Why Dry Skin and Psoriasis Occur, and How They Are Treated

Provider: Im Eiseok Thema Dermatology Clinic

In autumn and winter, when dry winds blow, the lower temperature and humidity make the skin rough and dry. In cases of simple dryness or mild itching, this can usually be improved sufficiently by using moisturizer or a humidifier.

However, if the roughness of the skin or the intensity of itching increases excessively, you should consider the possibility of a skin condition. If white flakes become severely abundant or unbearable skin itching continues, it may be psoriasis.

Then shall we learn what psoriatic skin and psoriatic dermatitis are?

What Is Psoriatic Skin?

Psoriatic skin is an erythematous skin lesion covered with silvery-white scales or rash-like flakes, and it is a chronic inflammatory skin disease in which flare-ups and remissions occur repeatedly.

Psoriasis develops through abnormal cell activity, such as skin cells that produce keratin becoming excessively stimulated and increasing rapidly. It often occurs in areas that are easily irritated, such as the elbows, knees, buttocks, and scalp, and shows a variety of clinical patterns, including small papules, plaque psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, exfoliative psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis.

Types of psoriasis include plaque psoriasis, guttate psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis, and pustular psoriasis. Among them, plaque psoriasis accounts for 80 to 90% of all cases. It appears as a clearly defined red plaque covered with silvery scales.

Because it includes itching similar to atopic dermatitis, visitors sometimes mistake it for atopy. However, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis have different characteristics. Atopic dermatitis is more common in children and mainly occurs in flexural areas such as the wrists or ankles. It is also accompanied by oozing. In contrast, psoriasis is more common in adults and often occurs on the elbows and knees, with small pimple-like rashes and thick scaling.

Then why does psoriasis occur?

The cause of psoriasis is an immune abnormality. This does not mean it is caused by a weakened immune system, but rather a disease in which immune function becomes abnormal. In other words, you can understand it as the immune system, which should attack bacteria and viruses on the skin, overreacting and excessively irritating the skin, leading to symptoms such as redness and scaling.

Psoriasis often develops due to factors such as excessive mental stress, skin trauma, overwork, obesity, and drinking. In particular, as the end of the year approaches, gatherings and drinking events increase, so psoriasis can worsen due to alcohol, which requires caution.

If psoriasis develops, you should be careful not to deliberately remove the scales. This is because psoriatic skin tissue does not regenerate normally and is easily damaged, so forcibly removing the scales can also increase the risk of complications.

Scalp Psoriasis Can Also Occur

If psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease in which erythematous skin lesions covered with scales and rash repeatedly flare up and subside, occurs on the scalp, it may become difficult to bear and can even lead to hair loss.

The scalp is one of the first areas where psoriasis appears, and more than half of psoriasis patients show scalp psoriasis symptoms. In the early stages, it resembles seborrheic dermatitis, so many people do not realize it is psoriasis when it appears only on the scalp. When severe, scalp psoriasis can look like dandruff, causing the inconvenience of having to avoid dark-colored clothing.

In particular, if the scalp dryness becomes severe, it can lead to chronic hair loss, so caution is needed. Hair falls out during the process of scratching the scalp or removing scales because of itching. To avoid this and to treat scalp psoriasis, it is recommended to keep nails short, avoid touching the scalp as much as possible, and maintain scalp cleanliness with gentle brushing. It is also important to use a shampoo that excludes irritating ingredients so as to minimize stimulation to the scalp.

How Psoriasis Is Treated

Here we will introduce psoriasis treatment methods for treating psoriatic skin.

There are various types of skin regeneration lasers. Representative examples include Harmony, Titan laser, and Secret laser.

Harmony is a laser that induces collagen regeneration without damaging the skin surface, thereby promoting fundamental skin regeneration. Titan laser treats by using the characteristic that human cells regenerate at 60 to 70 degrees Celsius, raising the water content in the dermis to 60 degrees to promote regeneration. Secret laser is a type of laser that delivers radiofrequency energy by directly inserting micrometer-scale fine needles into the skin. It has the effect of activating collagen and elastin regenerative cells.

Combining laser treatment with medical skin care increases treatment effectiveness, so we recommend doing both together.

Representative medical skin care options include Light Therapy Tropil, Hydrogen Toning, and Obagi Lunch Peel.

Light Therapy Tropil has the effect of reducing flakes using glycolic acid, and Hydrogen Toning directly delivers hydrogen capsules into the skin, converting harmful reactive oxygen species into skin moisture. It is a method that regenerates DNA that was difficult to approach with lasers. Obagi Lunch Peel is a procedure that can be used even on sensitive skin. It removes dead flakes and helps restore the skin's pH.

In addition, lifestyle improvements are important for treating psoriasis. Avoid excessive heating, and use a humidifier or wet towel to maintain indoor humidity at an appropriate level. In particular, when showering, washing with water that is too hot or using too much body cleanser can remove the skin's natural moisturizing factors, the lipids in the stratum corneum, and sebum more than necessary, making the skin even drier, so caution is needed. If you use moisturizer frequently and let scales shed naturally without forcing them off, it can help keep the skin healthy.

Im Eiseok Thema Dermatology Clinic has a variety of laser equipment for treating psoriasis and skin clinics, and has established a one-stop service for effective treatment and care. We provide comfortable and fast service through personalized care, so if you have skin concerns, we recommend visiting a dermatology clinic such as a Gangnam dermatology clinic or Sinsa dermatology clinic for a consultation.