I’m confused about the different types… I’ve been trying to figure out what i don’t understand and I’m still not sure…
I have plaque psoriasis and inversed psoriasis but lately I’m wondering if the little pimples i get in weird places are actually very minor pustular psoriasis… i get then on my scalp but also places like the top of my hand/wrist/elbow fold… They don’t look like the once on my face/other normal acne places they’re much more shallow and white…
I get tiny blisters with clear liquid as well on my fingers… they don’t itch and when i don’t notice them before they pop they form a dry white circle…
It’s really minor… not even an annoyance really… I’m just curious… Since when you Google psoriasis mine isn’t even 1% as bad as what you see… same with nail psoriasis! Yes mine come loose but they look neat the white just starts a little too early and there’s a red line between the nail bed and the white.
Are all the forms of psoriasis part of the same thing or are they totally separate? Do i have plaque psoriasis and inversed psoriasis or do i have psoriasis which shows as plaque and inversed?
Do i have PsA in my tendons (or whatever place is affected) or do i have PsA which causes enthisitis
To me it feels like the right way to put it is i have psoriasis which causes plaques etc and tendonitis (and all the other stuff…) But then again psoriasis is what they call the skin lesions… So should it be psoriatic disorder or something?
I know it shouldn’t be a big deal but i cant get it out of my head…
Hi Cynthia. I’ll have a go at some of these. I think plaque psoriasis and inverse psoriasis are basically the same thing. If I remember rightly, inverse psoriasis looks different because it affects areas which tend to be a bit moist, so the plaques don’t form. I think pustular psoriasis is considered a bit different in some way. Not sure why or how!
As for tendons, well we can get tendinitis i.e. inflamed tendons (or is it the tendon sheath that’s affected, hmmm!). But the ‘classic’ PsA symptom of enthesitis is inflammation of the entheses, the points at which tendons or ligaments insert into bone. Apparently these areas are very small but pain wise they punch above their weight, unfortunately.
I’ve heard the phrase ‘psoriatic disease’ and I reckon that covers the whole miserable shebang pretty well!
Last time I had a psoriasis flare I saw upwards of 4 derms, I stopped counting. They considered about 6 or 7 possible diagnoses for the different areas including skin cancer, eczema, discoid lupus and things I’d never heard of before and don’t want to hear of again. Eventually it all came down to psoriasis although my rheumy still wonders if I also have a fungal infection on my feet. I found psoriasis a lot more confusing than PsA and it seemed the doctors didn’t have an easy time either.
Enthesitis is the thing that puzzles me most at the moment. I assume it does not cause much damage … think I remember someone, probably tntlamb(?) saying it can if it is sufficiently bad and or lasts long enough. But if so, what type of damage? Also not sure if it causes stiffness or ‘just’ pain. I’m a tad stiff all over - hard to tell as I’ve got so used to having PsA - but nothing like as stiff as when my knees were very swollen.
Keep up the good work Cynthia, asking the questions we all ponder from time to time!
Hi Cynthia. I’m in the same situation with wondering what kind of psoriasis I actually have, or is “this rash” truly psoriasis. A dermatologist has been no help, though she’s great with other skin issues. I just can’t get in when I’m having psoriasis flares, thus I’m left with my curiosity.
Mostly, my problem has been joint pain/damage, and what I now know is enthetitis—all of which worsened significantly the last 4-5 yrs. The rashes crept up one at a time the last 10 yrs and never lasted more than a week or two, so I never thought to even a see/ask if it was psoriasis—especially because it wasn’t like the typical appearance of psoriasis on the knees/elbows. I’ve since learned there’s numerous types and appearances, though some of my rashes still don’t seem to fit.
Thankfully, I was officially diagnosed with PsA in November of last year, though I’ve had the mystery joint problems for 15+ years and irreversible damage, especially in my knees. I’m grateful I had had enough strange rashes to put PsA on my Rheumatologist’s radar for the last 3 years though, speeding things along. Then, last fall some scales showed more prominently in my hair line, scales appeared on my earlobes, PLUS my right wrist swelled up. All of that in combo with an ultrasound of the wrist FINALLY got me a diagnosis so I could begin medication.
I’ve continued to have new/strange bumps show up on my scalp though, and I wonder if it’s a type of psoriasis or not. The only textbook psoriasis lesions I get are the occasional patches of inverse psoriasis in my bikini line, plus patches of plaques on my inner arms…and I still question if the scalp rashes aren’t true psoriasis. At this point, I’m not sure it matters.
Anyway, I just wanted to chime in and say I’m as confused/curious as you are, and I’m glad we have this community. At least we all have each other.
Lisa, are the bumps on your head very solid build ups of dead skin cells? I have had psoriasis like that, like concrete! I think they need to go if so, they need to be moisturised into oblivion with appropriate products.
Sybil–thanks for the idea, but there’s no build up. These bumps are red and look/feel like a bite. There’s no swelling or itching though, which is what has me curious. They just showed up 3-4 weeks ago, and I can’t tie them to anything other than the fact I had my hair colored 6 weeks ago for the first time. I’ve had contact dermatitis from other things, plus MANY strange bumps over the years (ha), so I figured I’d wait it out and see if they resolved on their own. What IS interesting is their location: most of my psoriasis patches occur over my ears and along my hairline, and many of these bumps are over my ears too.
I’m open to any and all ideas though. Nothing has helped them go away yet, so I figure I’m stuck waiting.
or something?
These bumps are red and look/feel like a bite. There’s no swelling or itching though, which is what has me curious. They just showed up 3-4 weeks ago, and I can’t tie them to anything other than the fact I had my hair colored 6 weeks ago for the first time. I’ve had contact dermatitis from other things, plus MANY strange bumps over the years (ha), so I figured I’d wait it out and see if they resolved on their own. What IS interesting is their location: most of my psoriasis patches occur over my ears and along my hairline, and many of these bumps are over my ears too.