Psoriasis on hands

This form of psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that mainly affects:

• Palm.
• The area between the fingers.
• hand.

Often, people suffering from this form of the disease develop a serious psychological complex.

This form of the disease does not pose a serious threat to human life, however, with the development of a severe form, the disease can be accompanied by the development of some very serious complications.

One of the most common complications is damage to the lower and upper joint areas. These complications lead to the development of psoriatic arthritis. This disease is quite dangerous, because it can lead to the development of temporary deformities and even disabilities.

Most people with hand psoriasis are diagnosed with lesions that appear specifically on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

This form of the disease causes the patient many different difficulties, because the main focus of the development of the disease cannot be hidden under clothing, and the formation of cracks is accompanied by the appearance of painful sensations.

The lesion itself is a small plaque, pink in color. Plaques protrude strongly above the surface of the skin and are eventually covered with gray scales.

In some cases, the formation of yellow pustules is observed.

The main symptoms of the development of this form of the disease:

• Dry skin.
• Skin thickening.
• The appearance of redness.
• The appearance of cracks.
• The appearance of callus-like formations.

Cause

Among the many factors that can trigger this disease are:

• Allergic reactions;
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• Diseases of the kidneys, liver and pancreas;
• Overweight;
• Metabolism and endocrine system dysfunction;
• Hereditary tendencies;
• Chronic depression, stress or nervous tension.

As we have mentioned, the exact cause of psoriasis has not yet been determined. Experts cannot determine exactly what causes psoriasis and in what cases it appears.

At the same time, diseases or moments that trigger skin damage in patients have been identified:

1. Ancestry.
2. Immune system disorders and metabolic problems.
3. Excessive psycho-emotion.
4. Bad habits and eating disorders.
5. General poisoning.
6. Viruses, bacteria, fungal infections.
7. With sudden changes in climate living conditions.
8. In case of chronic skin diseases.
9. If the patient takes drugs of different pharmacological groups for a long time.

Sometimes the manifestation of the disease can occur if a person uses detergents that strip the skin of its natural covering. It is important to remember that since psoriasis is not contagious, you do not need to be overly concerned about personal hygiene.

Various factors can cause eczema on the hands:

• hereditary predisposition;
• weak immunity;
• disorders in the function of the endocrine glands;
• changes in hormone levels;
• chronic disease;
• infection;
• nervous tension;
• frequent stress;
• continuous exposure to chemicals (detergents, paints, solvents) on the skin;
• uncontrolled use of drugs (for example, anti-inflammatory drugs);
• clothing made of synthetic fabrics;
• rings and bracelets made of certain alloys;
• cheap low-quality cosmetics;
• pollen;
• Poplar wool;
• animal hair;
• insect bite;
• mold;
• house dust;
• helminthic attack;
• some food products.

The mechanism of psoriasis has not been fully established, but it has been found that it is caused by a violation of skin cell division, where the diseased cells begin to multiply and grow 5-10 times faster. Soon, immune cells join the process and blood vessels expand.

After the cells die, keratinized areas remain on the smooth surface of the skin - convex psoriatic plaques. In addition to genetic predisposition - characteristics of immunity, skin structure, indirect causes have been identified that influence the onset of psoriasis development.

Recent medical research shows the relationship between the disease and other pathologies:

• metabolic disorders (diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, increased production of free radicals and nitrogen oxides involved in skin keratinization);
• atherosclerosis;
• heart disease;
• liver and kidney pathology;
• osteoporosis;
• obesity.

Risk factors include the following:

• smoking;
• alcohol abuse;
• change in weather conditions.

You cannot become infected through contact with a sick person; no external carrier of the disease. Inflammatory processes occur in the body, and genetic predisposition to characteristic diseases cannot be ruled out. Other causes of psoriasis on the hands are detailed below:

• impaired metabolism;
• hormonal imbalance;
• occupational hazards;
• tendency to allergic reactions;
• the presence of bad habits;
• poor nutrition;
• body immune disorders;
• violate personal hygiene rules.

Dermatosis is heterogeneous. There are exogenous and endogenous triggers of this disease.

Exogenous factors include environmental temperature fluctuations, bad habits, prolonged drug use, infections, injuries and atherogenic nutritional profiles. Endogenous factors include hereditary predisposition, weak immunity, stress and sensitization of the body.

Provocative factors trigger the development of the pathological process. Modern dermatologists tend to consider palm and sole psoriasis to be the result of a combination of several triggers.

The cause of the disease is not fully understood. Scientists have identified several theories:

1. Psoriasis is a genetic disease.
2. Psoriasis appears as a result of disorders of the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems.
3. Psoriasis is a disease that appears due to poor ecology and the accumulation of harmful substances in the body.

When these reasons combine, psoriasis appears. However, the main factor is still genetic: scientists have identified several genes responsible for the onset of the disease.

Factors that trigger the appearance of psoriasis:

• stressful situations;
• hazardous industries, especially those with high phenol concentrations;
• injuries, abrasions, burns: sometimes psoriasis appears in these places;
• alcohol, smoking;
• infections: mainly streptococci;
• wrong selection of certain drugs.

Why does palm psoriasis develop?

Psoriasis can appear in a person regardless of age and gender. However, there are some statistics that show the frequent development of the disease between the ages of 30 and 50 years.

Scientists have discovered that the main reason for the development of this disease is the dysfunction of the human immune system and genetic predisposition. However, this fact has not been fully proven and to this day the exact cause of psoriasis remains unclear. The main factors that trigger palmar psoriasis include the following reasons:

1. Decreased immunity.
2. Mechanical damage to the palm.
3. Frequent hand contact with water.
4. Hand skin contact with chemicals, for example, household chemicals, as well as various products in the workplace.
5. Often the cause is diseases such as scarlet fever, chronic tonsillitis, kidney disease and other diseases.
6. Oncology.

Doctors associate alcohol abuse, drug use and certain medications as other causes of this disease.

The main manifestation of palm psoriasis

Keep in mind that this type of disease occurs mainly in people who are involved in physical work related to stress on their hands. In medical practice, it is customary to distinguish three types of diseases. This includes:

1. fan-shaped plaque.
2. Circular.
3. calluses

Types of psoriasis on the hands

Localization of psoriasis on the hands	Problem description
On the palm	Redness of the surface of the skin of the palm, itching, roughness of the upper layer, the appearance of calluses. Outwardly, many people confuse palmar psoriasis with mycosis or eczema. To make a correct diagnosis, you need to consult a specialist.
On hands and fingers	Inflammation, finger swelling, peeling, cracked skin, pain and itching.

Depending on the localization of the process and the specific location of the appearance of the main lesion, several types of hand psoriasis are distinguished:

• Pustular - the most dangerous type, affecting any skin. First, small spots appear on the phalanges of the fingers and palms, involving the nail plate. Then the spots merge, fill with pus, the lesions spread to the hands and other areas, causing swelling and degenerative changes in the organs.
• Droplet shaped - pale pink rash, convex, shaped like a small droplet. It is localized on the shoulders and forearms, expanding to cover a wide area.
• Nails - This type of psoriasis leads to changes in the appearance of the nails and nail bed. "Thimbal symptoms" are observed when the color of the nail plate changes and small indentations and grooves form on it. At the same time, the nails thicken and begin to peel, until they disappear completely.
• Plaque (Vulgar) - ranks first in prevalence. This is a common psoriatic plaque with a tendency to merge and form "paraffin lakes. "It appears above the elbow joint, on the extensor surface of the arm, and affects the palm. Palmar psoriasis is characterized by roughness of the epidermis and the formation of cracked callus-like tubercles on the surface of the dermis.

Disease stage

In the early stages of hand psoriasis, even before the first rash appears, the following disorders can be identified:

1. swelling is observed in the joint area;
2. the skin takes on a reddish color in places;
3. the nail plate becomes inflamed.

The following stages of psoriasis on the hands are distinguished:

1. Exacerbation is the progressive stage of the disease. It is characterized by an increase in the number and size of spots, increased itching and peeling.

2. Stationary stage - it is characterized by attenuation of the disease, changes in the color of psoriatic plaques (they become less red, more white), as well as a decrease in spots.
3. The stage of remission is characterized by the complete disappearance of all signs of psoriasis.

Seeing hands affected by psoriasis is very unpleasant. But this disease is so common that people must know how psoriasis looks on their hands to detect the problem in time and start the treatment of the disease in time.

Hand psoriasis develops gradually. Doctors note that in medicine there are several stages of the disease, which cannot be seen to replace each other without timely therapy. The clinical outcome for the patient depends entirely on the timely response of the therapeutic measures. The development and signs of different levels of psoriasis on the upper leg are as follows:

1. Early stage. Small round papules have a clear border. At first they are alone, but 2-3 days after peeling the dermis they spread and cover a large area of the lesion.
2. Progressive stage. Painful nodules are distinguished by a bright red color, and in the center there is peeling of the epidermis with the formation of a crust. Pathology is preceded by skin microtrauma.
3. Stationary stage. A red rash that used to be bluish and dry. The inflammatory process reduces its intensity, itching stops, but hyperemia of the skin is present.
4. Regressive stage. The local manifestations of psoriasis decrease in intensity, and once the painful lesions disappear. There is a long period of remission, no peeling, but white spots with clearly visible borders.

Psoriasis of any form and localization, including hand skin psoriasis, goes through 3 stages:

1. Progressive stage (exacerbation) - spots grow, new ones appear, manifestations of psoriasis increase.
2. Stationary stage - the manifestations of the disease fade, the spots become pale and decrease in size.
3. Regressive stage (remission) - manifestations disappear completely.

The early stages of arm and hand psoriasis can manifest in different ways: either faint spots appear, almost invisible, or immediately bright, as in the acute stage (less often).

Features of therapy in pregnant women and children

Due to the mother's weak immunity and the child's immature immune system, the treatment of eczema on the fingers requires:

1. Adjusting the diet of nursing mothers and children, limiting milk intake, eating fruits and green vegetables and fermented milk products. At an older age, it is necessary to exclude flour products, smoked meat and foods high in salt from the children's menu.
2. Take complex vitamins to support the immune system of pregnant women.
3. One of the recommended measures is to limit contact with household chemicals and water.
4. Use of antihistamine ointment or dermatotropic agents.

For the treatment of children, the following drugs can be prescribed:

• Make a lotion based on boric acid
• Taking calcium-based drugs, taking into account the reduced content of this microelement, characteristic of this pathology in children.
• The use of ointments containing antibiotics is practiced to relieve the symptoms of severe infections.
• The use of antihistamines to reduce the intensity of itching.

A set of measures aimed at rehabilitating mother and child should include compliance with personal hygiene standards and maintaining the sanitary conditions of the premises.

Psoriasis on hands

Official medicine classifies hand psoriasis as a chronic disease with multifactorial etiology. This means that the exact cause of the disease has not been established and doctors consider it as a possible factor. Doctors classify it as a skin disease based on its main symptom - red scaly plaques that appear on the skin. But the cause of the disease is hidden deep in the human body.

In the course of a long study of the mechanism of the development of psoriasis, scientists have identified a link with autoimmune failure.

The first signs of psoriasis appear on the hands in the form of small red papules with a clear contour. 2-3 days pass and the papule becomes covered with scales. Then the long process of disease development begins, marked by periods of exacerbation and remission. Therefore, psoriasis that initially occurs between the fingers can spread to the entire surface of the palm. Single plaques grow and coalesce, forming a continuous scaly crust. The photo clearly shows what psoriasis looks like on your hands.

The first changes form on the back of the hand, gradually affecting the sides of the hand. Unnoticeable at the beginning of the negative process, they lead to obvious cosmetic defects, when it is already difficult for a person to hide the presence of the disease. What can happen?

Symptoms of psoriasis on the hands

The characteristic symptoms of psoriasis on the hands should be considered in the context of their manifestation in any part of the patient's body. When the lesion begins, a small area of the dermis is affected, but the process does not end there and over time, the plaque can cover the entire hand. Common symptoms look like this:

• the appearance of small papules;
• scale formation;
• dryness and peeling of the skin of the hands;
• the nail plate loses its natural color, its structure changes;
• signs of skin hyperemia;
• the skin in the affected area becomes red;
• pain appears in the joints;
• internal discomfort.

We have given the general signs of the disease, but experts divide them according to the stage of the disease.

What forms of disease exist?

The variety of manifestations of psoriasis faced by doctors forces them to describe various forms of the disease. Experts have combined existing species into two main groups: pustular and non-pustular.

The pustular group includes the following forms of the disease:

• general;
• similar to annular centrifugal erythema;
• palmoplantar.

The non-pustular group includes:

• classic form of psoriasis with early or late onset;
• psoriatic erythroderma.

The presented classification does not include types of diseases such as seborrheic-like, exudative, Napkin's disease, atypical and drug-induced psoriasis.

The reason for the formation of psoriasis on the hands

Among all places infected with the disease, hands account for 85% of all diagnoses. Years of observation of patients suffering from this unpleasant disease have led scientists to conclude that the cause of psoriasis on the hands depends on the patient's gender and age.

Psoriasis is very rare in black people. A scientific explanation for this fact has not yet been accepted.

What causes psoriasis on women's hands?

What doctors call genetic predisposition is the main reason. It is worth noting that even if the woman's parents do not have psoriasis, then perhaps one of her relatives has such a diagnosis. Other reasons include:

• climatic characteristics (very humid, cold or hot);
• hormonal imbalance;
• bad habits (alcohol, smoking, drugs);
• stress and nervous tension;
• taking antibiotics, some vaccines, overdose of vitamin preparations;
• injury, burn, wound.

These same reasons can cause disease severity. It is difficult to eliminate the listed factors from your life, but some of them can be eliminated.

What causes psoriasis on men's hands?

Trying to identify the main one, doctors had to admit that they could not set it with high accuracy. The basis for the occurrence of psoriasis in men's hands is damage to the immune system, which is expressed by:

• improper metabolism;
• lipid and carbohydrate metabolism imbalance;
• increased sugar levels;
• cholesterol.

The most likely to develop psoriasis awaits those men who already have someone in their family who has suffered from this disease. The reasons may be:

• chronic sleep deprivation;
• poor nutrition;
• cold climate.

Those who moved from southern countries to northern regions said that the cold climate created more severe and difficult-to-treat diseases.

Causes of psoriasis in children's hands

In recent years, cases of diagnosis have become more frequent. It often takes a generalized form, with plaques covering large areas of the body. The first thing that is determined as the cause of the disease is hereditary factors. According to statistics, among parents of psoriasis patients, the child will inherit the disease in 50% of cases. In addition to genetics, this disease can be caused by:

• infectious diseases of children (measles, ARVI, tonsillitis);
• stressful situations;
• severe fear, loss of loved ones;
• heat stroke;
• unbalanced diet;
• body hypothermia;
• tendency to allergies.

Disease diagnosis

It is enough for the doctor to know what psoriasis looks like on the hands to make an accurate diagnosis. No specific studies have been conducted to determine this disease. If the patient says that the plaque on his hands has appeared for a long time, then the doctor may prescribe additional tests. Their list includes:

• blood biochemistry;
• general blood test to determine the amount of ESR;
• tests for rheumatoid factor and the presence of certain proteins;
• biopsy performed to detect immature skin cells, Rete body accumulation, macrophages and T-leukocytes.

How to treat psoriasis on your hands?

Treatment of psoriasis on the hands depends entirely on the stage of the disease. Although the disease cannot be cured, when using an integrated approach to treatment, symptoms become almost invisible, and remission lasts quite a long time.

External meaning

In the early and middle stages of the disease, it is enough to use the medicine for external use. These can be creams and ointments from different groups:

• Not hormones. As a rule, they do not give side effects, and the effect is mild and gentle.
• Hormones.

These drugs are used when obvious symptoms appear (persistent rash, brittle nails) when other ointments do not help. Prescribed only by a doctor, they can have strong side effects. The frequency and duration of use of external agents depends on the severity of the symptoms: 1-2 times a day for 10-20 days. After each course a break is required.

Systemic drugs

Tablets and injections are prescribed when external drugs are ineffective in the final stages of psoriasis on the hands:

• Tablets: antihistamine, anti-inflammatory. Drugs from the cytostatic group, monoclonal antibodies, immunosuppressants, immunomodulators, sedatives, and vitamins are also used.
• Injections: antihistamines, hepatoprotectors, immunosuppressants, immunomodulators, hormones.

The form and type of medicine depends on the stage of the disease and the intensity of its manifestations. The use of systemic drugs is carried out only under the supervision of a doctor.

Physiotherapy and traditional methods

Psoriasis is a long-term disease with many sided symptoms. Therefore, treatment is always comprehensive. Alternative methods can be used:

• Physiotherapy: phototherapy, bioresonance and PUVA therapy, cryotherapy, ozone therapy, ichthyotherapy.
• Folk remedies: birch tar, linseed or sea buckthorn oil, aloe vera, bay leaf, baking soda, sea salt, etc.

Its purpose and use should also be agreed with a dermatologist.

Using Herbs

Many medicinal herbs have the following properties:

• anti-inflammatory;
• regenerate;
• antibacterial.

To treat palm psoriasis, celandine, St. wort. John's wort, horsetail, oregano, nettle and others are used. An infusion or decoction is prepared from the herb. They are also used to add to the bathroom.

Treatment with soda

One of the methods offered by alternative medicine to get rid of psoriasis on the palms is treatment with regular baking soda. Its use has the following effects on the affected skin:

• cleaning;
• soften;
• elimination of the inflammatory process;
• increased local blood circulation;
• eliminates peeling;
• relieves itching.

The recipe for preparing a solution for external use is quite simple: dilute a certain amount of product in purified water. You should get a mushy, viscous mixture. This product must be applied to the area affected by the disease. No need to rinse.

Prevention: what rules must be followed

It will be easier to cure psoriasis on the hands if, if possible, the factors that provoke it are eliminated or minimized. In this case, the treatment will be more effective, and the progression of the disease will stop.

Correct therapy, even at the earliest stages, can only be prescribed by a specialist, so an examination is mandatory. As well as using all available methods and means: from ointments and creams to injections, tablets and physiotherapy. The doctor will prescribe the order and dosage, but we must not forget about prevention even at the stage of regression. Hands should be treated with care: the use of protective creams and the exclusion of aggressive household chemicals.