More than eight million people in the United States have psoriasis, which most commonly causes itchy, scaly patches of thick, red, dry skin called plaques.
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While there are signs and symptoms that set the disease apart from other conditions affecting the skin, it isn’t always easy to distinguish it at first.Because psoriasis can look like other skin conditions that cause scaly patches and itchy rashes with inflammation, it is often confused with various disorders. These may include common skin conditions, such as acne, eczema, or heat rash.
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Psoriasis can also resemble and be confused with the fungal infection known as ringworm.
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Most of the time, psoriasis can be diagnosed with a physical examination. A skin biopsy may be needed to rule out other possibilities and arrive at a definitive diagnosis.
When trying to identify psoriasis, here are some things you can look out for.
(The images that follow are of real people with medical conditions and are graphic.)
