If you have patches of raised red skin covered by flaky white bumps or buildup, you might have psoriasis. This is a very common skin disease that is related to your immune system. It ranges from mild to severe and is not contagious. You will probably see psoriasis occurring mostly on knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet and on the back. Many people that have psoriasis also suffer from arthritis.

You may or may not experience itching and/or burning if you have psoriasis. Your skin may also look like it has been burned or it may have a very bumpy, almost acne-like texture to it. Researchers believe that psoriasis is caused by the growth cycle of skin cells speeding up, which causes immune systems to send faulty signals.

Genetics also might play a part in psoriasis but that is not the case for everyone. It doesn't have to be in your genes for you to have psoriasis, in fact, other factors might trigger the skin disease to appear. Stress is a very likely cause of psoriasis as well as injury to your skin and adverse reactions to drugs. The reason psoriasis appears is because your body can no longer shed skin cells as fast as it needs to before lesions appear on the skin.

Your doctor will determine whether you have psoriasis or not by looking at your skin under a microscope. A piece of the afflicted skin will be cut out and studied by a physician and they will be able to tell you if it is psoriasis or not.

Psoriasis can range in very mild or severe by how much of the body it covers. People with the worst forms of it can have it covering their entire body. If psoriasis covers hands or feet, it can impact the way a person is able to function as well.

Psoriasis is a serious skin condition that needs to be treated as soon as symptoms appear to prevent it from worsening. So, if you think you might have this skin disease, see your doctor immediately for treatment.