Leg Psoriasis Symptoms, Types, Treatment

Since the exact etiology of this process is unknown, finding the most effective treatment is pertinent. In the treatment of this disease, hormonal drugs are often used, which can only relieve external symptoms, and the remission period lasts for several months, and the drugs themselves will produce side effects. Medications for leg psoriasis are prescribed by dermatologists, and the sophistication of traditional methods may include folk remedies for psoriasis.

There are many ways to treat leg psoriasis. Typically, treatment of leg psoriasis includes systemic and topical treatments, appointments of physical therapy, adherence to treatment regimens, and diet.

Classification of lower extremity psoriasis

On the legs, psoriasis manifests in only 30% of skin lesions. Dermatologists divide the initial stages of disease development in this part of the body into two groups:

1. Type 1 psoriasis. It affects the legs of children, adolescents, and adult men and women due to their genetic susceptibility to the disease. Overall, at least 60% of all cases have relatives with the disorder. In most cases, lower extremity psoriasis is transmitted to offspring born in generations 3-4. Treatment for hereditary psoriasis is lengthy and requires the use of special drugs throughout the body to control the spread of plaques from the surface of the legs to the trunk and other parts of the body.
2. Type 2 psoriasis. This is an acquired form of the disease that develops due to the presence of the aforementioned risk factors. The age group for people with leg psoriasis is those 40 years of age and older. These skin patients often drink heavily, eat unhealthy foods, work in businesses with poor working conditions, or have experienced moral dilemmas in their lives. In such patients, the initial phase of the disease is always acute and has vivid clinical manifestations. A month after the first red dots appeared, the knee and hip joints began to be affected. It all depends on the location of the plaque.

prevention

It's no secret that the disease is much easier to prevent than to cure.

This statement fully applies to psoriasis. To prevent the development of psoriasis, the following recommendations should be followed:

• Avoid emotional tension and stress. Have a positive attitude towards life and don't worry about small things;
• Live a healthy lifestyle, do not drink, smoke, and under any circumstances do not use drugs;
• Timely treatment of infection lesions in the body and enhancement of systemic immunity;
• Apply moisturizer to the skin to prevent dehydration and dryness;
• Don't ignore effective preventive measures like the folks. Sometimes it is enough to apply the appropriate herbal cream to the irritated area of the skin and a diagnosis of psoriasis is never heard.

Caring for Affected Skin

If plaques and rashes appear on the legs, a special preparation containing moisturizing ingredients should be applied. It would be great if the composition also contained anti-inflammatory and immune stimulating substances.

Do not apply caustic products containing high concentrations of alcohol to affected skin areas. The skin cannot be dehydrated.

Special care should be taken to avoid injury and damage to the skin. They are known to trigger new rashes that are not easily cured. It's worth using only soft, non-traumatic bath accessories.

diet

Proper nutrition is very important. Often it's the eating habits that go against the doctor's recommendation that lead to years of incurable psoriasis.

There should be two to three times as many alkaline foods in the diet as acidic foods. Alkaline foods include non-acidic fruits and vegetables. Alkaline mineral water may help. You should monitor timely bowel emptying and use products that improve bowel movements

complication

Complications of psoriasis are characterized by the presence of concomitant diseases. The cardiovascular system is most affected, which often leads to a heart attack or coronary heart disease. In some cases, the disease can trigger diabetes.

Treatment of finger psoriasis requires a comprehensive approach and, most importantly, time. Therapeutic actions should primarily aim to reduce inflammatory foci. Psoriasis on the hands often spreads to the nails, which is not allowed. Otherwise, healing will take longer.

medical treatement

The treatment has to be complex, so the drugs have to be different. Be sure to use:

1. Creams and ointments.
2. Antihistamines.
3. Gastrointestinal drugs.
4. Immunity-boosting preparations.

This is a basic treatment that always helps with mild psoriasis.

physiotherapy

Physical therapy is used as one of the stages in the treatment of psoriasis. These procedures are based on the use of various natural factors and, therefore, they help stop the progression of the disease. Patients received courses of infrared and ultraviolet radiation, acupuncture, and cryotherapy.

folk method

Traditional medicine is rich in recipes to get rid of the symptoms of a disease and achieve long-term relief. First of all, various baths have proven themselves well:

• add sea salt;
• Use herbal decoctions.

Bay leaf baths are effective. When cooking, pour in 20 grams. Add 2 cups of water to the leaves and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. After the broth has cooled, you will need to place the affected hand or foot in it for at least half an hour.

The skin of hands or feet with psoriasis can be rubbed with juniper tincture, birch tar, or celandine juice. It is recommended to lubricate the nails with sea buckthorn oil to strengthen the nails.

What does psoriasis on the legs look like?

The initial form of the disease does not cause severe discomfort to the patient. It manifests as slight itching and redness of the skin. Gradually, the intensity increases and pink or red patches appear on the legs. The papules range in size from 3-5 mm, and as they progress further, the spots grow and connect to each other.

Characterized by yellow or white scales that can be easily scraped off, but spalling increases in this case. If the peeling is removed, a red shiny film can be seen. Its removal causes the release of a drop of blood, medically known as blood dew.

Psoriasis forms on the soles of the feet, accompanied by unbearable itching. The patient cannot resist the desire to groom the affected area. This opens the way for bacterial infections, which complicate further treatment.

Why does psoriasis grow on the legs

Psoriasis on the legs is a chronic skin disease with a genetic predisposition. The influence of susceptibility factors promotes the development of the disease. Factors that lead to the development of psoriasis on the legs:

1. Limb injuries - scrapes, cracks, wounds. In people prone to this condition, they are often inflamed, accompanied by itching, combing. Against this background, a psoriatic rash appears. These causes most commonly cause knee psoriasis in children, adolescents, and athletes.
2. Skin disease and foot abrasions. In particular, the disease often develops against the background of fungal infections. It's important to wear tight-fitting shoes because feet can sweat and hurt.
3. Metabolic disorders, obesity, diabetes, endocrine disorders, age-related hormonal disorders, pregnancy. Any hormonal imbalance can lead to disease flares.
4. Any chronic process and foci of infection that lead to poisoning of the body.
5. High emotional, mental and physical stress.
6. Malnutrition, intestinal flora imbalance.
7. immune disease.

Healing with folk remedies

Many times, the treatment of foot psoriasis is not limited to traditional medicine. Best teamed up with effective traditional medicine recipes.

In most cases, decoctions, ointments, baths, compresses are formulated to get rid of psoriasis.

decoction

To prepare a drug that can relieve acute symptoms of the disease, you will need celandine and oregano, taken in equal proportions, add chopped licorice root, which should be 2 times the amount of each ingredient before, and take 3 times morestring. All of these mixtures should be poured with boiling water and held for a quarter of an hour. Then strain the infusion and take half a cup twice a day. Maximum efficiency can be achieved if psoriasis is just beginning to appear.

ointment

Mix birch tar with olive oil and apply the resulting mixture to the plaque as often as possible for best results.

bath

For these purposes, an infusion of celandine is suitable, which not only helps to eliminate rashes, but also normalizes bodily functions.

Pour the celandine with boiling water, hold for at least an hour, strain and add to the warm water bath. The procedure for bathing with celandine should not exceed 10 minutes. This approach can become routine.

compression

Potatoes do well here. To prepare the compress, you'll need to grate raw potatoes on the smallest grater. Then, squeeze the juice from the resulting substance and apply it to the affected area, wrap it in a film or bag over the leg, and put on warm socks. Leave the potato compress on for several hours or it won't work.

Features of the rash

The clinical presentation of foot psoriasis depends on the course of the disease, or rather its stage.

Psoriasis has the following stages:

1. initial. The rash at the onset of the disease looks like acne, with a slightly bulging shape. In addition, silvery steel-colored scales began to form on each pimple;
2. progress. The rash appears more and more, and the papules begin to grow in diameter and fuse together to form a continuous area of damage. This whole process is accompanied by intense unbearable itching;
3. acute. The disease enters an acute stage of development with a new rash, while the old one stops growing and begins a peeling process;
4. stationary. The new elements of the rash no longer appear, and the affected skin area is completely sloughed off. In place of previous plaques, hyperpigmented areas are formed;
5. return. At this stage, the disease is characterized by clear skin from psoriatic symptoms, and the patient's general health improves to a large extent.

Treatment and Diagnosis

Diagnosis and treatment of leg psoriasis is done by a dermatologist with a very simple approach including a simple skin examination, blood tests (general and biochemical). There is no way modern medicine can completely cure psoriasis. In some cases, treatment is used to relieve the condition and relieve symptoms.

It depends on many factors such as:

• patient gender;
• age range;
• place of residence (climate zone);
• activities (work, etc. );
• Stages of psoriatic lesions.

Treat with local medicine

In addition to products that moisturize the skin, a dermatologist may prescribe topical preparations that are easy to use at home:

• A preparation containing coal tar, they help slow the growth of psoriatic plaques and keratinized scales.
• Salicylic acid solution allows you to effectively remove and exfoliate scales;
• Corticosteroids in gel form are applied to the skin and covered with a bandage. This remedy slows the formation of new psoriatic plaques.

systemic medication

Other groups of drugs are prescribed if topical drugs fail to cope with the manifestations of psoriasis.

For the treatment of psoriasis of the legs, a combination therapy consisting of retinoids and light therapy is often used. Usually, UV therapy or spot laser therapy is prescribed.

If none of the methods mentioned above help, then drugs that selectively affect the immune system may be used.

Leg psoriasis is a very unpleasant disease, but you need to know that it is not life-threatening, although it can significantly reduce its quality. Rare cases are characterized by inflammation that does not manifest in any way for several years. However, you should consult your doctor immediately at the first symptom rather than self-medication - this will help avoid disease progression and complications.

How does psoriasis appear on the feet?

This type of rash is concentrated on the soles and backs of the feet. They have the typical form of psoriatic plaques -- inflamed areas of skin covered with gray scales a few millimeters above the surface of healthy tissue. The development of the pathology is accompanied by the formation of calluses, the development of hyperkeratosis (thickening) of the skin in these areas. As the disease progresses, deep fissures appear and the epidermis turns an intense red. Many times, due to the external manifestations of the disease, it is confused with the development of diseases such as eczema, fungal lesions and signs of secondary syphilis. Photos will help to accurately identify foot psoriasis.

Foot Psoriasis: Causes

The cause of foot psoriasis is not fully understood. Absolute certainty exists only in the importance of genetic factors in pathogenesis. All other reasons are just possible irritants. These include:

• weaken the immune system of the body;
• Transferred viruses and bacteria, especially streptococcal infections;
• stress, depression;
• Excessive sweating of the legs;
• hormonal changes in the body;
• Violation of metabolic processes.

Manifestations of psoriasis on the feet: photos

In addition to visible inflammation, the skin is reddened, pathologically there are symptoms such as itching, burning, pain of varying intensity in the affected area. This can cause a lot of discomfort because the movement while walking is difficult.

Due to the rough epidermis on the feet, the plaques don't always peel, although signs of this may also be present. This depends on the hydrophilicity of the patient's tissue.

Foot Psoriasis: Treatment

Before treating foot psoriasis, a doctor needs to perform an external examination of the pathological area in order to visually distinguish the disease. There are no special additional tests in medicine today because the disease is non-contagious and has not been fully studied.

The treatment of psoriasis of the feet is carried out in a complex way, that is, a combination of drug methods and a course of physiotherapy procedures, can significantly relieve the patient's condition. The use of specific drugs - cytostatics - has occurred with marked progression of the disease. In the initial stages of the development of the disease, the drug is used topically in the form of a gel or ointment (sulfuric acid, salicylic acid), prescription corticosteroids. This is done to reduce the negative effects of the drug formulation on the patient's body. In addition, a course of vitamin therapy, immunomodulation and antihistamines is prescribed. Photos of psoriasis on the feet are all over the internet.

signs of disease

In most cases, the initial stages of leg psoriasis are taken by a doctor and manifest as an allergic reaction to certain external irritants. Especially if the patient seeks medical help during the summer months, when a large variety of allergens are present in the environment.

Signs of early leg psoriasis include:

1. The first small pink rash or red spots appear where the skin most often rubs against the inner surface of clothing. This could be the knee, groin or ankle area.
2. Tumors on the skin that are always in the first stage have the correct shape with clearly traceable borders. After 3-5 days, they increase in size and form an oval or round red-pink patch.
3. The spots are gradually covered by a white coating that forms keratinized skin cells. These are multiple scales that easily separate when touching the damaged skin surface.
4. At all stages of the initial stage of the disease, a person experiences severe itching of the skin on the legs. Severe pain is felt when you try to scratch the itchy part of your body.
5. Taking antihistamines only temporarily relieves the itching sensation, but does not stop the rash and spots from spreading further. This is a key factor indicating that the dermatological problem is not related to the manifestation of an allergic skin reaction to external stimuli.

Early stages of psoriasis on the legs

The first signs of lichen scaly on the legs are associated with increased sensitivity to pain and itching.

Depending on the presentation, you can see which stage of the disease we are talking about.

The initial stages of the disease appear as a red or bright pink rash.

Initially, the rash is small and covers only the smallest part of the skin.

Over time, the individual rash can develop into a large spot with a red tinge.

As a result of this association, psoriatic plaques are formed, which are slightly above the surface of the skin. The inflamed part is accompanied by severe itching, which brings great torment to the patient.

After that, the affected tissue begins to peel off.

symptoms of disease

Most of the time, the areas around the knees, thighs, feet, and ankles are affected by scaly lichen. These areas exhibit the following symptoms:

• severe persistent itching;
• swelling of the affected area;
• the appearance of psoriatic papules;
• psoriatic arthritis;
• Violation of the structure of the leg pegboard.

feature

A reddish area appears on the skin, slightly above the skin. These rashes become immediately apparent as their bright color, which is characterized by an inflammatory process, stands out against the background of the cleansed area.

Later, they form a large affected area. Psoriatic plaques that appear after this will start to peel, but if they are pulled off, they will bleed a little or just leave a red, smooth surface.

What is psoriasis on the legs

This skin disease is not considered contagious, but it can cause physical and psychological distress. Psoriasis, once seen, may not alert itself for a long time after treatment. Often the disease recurs suddenly for unknown reasons. With psoriasis, the formation of skin cells is violated, their development is accelerated. With the onset of an inflammatory process in the legs, superficial lesions are observed:

• stop;
• foot
• finger;
• buttocks;
• the area around the joint;
• nail.

A feature of psoriasis is that its origins are not fully understood, making treatment difficult. Inflammation of the skin of the legs is exacerbated by problems with the body's motor activity. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get rid of psoriasis completely at the root. Help patients:

• relieve pain symptoms;
• slows the growth of leg rashes;
• ease the condition;
• return to work;
• Back to living a full life.

A psoriasis flare-up may be characterized by the formation of a rash -- pink papules -- on the surface of the skin on the legs. As the disease progresses:

• swollen joints;
• the development of psoriatic arthritis;
• redness;
• dense scales;
• cracked skin;
• intolerable itching;
• bleeding;
• Combine individual elements into a common lesion.

The appearance of psoriasis varies depending on where the skin on the legs is affected. Has the following characteristics:

• On the buttocks - a large rash, peeling;
• Nails - thickens, exfoliates, changes the color and shape of the nail plate;
• Leg joints - inflamed, limited mobility;
• Psoriasis of the foot - the sole is covered with a thick layer of keratinocytes, cracking, severe redness is observed, increased sensitivity.

Although the disease is common, doctors cannot say exactly why it occurs. There are a few irritants that can cause this skin lesion on the legs and other parts of the body. Psoriasis can start due to:

• genetic predisposition;
• hormonal exhaustion in the body;
• skin damage;
• excessive hygiene;
• infectious diseases;
• stressful situation.

Medical science believes that the cause of psoriasis lies in the failure of the immune system and the dysfunction of epithelial cells. Unfavorable factors can trigger skin disorders on the legs, including:

• psychological and emotional stress;
• exposure to chemicals;
• Violation of metabolic processes;
• dry thin skin;
• alcoholism;
• climate change;
• Varicose veins in the legs;
• Pathology of lipid metabolism.

In order to help a sick baby in time, a proper diagnosis is required. In childhood, psoriasis can be confused with other skin diseases of the legs. Treating a sick child promptly will help prevent him from developing serious symptoms and complications. Infant psoriasis appears due to:

• allergy;
• Worm invasion;
• lack of vitamins;
• genetic factors;
• Failure of the immune system.

Symptoms of childhood illness are different:

• Psoriasis on the feet can appear as a persistent reddening of the surface that cannot be touched due to pain;
• As the nail is damaged, points similar to pinpricks are observed;
• In the skin folds of the legs, a peeling rash is noted, itching, and sleep is not allowed;
• Large areas of redness and cracks and bleeding appear on the buttocks.

The patient's condition and symptoms depend on the stage of development of the psoriasis. The lesions that appear on the surface of the legs can change over a long period of time. There are several stages in the development of psoriasis:

• Initial - the first appearance of a rash, redness, swelling - a condition that favors treatment;
• Progression - new plaques actively form, exist, increase in size, everything is accompanied by intense itching, peeling.

Changes in the course of the disease are observed in the following stages of psoriasis:

• Acute - the growth of the rash stops, scales appear;
• Still - no new pimples appear on the legs, old pimples form a layer that gradually peels off, leaving spots;
• Regression - the disease stops, the plaque disappears without a trace, all unpleasant symptoms disappear, and the patient is healthy.