It is a skin disease which occurs when the immune system malfunctions. Psoriasis is red or pinkish patches of thick raised and or dry skin. The most common areas affected are scalp, elbows and knees.
Symptoms:-

1. Psoriasis is more likely to appear where there skin is injured. 
2. Areas of trauma, constant rubbing or scratching and abrasions or scratching can cause flare-ups. 
3. Psoriasis can look different depending on each individual person. 
4. There can be small bumps or large areas of patchy and raised skin. 
5. If the psoriasis shows up in moist areas like the belly button, between the buttocks or genitals, the patches will appear to be simply flat and red patches of skin. These areas can then make psoriasis appear to be some other infection and overlooked.
6. Psoriasis of scalp will appear to be a severe case of dandruff with white, flaky skin stuck in hair or falling on shoulders.

Types of Psoriasis:-

1. Plaque psoriasis:- This type of psoriasis is characterized by

• well defined, disc shaped, salmon pink to red
• Commonly occurs on elbows, knees and scalp.
• 80 to 90% of patients suffer from plaque psoriasis.

• Small rain drop areas of dry, red plaques usually on trunk and lips.
• This form usually occurs in adolescence and young adults and may follow a streptococcal throat infection.
• It usually occurs as a single episode which is temporary.

Three less common types of psoriasis are

1. Flexular :-  This type of psoriasis is characterized by smooth, glaze plaques which occur in folds such armpit, groin, skin under the breast or between the buttocks.
2. Pustular :- This type of psoriasis is characterized by redness, scaling and pustules normally affecting the palms and feet. In rare cases large areas of body can be affected.
3. Erythrodermic :- This severe type of psoriasis is very rare and may result in hospitalisation.

Other features of Psoriasis:-

• Nail psoriasis is seen in 25 to 50% of patients and is more in older patients. Nail changes include pitting, small indentation on the nail and separation of the nail from there.
• Psoriatic arthritis affects about 6 to 10% of the psoriasis sufferers. It can be confused with other forms of arthritis but it is very debilitating.
• Scalp psoriasis affects 50% of the psoriasis sufferers. The scalp may be the only site affected and therefore may be confused with dandruff. People with mild scalp psoriasis will have dry and flaky scalp while with those with severe scalp psoriasis will have large plaques with fixed scales.

Causes:-

• Genetic:- If you have genetic mutations you may get psoriasis or may not. Chromosome number 16, if there is genetic mutation on it you may get psoriasis, but it also requires trigger from the environment such as

1. You can get a strept throat.
2. Injury to the skin if you have surgery or you got cut to your skin that can also be a trigger.
3. Lots of alcohol use may also trigger psoriasis.

Homeopathic treatment:-

The homoeopathic approach for skin disorders is the constitutional approach where the patient answers a list of questions, which are based on the analysis and evaluation of the case is done and a proper constitutional medicine is selected. As homoeopathy believes we need to treat the man in disease and not the disease in man. As skin disorders are end results of the inner emotional stress. Homoeopathy also don’t believe in treating the skin disorders by local creams and ointments, rather it prefers the oral medicines which go deep into the system and cure from within.

Skin care for Psoriasis:-

1. To protect your skin avoid

• Skin care products that irritates your skin.
• Scratching, picking your skin and skin injuries such as cuts and scrapes.
• Cold, dry climate. Cold weather worsens the symptom.