What Is Psoriasis
There are several types of psoriasis (National Psoriasis Foundation, 2025a):
Plaque psoriasis is the most common type that affects around 80% of people with the condition. It causes raised patches of painful, itchy skin with silvery scales. These can occur anywhere on the body, often on the knees, elbows, scalp, and back.
Guttate psoriasis causes small, round, red, scaly, and inflamed spots anywhere on the body. It is more common in children than in adults.
Inverse psoriasis causes inflamed, itchy, painful, red or darker areas of skin that feel smooth, not scaly. They commonly appear in skin folds under the breasts, in the armpits, or in the buttocks. Sweating and chafing can make them worse.
Pustular psoriasis can be identified by white, pus-filled bumps surrounded by sore, red, itchy skin.
Erythrodermic psoriasis is the rarest form. It causes large areas of skin to be red, itchy, and to peel off. An erythrodermic flare can affect your body temperature and heart rate. If this happens, seek medical attention.
Nail psoriasis affects the growth and color of fingernails and/or toenails. In severe cases, nails can crumble off.
It’s possible to have two or more types of psoriasis at the same time, and to need different treatment methods for each type.
What Causes Psoriasis
Psoriasis develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy skin cells, making them replicate too quickly. It normally takes 3-4 weeks for skin cells to grow, but with psoriasis, this process happens in 3-7 days. This rapid cell turnover causes lumpy plaques and inflammation. It’s not known exactly why the immune system does this, but it is linked to genes and lifestyle factors.
A large part of your immune system lives in your gut, which means digestive health has an impact on immune activity. This includes the gut microbiome – the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in your digestive system. The more balanced and varied this microbial community is, the better. Food choices matter too: nutrients like vitamin D3, vitamin C, and zinc support immune regulation and skin health.
Like other autoimmune conditions, psoriasis often runs in families. Possible lifestyle triggers for the condition include illness, surgery, certain medications, and stress.
Who Is At Risk
Psoriasis can affect anyone, young or old, but it is more common in adults than in children. It affects men and women equally and often runs in families. You may have a greater risk of developing psoriasis if you already have another autoimmune disease.
What Are The Symptoms
The symptoms vary depending on which type of psoriasis you have. Key signs to look out for include:
Plaques of itchy, inflamed skin.
Skin discoloration: if your skin is Black or brown, it may look purple with gray scaly patches. If your skin is white, it may look red with silvery scaly patches.
Small red spots – common in children with guttate psoriasis.
Skin that cracks and bleeds.
Nail discoloration and damaged growth.
Skin itching and inflammation that affects your sleep.
The symptoms can flare up or improve with no predictable pattern. A bad flare-up can trigger feelings of anxiety and low self-esteem, especially if the affected skin is visible.
Around 30% of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis (National Psoriasis Foundation, 2025b). This can cause tiredness, pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints — especially in the hands, feet, and lower back.
How Is Psoriasis Diagnosed
A doctor can usually diagnose psoriasis by examining your skin and scalp. They may ask whether any relatives have psoriasis or other immune-related conditions. They may also take a small skin biopsy to rule out other skin conditions.
How Is Psoriasis Treated With Regenerative Therapies
Conventional treatment for psoriasis usually begins with topical creams such as:
Emollients to soften rough, scaly skin.
Steroid creams to reduce inflammation and slow the turnover of skin cells.
Vitamin D analogues: to soothe itching, redness, and inflammation.
If creams aren’t enough, your doctor may suggest light therapy or stronger immunosuppressant drugs.
These therapies can be helpful for reducing inflammation and itching, especially during a psoriasis flare. But they’re only able to deal with the symptoms, not any underlying causes.
As well as standard treatments, it can help to look at things that may be making your psoriasis worse such as gut health, immune function, and low nutrient levels.
Nutritional therapy
In my nutrition clinic, I’ve seen how effective digestive support can be for psoriasis. The first step is to investigate food sensitivities that can worsen inflammation in the gut and the skin. Common sensitivities include wheat, gluten, egg, cow’s milk, and soy.
Key nutrients to support the gut lining include vitamin A, zinc, collagen, vitamin C, and vitamin D. Healthy fats — especially omega-3s — are also important. Getting these through food is ideal, but good quality supplements can help if your levels are very low.
A meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials found significant improvements in redness, itching, and scaliness in people with psoriasis using omega-3 supplements (Clark, 2019). These results are encouraging, although the authors note that larger trials are needed to better confirm these findings.
Probiotics
Some of the bacteria in the gut microbiome have a strong effect on immune function and skin health. Some research suggests that taking probiotics (good gut bacteria) and prebiotics (to feed those good bacteria) may help balance your gut microbiome and support skin health.
Buhas et al. (2023) conducted a 12-week, open-label trial with 63 people with psoriasis. They compared the use of skin cream for psoriasis versus skin cream plus probiotic and prebiotic supplements. The study found that people using both the skin cream and supplements saw greater improvements than those using the cream alone. These included lower inflammation, healthier skin, and a better quality of life.
People taking the supplements also showed a healthier balance of gut bacteria, with more of the bacteria that help reduce inflammation. But this was a small study, so more research is needed to find out which combinations of probiotics and prebiotics work best.
Turmeric and curcumin
Turmeric has been used for hundreds of years in herbal medicine to help manage inflammation. The most active compound in turmeric root is curcumin.
A meta-analysis of 26 studies that included 7 human trials and 19 preclinical animal and cell model studies found that curcumin supplementation is a safe and effective therapy for psoriasis (Zhang et al., 2022). It recommends that large-scale, high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings.
UV-Phototherapy
Ultraviolet phototherapy is a well-established treatment for psoriasis. It can be used alone or alongside topical vitamin D creams. A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials showed that PUVA (psoralen UVA) combined with topical vitamin D cream is the safest and most effective UV-based phototherapy for psoriasis (Li et al., 2022).
Red Light therapy
Red light therapy differs from UV-phototherapy in that it uses red or near-infrared light through low-power LED light sources. It doesn’t use UVA or UVB rays. Although trials of red light therapy are currently small and limited, they show promising results for psoriasis because of the way the light penetrates deeper into the skin to encourage cell regeneration and healing (Zhang, 2017).
Meditation, acupuncture, and traditional Chinese herbal medicine
A review of studies found that meditation, acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine are among the most helpful complementary therapies for managing psoriasis (Gamret et al., 2018).
In Chinese herbal medicine, indigo naturalis (Qing dai) is often used for managing psoriasis. The active ingredients help reduce skin inflammation by regulating the genetic expression of inflammatory molecules. Indigo naturalis can be used alongside conventional drugs for psoriasis. A systematic review of human, animal, and cell studies found that it has a good therapeutic effect and few side effects (Wang et al., 2024).
What Are Possible Complications
Psoriasis is a body-wide, autoimmune condition - not just a skin problem. Having one autoimmune condition increases the risk of developing another. Having psoriasis can make you more susceptible to autoimmune conditions like psoriatic arthritis, thyroiditis, and alopecia areata. It can also raise your risk of other inflammatory conditions like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, Crohn's disease, depression, and anxiety.
Managing your psoriasis, eating well, and staying active helps lower your risk of developing these conditions. It’s important to have regular screening checks too because you may not notice some of the early signs or symptoms.
Can Psoriasis Be Prevented
Because the exact cause of psoriasis remains unknown, it’s not possible to prevent the condition. To minimize the risk of flare-ups:
Try to identify any common triggers like stress or cold weather.
Follow a whole-foods eating plan and reduce ultra-processed foods.
Use fragrance-free bodycare products with minimal ingredients.
Optimize your levels of vitamin D.
Keep your skin moisturized.
If you feel that psoriasis is affecting your mental health, seek help from your healthcare provider or a psoriasis support group.
Takeaway
Psoriasis is a long-term inflammatory condition that affects the skin. The exact cause remains unknown, but it develops when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy skin cells. This causes plaques of painful, itchy, and sometimes scaly skin. Psoriasis can run in families and may be linked to changes in the gut microbiome and nutrient imbalances.
Conventional treatment options are topical steroid creams, immunosuppressant drugs, and light therapy. Regenerative therapies like nutritional therapy, herbs, meditation, and acupuncture can be a safe and effective addition to your standard treatment routine.
