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Skin Health

Understanding Psoriasis

Summary & Participants

Psoriasis is a chronic disease characterized by flaking, redness and inflammation of the skin. Though it affects over 7 million people in the U.S. alone, its exact causes are unknown. Research suggests, however, that the immune system has something to do with it. Tune in as our skin specialists examine the biology of psoriasis and the latest findings.

Medically Reviewed On: July 02, 2008

Webcast Transcript

MABEL JONG: Hello, everyone. I'm Mabel Jong. Welcome to our webcast. The word "psoriasis" is derived from the Greek word for "itch," but this chronic skin disease isn't something that can be just scratched away. Research suggests that psoriasis is actually a disorder of the immune system.

Joining us to discuss our current understanding of psoriasis are Dr. Ken Gordon, director of the Psoriasis Treatment Center at Northwestern University, and Dr. Mark Lebwohl, professor and chairman of the department of dermatology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Gentlemen, thanks for being with us today.

KENNETH GORDON, MD: Thank you.

MABEL JONG: Let's start with the basics. What is psoriasis, Dr. Lebwohl?

MARK LEBWOHL, MD: Well, psoriasis is an inherited disorder of the skin in which an abnormality of the immune system triggers release of substances that cause the cells of the skin to multiply too quickly, so that ordinarily cells of the skin, of the superficial area of the skin, make themselves over about every 28 days, but in psoriasis that is active, that same portion of the skin may be made over every two to four days, and that comes up as thick, scaly, red plaques.

MABEL JONG: Dr. Gordon, are there some parts of the body that are more susceptible to this than others?

KENNETH GORDON, MD: Typically traumatic areas are more susceptible, so elbows and knees, the lower part of the back. But the important thing to remember is, psoriasis can happen anywhere on the body. Anywhere there's skin you can have psoriasis.

MABEL JONG: Let's go over the different types of psoriasis. Are there many different types?

MARK LEBWOHL, MD: Classically, there are four types, and the four types are plaque psoriasis, which is the most common type, and it's characterized by large, red, scaly patches that, as you've already heard, affect the elbows and knees, but can affect any part of the body, and there are patients who are covered, 80 to 100% of their body surface, with plaques in severe cases. That accounts for the majority of patients with psoriasis.

Probably somewhere on the order of 10 percent of patients will have something called guttate psoriasis, which are simply smaller, red, scaly lesions, the size of 1 or 2 centimeters , covering large areas of the body, and the typical scenario where that happens is after strep throat patients will develop a lot of little spots all over. That's the second most common type.

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