis that also occurs on other areas of the body. Medicshots/Alamy Stock Photo
Facial psoriasis can appear on any part of your face and is associated with psoriasis on other parts of your body, including your:
scalp
ears
elbow
knees
torso
It can be plaque psoriasis, guttate psoriasis, or erythrodermic psoriasis.
As with psoriasis on other parts of your body, there’s no clear cause of facial psoriasis. ResearchersTrusted Source have determined that both your genetics and immune system can play a role.
Common triggers of psoriasis and psoriasis flare-ups include:
stress
exposure to sunlight and sunburn
a yeast infection, such as Malassezia
certain medications, including lithium, hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), and prednisone (Rayos)
While similarities exist between eczema and psoriasis, causes and treatments can differ. The two conditions can also overlap in some cases. Both are related to the immune system and can be chronic. Both can affect the face, and neither is contagious.
Psoriasis is a chronic condition that leads to an overproduction of skin cells.
There are several subtypes of eczema. It can also appear after exposure to a trigger, such as:
clothes
soaps
animals
The two conditions have some triggers and risk factors in common, including cold dry weather, but eczema may also result from encounters with:
pollen
moulds
certain foods
Eczema can be intensely itchy, and while psoriasis may itch too, it can also be painful. Skin affected by psoriasis tends to be thicker than skin with eczema. Silver scaling also tends to be unique to psoriasis.
Because the skin on your face is sensitive, facial psoriasis needs to be treated carefully.
Corticosteroids
A doctor might recommend a variety of treatments, including mild corticosteroids applied to the skin. A doctor may recommend applying these treatments daily when symptoms are at their worst.
Only use medication specifically formulated for use around the eyes around your eyes. These steroids are typically less potent. Steroid use may cause glaucomaTrusted Source or cataracts. Be sure to speak with a healthcare professional about when to apply this medication and how much to use.
Vitamin D analogs
Some other possible topical treatments include forms of vitamin D. They are:
betamethasone/calcipotriene (Enstilar, Taclonex)
calcitriol (Vectical)
calcipotriene (Dovonex, Sorilux)
Calcineurin inhibitors
Calcineurin inhibitors stop the action of calcineurin, an enzyme that’s involved in some immune system processes.
Calcineurin inhibitors can be applied around the eyes. They may sting for the first few days of use.
Examples include tacrolimus (Protopic) and pimecrolimus (Elidel).
Other topical medications
Two newer brand-name topical medications were approved in 2020 to treat psoriasis.
These includeTrusted Source Vtama, an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist, and Zoryve, a phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor.
Retinoids
Retinoids such as tazarotene (Tazorac) can slow the overproduction of skin cells and reduce inflammation.
If retinoid creams and gels are not helpful, a dermatologist may prescribe oral or injected medication, such as a retinoid in pill form called acitretin (Soriatane). As with topical retinoids, these work by slowing skin cell production.
Phototherapy
Phototherapy, or light therapy, uses ultraviolet (UV) light in a controlled setting.
Natural sunlight may sometimes help as well, but it’s not the same as prescription phototherapy. For example, going to the beach for sunlight exposure while bathingTrusted Source in salt water may help reduce symptoms.
Your sunburn risk may be higher when using some topical medications.
Biologics
Biologics are medications that target the immune system and are given by injection or infusion through an IV. They can block specific immune cells involved in psoriasis.
Doctors may recommend them to people who have not had a good response to other treatments. But they can have side effects, including increasing your risk of infection.
Along with taking medication your doctor recommends, you can take steps at home to help manage your psoriasis:
Try to reduce stress: Consider meditation or yoga to help reduce stress.
Avoid triggers when possible: Monitor your diet and activities to help determine what triggers cause your flare-ups.
Do not pick at your plaques: Picking off scales typically results in making them worse or creating new rashes.
Apply a moisturizer: Consider asking a doctor to recommend a moisturizer to reduce dry skin and scaling on your face.
Consider emotional support: Sometimes, having plaques on your face or body may make you feel self-conscious and even depressed. A doctor can recommend supportive resources such as scheduling an appointment with a psychologist or providing information about support groups.
Finding a skin care routine that helps with facial psoriasis may involve experimenting with different products.
In addition to discussing prescription creams with a doctor, you may find it helpful to use an over-the-counter (OTC) emollient. Emollients soothe the skin and can create a barrier of oil to help protect your skin from drying out.
Humectants, which are moisturizing agents such as such as glycerin and aloe vera, can also help hydrate your skin.
You may also want to look for products with salicylic acid, which can help your skin shed psoriasis scales, or coal tar, which can reduce itching and inflammation.
Facial psoriasis triggers vary from person to person, but they can include stress, sunburn, cold weather, and certain medications.
How can I get rid of psoriasis on my face?
A doctor can recommend topical treatments to reduce psoriasis on the face, including prescription ointments and OTC products such as moisturizers and emollients. But picking scales may damage your skin further.
What are the first signs of psoriasis on the face?
Facial psoriasis typically causes itchiness, pain, and irritation. You may also develop scales on the face or scalp.
What cream is good for psoriasis on the face?
Topical treatments such as calcineurin inhibitors, prescription retinoids, vitamin D analogs, and newer topical drugs may help reduce psoriasis on the face.
In some cases, doctors may prescribe biologics, which are systemic treatments that target specific immune cells in the body. OTC products such as emollients and humectants like aloe vera can also help your skin stay hydrated.
If you’re experiencing symptoms of facial psoriasis, you can talk with a doctor to determine the type. They can recommend a treatment plan specific to your type of psoriasis, including medical and at-home care.
Because psoriasis on your face can be emotionally upsetting for some people, a doctor may also share suggestions for managing self-consciousness about your facial psoriasis.
For example, they may recommend a support group or even types of makeup that will not interfere with your treatment.
