Psoriasis can affect many different body areas, from the scalp, to the genitals to the soles of the feet. The location of the psoriatic rash in part defines what kind of psoriasis you are dealing with. Let’s take a look at the kinds of psoriasis and the common body areas that are affected.
Plaque-type psoriasis
This can be on any body area but is commonly found on the extensor surfaces of the arms and legs. What this means is that you’ll often see large plaques on the front of the knees or the pads of the elbows. Areas of the trunk can be involved as well.
Guttate Psoriasis
This involves the presence of small “droplets” of affected skin, primarily occurring on the trunk and on the legs. The term gutta is Latin for droplet and describes what these lesions look like. There are often many of them and they are relatively evenly spread out throughout the affected area. The bumps are scaly and red and are not dissimilar from plaques in plaque-type psoriasis but are different in that these are much smaller and they come in clusters. In rarer cases, they can involve the face and the arms.
Inverse Psoriasis
This type of psoriasis is called “inverse” because it occurs on the inverse of the surfaces seen on plaque-type psoriasis. One will see patches in the inframammary fold beneath the breasts, in the creases of the leg to the abdomen and in the folds around the genitals. You can see it in the gluteal fold (buttocks crack) and in the insides of the knee and elbow. The skin is smoother than in plaque-type psoriasis and appears moist and salmon-colored. When one has this type of psoriasis, there is a high chance of yeast infection because the areas are moist and ripe for the growth of yeast.
Erythrodermic Psoriasis
This type of psoriasis occurs over the entire body, almost as a scalding injury. There are scales noted in the body areas affected and the scales peel off, leaving the skin denuded and bare. Because most of the body is involved, secondary infection is likely and the skin weep off fluids so that the individual cannot maintain adequate fluids and maintain a normal temperature. It is understandable why such individuals are very sick.
Pustular Psoriasis
This has two forms, one of which involves the presence of pustules on the palms of one’s hands and the soles of one’s feet. These areas often itch intensely and this is an annoying area to have psoriasis. This type of psoriasis is called palmoplantar pustulosis. A more serious case of pustular psoriasis is called generalized pustular psoriasis. In such cases, the entire skin is involved with pustules and an individual can lose a lot of fluid through the broken pustules. Such patients often require hospitalization in order to stabilize their temperature and their bodily fluids before finally treating the psoriasis.
Seborrheic Psoriasis
This is also called scalp psoriasis and involves those areas of the scalp that have a great many oil glands. The scalp is almost always the only place affected, however the forehead and around the ears may be affected as well. The scalp looks a great deal like dandruff with scaly patches of skin all over the head. There can be very itchy and crusty areas of scalp involved. Fortunately, scalp psoriasis can also involve small patches on the scalp, which are easier to get rid of and which don’t involve the entire scalp.
Nail Psoriasis
This can involve the presence of pitting of the nails, lifting up of the nails, thickened nails and yellowing or other discoloration of the nails and can involve any nails on the hands or feet. Some people can have involvement of only their nails while others will have plaque-type psoriasis along with nail psoriasis.