(WYTV) — Have you been thinking hard or just scratching your head because it itches? It could be you have psoriasis, an inflammatory disorder that affects your skin. You can thank your Mom and Dad for that.
We inherit psoriasis, some a stronger case than others. Everyone has experienced an itchy scalp at times, but dermatologists tell us it’s different for those with psoriasis.
“Oftentimes patients will have scales on their skin on their scalp that itches or kind of stings when they go to shampoo their scalp, and they just assume that it’s really bad dandruff,” said Dr. Dawn Davis, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic.
Psoriasis is an immune system issue. Your skin will grow and shed in 28- to 30-day cycles, but psoriasis skin grows and tries to shed in a 72-hour cycle, ten times the speed of normal skin.
There is no cure for psoriasis, but there are treatments to help decrease the inflammation in the skin and turn off that fast cell growth. Other than that, maintain a healthy weight and avoid tobacco and excess alcohol — those things can help to decrease the severity of psoriasis.
