From healthcentral.com
If you’re dealing with an inflammatory skin condition, long-term relief depends on finding out what you have. For most people, a psoriasis diagnosis is straight-forward: A dermatologist spots the tell-tale patches of thick, red, scaly skin, with well-defined edges during a physical exam, per NYU Langone health. Sometimes a biopsy is used for confirmation. Yet it can still take years for some people get a diagnosis, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation. Why? The reasons range from not getting in front of the right provider to mistaking your symptoms for something else.
It Looks Like Another Disease
Dry, red, irritated skin? We’ve all had these symptoms, which is why psoriasis is often mistaken for other skin conditions, both by people who have it and by medical professionals. The most common PsO doppelganger is eczema, a group of inflammatory skin conditions that make skin dry, red, very itchy, and often scaly or bumpy. There’s also seborrhoeic dermatitis, which causes, flaky, itchy patches in oily areas of the skin; lichen planus, with its lesions on wrists and limbs; and pityriasis rosea, with torso rashes.
ThinkstockIt Looks Like a Fungus
In the guessing game of “name that rash,” signs of psoriasis can also be confused with fungal infections. Ringworm is a temporary fungal infection that can resemble psoriasis with its raised, scaly, itchy patches on areas like the scalp and feet, per Cleveland Clinic, but it typically has flatter, smaller scales and rarely appears on the elbows and knees, where psoriasis is common. Likewise, PsO nail symptoms like discoloration, crumbling, or lifting up from the nail bed, can be mistaken for nail fungus.
You Have Dark Skin
Psoriasis can affect people of all skin tones, races, and ethnicities, but not all providers know how to spot it on darker skin. People of colour often face challenges in getting an accurate diagnosis and proper treatment, because the trademark red plaques with a whitish cap don’t show up the same way for them, according to the NPF. It’s important to note that plaques can appear salmon, dark brown, purple, or violet with greyish scale. Checking the NPF Skin of Colour Resource Center can help you know what to look for and help you find a provider who knows skin of colour.
You Have Joint Symptoms
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The NPF reports that one in three people living with psoriasis also live with its sister condition, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), which comes with both skin and joint symptoms. And while PsO is most-often a precursor to PsA, sometimes the joint symptoms start first and might be mistake for other types of arthritis. With PsA, you could have pain, swelling, or stiffness in one or more joints—often worse after inactivity—along with joints that feel tender, warm, or appear discoloured, yet may not have skin symptoms at first.
It’s Not in the Usual Places
PsO plaques form when an immune response in the body causes skin to grow more rapidly at the plaque sites, resulting in a scaly appearance, per UCDavis Health. These plaques can crop up anywhere on the body, but most often are found on the outer elbows and knees, as well as the lower back, face, and scalp. Less commonly, it affects the palms and the soles of the feet or causes nail changes. And it can crop up on genital skin as well, which can sometimes mistaken for a sexually transmitted infection.
Symptoms Come and Go
Psoriasis goes through cycles, flaring for a few weeks or months, then calming down for a spell before coming back again, according to the Mayo Clinic. And if you have a genetic predisposition for PsO, it can be triggered by infections, cuts or burns, and certain medications. You may get the issue treated and move on, not suspecting an inflammatory skin condition is lying under the surface. It’s important to note that having one parent with PsO means you’re at higher risk of getting it, and more-so if both parents have it.
It Looks Like Dandruff
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