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Psoriasis: the symptoms, the kinds, getting a diagnosis, treatment, and living with it
For anyone with thick, red, scaly patches that itch or burn, anyone just told they have psoriasis, and the people beside them. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, part of the NIH) says psoriasis is a chronic disease in which the immune system becomes overactive, causing skin cells to multiply too quickly; that anyone can get it; and that while there is no cure, there are treatments that keep symptoms under control. This page passes on, by name, what NIAMS says: the symptoms and the five kinds, who gets it and what may raise the chances, psoriatic arthritis and the other conditions that can come with it, how it is diagnosed and who treats it, the kinds of medicine and light, and what you can do day to day. It puts first our own rule for when it cannot wait, builds the words to say to a provider, and prints a card for the visit.
A word with a dotted line under it, like this, opens its official definition, quoted from a U.S. government glossary.
Right now
- Chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, or sudden weakness, numbness, confusion or trouble speaking: call 911 (ours). Do not drive yourself. NIAMS says psoriasis carries a risk of heart attacks and strokes. See our pages on a heart attack and a stroke.
- Red, scaly or peeling skin over most of your body, pus-filled bumps over much of your body, or a fever while you take a medicine that calms the immune system: get care the same day; if you cannot reach your doctor, go to an emergency room (ours). NIAMS says erythrodermic psoriasis, red, scaly skin over most of the body, is rare but severe and can be very serious.
- Thinking about suicide: call or text 988, any time.
More help
- Related: A rash, an itch, or something going around at home: find the right page · Arthritis · Depression · Anxiety · Quitting smoking.
- Day to day: Symptom diary · Sleep diary · My medicines list.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · When medicine costs too much · Get ready for your appointment.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
A rash or an itch, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for a rash, an itch or something going around at home, on one list.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 15, 2026 on NIAMS’s Psoriasis page, both parts: Overview, Symptoms, & Causes and Diagnosis, Treatment, & Steps to Take (NIH, last reviewed October 2023). Ours: calling 911 for chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, or sudden weakness, numbness, confusion or trouble speaking; getting care the same day (an emergency room if you cannot reach your doctor) for red, scaly or peeling skin over most of the body, pus-filled bumps over much of it, or a fever on a medicine that calms the immune system; calling your doctor soon for a flare that is not getting better, skin that is cracked and bleeding, or patches that are spreading; calling or texting 988 for thoughts of suicide; that psoriasis does not spread from person to person; not stopping or changing a medicine on your own; asking a pharmacist before adding anything; asking what a test or medicine would change and what it costs; and the order of the steps. What we left out: any brand or dose, any medicine NIAMS does not name, any supplement or remedy, and NIAMS’s research pages. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.