How does the skin change with psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a provoked disease. This means that the skin reacts to various kinds of irritations with an accelerated and enhanced formation of cells of its upper layer (epidermis). At the same time, the time of division of these cells is reduced from about 18-20 to 1-2 days. The time during which the newly formed cells of the epidermis must reach the surface of the skin and go through many stages of development is also reduced from the norm of 21-28 to about 3-4 days. The shortening of the period of cell development leads to a violation of the formation of structures that stabilize tissues, and, in this regard, to a typical violation of the keratinization of the upper layer of the skin. Against the background of many times accelerated cell division, massive thickening of the skin appears in the affected areas and there is an increased exfoliation of its upper layers.

Exfoliation leads to roughening of the skin and to the loss of its natural protective functions. An increased return of moisture and fat begins, accompanied by a pronounced feeling of dryness and fragility of the skin. The loss of the skin’s natural acid mantle allows bacteria and fungi to enter, which often cause itching. The thin network of blood vessels located in the dermis, which serve to nourish the tissue, must adapt to the thickening of the epidermis. In this regard, blood vessels penetrate further into the upper layers of the skin. This leads to reddening of diseased areas of the skin and an increase in the vulnerability of blood vessels. These changes occurring in the epidermis are accompanied by inflammatory processes in the deeper layers of the dermis. At the same time, cells and substances that contribute to the development of inflammation migrate to both layers of the skin. The reason why there is an increased reproduction of cells and the activation of substances that promote inflammation has not yet been established.

event_note July 8, 2022

account_box Dr. Peter B Milburn

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *