Psoriasis is a type of a non-contagious skin disease, which appears more often in adult men or women rather than children. It is also referred to as being genetic.

The most common form of psoriasis appears as swollen itchy red skin patches covered with silvery scales in any part of the body, more commonly in elbows, scalp, genitals, lower back, face palms etc.

The patches are the result of a skin cell growth disorder – the skin cells grow deep inside the skin and when they mature, they rise up to the surface and fall off. Usually this rising takes a month, but in case of psoriasis it may only take three to four days. The skin cells grow too fast and pile up on the skin causing abnormal layers or patches on the skin.

In case of psoriatic arthritis, which is a slightly less common form of psoriasis, the tissue surrounding the joints begin to stiff and may cause difficulty in moving.

Though non-contagious, it is a quite unpleasant disease. There are different ways to treat it. The ultraviolet light from the sun often reduces the symptoms, some types of baths and different creams and ointments are also known to better the condition of the skin. And of course the combination of the three has shown great results in psoriasis patients.