▲ Could the itchy red rash of “psoriasis” be contagious? Dermatologists dismantle 4 major myths.
Psoriasis, commonly known as “psoriasis”, causes red rashes and thick skin on the skin due to an imbalance in the immune system. In severe cases, it can be quite distressing. However, the public still has many misunderstandings about the disease psoriasis. To this end, TOPick invited dermatologist Dr. Lin Xuqiang to dismantle the fallacies.
Common misconceptions about psoriasis
Dr. Lin Xuqiang said that the correct scientific name of psoriasis is “psoriasis”, which is a non-contagious skin disease.
In fact, the name psoriasis is not very correct, because many people misunderstand it and think it is ringworm. In fact, psoriasis is not contagious, so it would be better to use the correct scientific name “psoriasis”.
1. Psoriasis is “ringworm”?
Dr. Lin pointed out that ringworm is usually a fungal infection, while psoriasis is a non-infectious immune system disease. The two are also very different in form. If it is “ringworm” that is a fungal infection, it usually shows some ring-like shapes in appearance and is relatively asymmetrical; the erythema of psoriatic skin is usually relatively symmetrical, such as The positions of the elbows and knees on both sides are relatively symmetrical, and thicker skin or silvery-white debris can be seen on the skin surface.
When first diagnosed, patients often confuse psoriasis with eczema. Although both are immune system diseases, they are two different skin diseases and are treated very differently. Generally, the border of the rash on the skin of patients with eczema is relatively unclear, while in patients with psoriasis, the border of the rash is very clear. The outer border of the skin rash seems to be framed, and a lot of silvery-white debris can be seen in the middle. on the skin.
2. Psoriasis cannot be cured?
Some people believe that psoriasis is untreatable, but this is not the case. There are many effective drugs for psoriasis, including topical and systemic treatments, which can effectively control psoriasis.
3. Psoriasis only affects the skin?
In addition to affecting the skin, psoriasis can also affect the nails, which can become sunken, thickened, and yellow. In addition, it can also affect joints and may lead to psoriatic arthritis. In addition, psoriasis may also affect other diseases, such as increasing the risk of metabolic syndrome, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and other vascular diseases, and also increasing the chance of depression.
4. Should you stop eating when you have psoriasis?
According to the traditional concept, some patients believe that psoriasis is caused by certain foods. They may think that eating too many “very poisonous” things, such as eating too much beef or seafood, may lead to psoriasis. However, medically speaking, there is no specific correlation between food and psoriasis, so patients do not need to excessively abstain from food.
Daily precautions for psoriasis
Dr. Lin reminded that there are many things to pay attention to in daily life when dealing with psoriasis. Some people think that patients with psoriasis are not suitable for exercise, because doing exercise will cause sweating, and sweat will irritate the skin. Dr. Lin pointed out that on the contrary, it is highly recommended that patients do more exercise, such as some aerobic exercise, including swimming and running. Or hiking, etc.; and ultraviolet light is a treatment method for psoriasis, so appropriate outdoor activities or sports, receiving more ultraviolet rays, will be helpful to the skin of psoriasis patients. At the same time, doing exercise can also control weight and make people healthier physically and mentally.
Because psoriasis patients who are overweight or obese will also increase the severity of psoriasis, so maintaining a good weight is very important.
In terms of daily personal hygiene and cleaning, Dr. Lin suggests that it is not advisable to take a bath with too hot water, because it will irritate the skin and even burn the skin; if too much hot water is used, the oil on the surface of the skin will also be washed away, causing The skin is drier and more uncomfortable, so just use warm water in the shower. Although there is no hard and fast rule on the number of baths a day for psoriasis patients, which is based on personal preference, Dr. Lin does not recommend frequent bathing. Generally speaking, bathing once a day is enough.
In addition, some patients may use disinfectants or some folk remedies to treat the affected area. Dr. Lin pointed out that disinfectants may be irritating to the skin. If the body is constantly rubbed, the affected area of the skin may be damaged, which is counterproductive. At present, most folk remedies have no clinical evidence. Using too many folk remedies may damage the skin and cause skin irritation or allergies.
HKET App has been fully upgraded, and TOPick has launched a series of parent-child, health, entertainment, Hong Kong news and leisure life information and videos for everyone. download immediately︰https://onelink.to/f92q4m
[ET Club Member Points Reward Program]Use the App to exchange rewards:https://onelink.to/keyuqm
Reporter: He Peiyi
2024-02-19 01:00:00
#Psoriasis #Psoriasis #itchy #red #rash #contagiousDermatologists #dismantle #major #myths #Hong #Kong #Economic #Times #TOPick #Health #Urban #Diseases
