Psoriasis Symptoms are no always that easy to identify and diagnose. For centuries it has commonly been inadvertently mistaken for leprosy, and for centuries people have been suffering the fall out of this wrong diagnosis. For a full and correct diagnosis you should visit your doctor so he can do the correct analysis and suggest the correct treatments to the patient.

There are five types of Psoriasis to look out for :-

. Plaque Psoriasis

. Guttate Psoriasis

. Inverse Psoriasis

. Erythrodermic Psoriasis

. Pustular Psoriasis

Plaque Psoriasis is the most common type known. A ?Plaque? is the common term for describing the raised area of skin no larger than 1cm. Although smaller areas known as ?Papules? may join together to from the larger Plaque. The affected areas are normally raised red and scaling. Lesions are oval in shape and can be seen as white and powdery sometimes thick looking like oyster shells. These scales can peel off and flake. Affecting mainly the elbows, knees, scalp and base of the back. Plaque psoriasis can also affect the genital area and more common in men than women. It can be embarrassing in sexual relations, but must be known that it is not contagious. Topical treatments can relieve the condition in these delicate areas, but your doctor must be told in order to prescribe the right treatments. Soles of the feet and palms of the hand can be affected but they are less common than the areas mentioned before.

Guttate Psoriasis meaning ?droplet? as this is the appearance of the shape of the lesions. Usually described by patients as 2-3 mm in size and raised scaling bumps. Normally starts in childhood or teenage years and mainly after throat infections. The symptoms are seen as small raised bumps known as ?papules? which cover large areas of the body 2 - 4 weeks after the illness. These bumps can increase in size to form lesions all over the body including the face. In children once they have had a spell of Guttate Psoriasis it normally clears up and does not come back. However chronic psoriasis can follow and possibly plaque psoriasis in adults. The treatment that works very well with Guttate Psoriasis is photo therapy.