Psoriasis and Dandruff

Skin flaking is not a symptom unique to dandruff.  In fact, it may be a sign of a rather more aggressive disease, known as psoriasis.  Often mistaken for dandruff when it afflicts a person’s scalp, psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the skin cells of a person reproduce at an abnormal rate, beyond the normal skin renewal rate of skin cell replacement.  This excessive skin growth creates unsightly lesions and red, scaly patches that appear either all over the body or in certain areas.  According to the National Institute of Health, psoriasis afflicts an estimated 2.1 percent of all adult Americans, or about 7.5 million individuals, and 125 million people worldwide. 

Psoriasis appears in a variety of types, depending on how the skin, and in certain cases the joints, are affected.  The most common type of psoriasis is plaque psoriasis, characterized by prominent red patches with dry, silvery scales forming above them.  These patches form on a person’s back, scalp, elbows, knees and around the navel.  Thick scaling may occur on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.  The patches and scales appear intermittently, and can last for months or years.  This form of psoriasis also strikes the scalp, with severity ranging from light flakes to thick scales and plaques, extending often beyond the hairline to the forehead, and onto the face, as well as behind the ears. 

Doctors can distinguish between dandruff and psoriasis by checking the person with a physical exam.  The medical practitioner will search for nail pits or other signs of psoriasis on the body, or take samples from the afflicted skin and conduct a biopsy to properly diagnose the affliction. 

Doctors are still searching for the exact cause of psoriasis, as it is not contagious or the result of foreign organisms like bacteria or fungus.  There is no permanent cure for the condition, either, but there are many methods of treatment to alleviate and impede the resurgence of its symptoms throughout a person’s life. 

Topical treatment through creams, lotions and medicated baths is common for milder outbreaks of the illness.  In more severe cases, systemic therapy using wavelengths of light, chemical injections and drugs that suppress immune system functions have been successfully used. 

Some medicated shampoos that have typically been used to control dandruff are also being utilized to help deal with outbreaks of psoriasis, due to some of the shared traits between the two diseases.  For instance, the accumulation of excess skin and the flaking can be managed through the use of salicylic acid, a chemical skin softener that relaxes the scalp and allows it to shed the scaling and flaking more easily, without damaging the deeper layers of living skin beneath.  Zinc pyrithione has been prescribed in some circumstances for psoriasis, but it is actually a poor remedy for the condition, because psoriasis is not inherently caused by the presence of foreign organisms.  You would be prudent to check out the information on the products that you would buy, to determine whether or not they will function for you.

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