What is Psoriasis? Let me Break it Down for You

I was ten years old when I first developed Guttate Psoriasis.  I had had a nasty case of Strep Throat, and then, BAM… a few weeks later I wake up covered in angry, red teardrop-shaped welts. 

My parents and I hauled you-know-what to the doctor who took one look at me and told me I had Guttate Psoriasis. 

My parents peppered him with questions:

“Is it contagious?”   NO.

“Is there a cure?”  No, but there are treatments available.  (LINK WITH TREATMENT ARTICLE.) 

“Can she go to school?”  Yes.  Remember, Psoriasis is not contagious.

I sat there listening, totally confused.  I had never heard the term “Psoriasis” before, and I wanted to know what it meant.  It sounded scary – like a prehistoric beast bursting into my late 20^th century lexicon, tearing my skin with gnarly yellow teeth.  (What can I say?  I had a vivid imagination and was into dinosaurs as a kid.) 

My palms started to sweat – I was always a stressed out kid, and while Dr. S didn’t seem to worried, I could tell my parents were and I still didn’t know what is Psoriasis.

So, just as my mom was about to ask another question, I interrupted.

“Um, Dr. S?  What is Psoriasis in the first place?”

“I’m so glad you asked.  It’s important to know what is Psoriasis when you’re dealing with it.”  He smiled his big, warm smile, and I felt a little safer.

“I guess if you don’t know what is Psoriasis in the first place, none of this conversation makes much sense, huh, Sammy?”  my dad asked. 

I resisted the urge to say “Thank you Captain Obvious.”  I nodded instead, and listened to Dr. S’s “What is Psoriasis” explanation. 

I have now become quite the expert. 

Maybe you just got diagnosed, and are trying to figure out what is Psoriasis, too…  Well, darling, you came to the right place, because after dealing with Psoriasis for almost 20 years, I can break it down for you:

First of all, in order to understand what is Psoriasis, you need to understand what isn’t Psoriasis.

Psoriasis isn’t a disease. 

Psoriasis isn’t just a skin condition, even though it tends to show up on your skin.                   

Ok, so now that we know what isn’t Psoriasis, let’s answer the million-dollar question: 

WHAT IS PSORIASIS?

In a nutshell, Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disorder with many possible causes . that makes skin cells to multiply waaaaay faster than they can be sloughed off.   This produces an uncomfortable at best, miserable at worst accumulation of pink scales all over the body.   While psoriasis tends to show up mainly on the skin, it can also affect your scalp, nails and joints.  There is no cure for Psoriasis, but there are many ways to treat psoriasis and make the symptoms more manageable.   

And if you don’t know, now you know.