Psoriasis & Eczema Symptoms

Psoriasis works to affect the life cycle of the cells of skin, speeding up this cycle in certain areas on the body. This results in the cells building up on the surface of the skin to form thick and itchy scales and dried out red regions that can be painful and irritating. These symptoms can be almost non-existent at some times only to get terribly worse at others. Psoriasis symptoms vary according to which type of the disease a person has but in general they involve red patches over which silvery scales develop. The area will become very sensitive and dry out and crack open, with bleeding possible.

The most common kind of psoriasis is called plaque psoriasis. It produces plaques or red skin lesions which are dry and covered by the silver scales that are the disease's classic symptom. The plaques will appear anywhere on the body, including such places as the inside of a person's mouth. They can be few in number or many and cover a small area or large one. Nail psoriasis is another type of the ailment that can develop in the fingernails and toenails, making them become loosened and eventually separate from the bed of the nail and even crumble. Psoriasis of the scalp comes about in the form of red and extremely itchy regions on the head where the hair is located.

Eczema is also known as atopic dermatitis and features itchy outbreaks of the skin. It is often seen hand-in-hand with asthma and its symptoms fluctuate in severity. Eczema can go into remission for as long as a period of years before reappearing. It most often will develop on the skin behind a person's knees, on the hands and feet, and on the arms but is possible anywhere on the body. The constant itchiness that eczema causes often only makes things worse and results in a continuous cycle of itching and scratching.

Typical eczema symptoms include the skin that is affected to turn red or a brownish color and then become very itchy. This itching feeling often is at its absolute worst at night and eczema can also cause tiny bumps that when scratched will leak fluid. They will eventually crust over and the skin can become thick in the region where they are located and crack. Eczema symptoms are made worse by such things as hot showers or baths, stress, sweating, temperature changes, and various types of clothing such as wool garments.

There is a form of eczema called infantile eczema in which babies will develop an oozing rash on the face and scalp. It will crust over in time but will make the infant want to scratch it to relief the irritation. This rash will dry out as the child grows into adolescence. Psoriasis comes in some rare forms such as Guttate psoriasis. This type is seen in those under the age of 30 for the most part and comes with tiny teardrop shaped sores that scale over. Pustular psoriasis has pus-filled blisters that do not linger long but can reappear from time to time. Psoriatric arthritis features the scales and red skin of psoriasis but also brings with it a kind of arthritis that makes joints painful and stiff.