A family member was diagnosed with psorasis a year ago, (by looking, no sample was tested). The small (slightly) pink areas would just show up all over his body, so the Dr suggested trying Tazorac, which didn't do anything. He stopped using it and eventually it all went away. He hasn't had any symptons since, but that diagnoses is enough to keep him out of the military. Any info would be helpful.
Q: what allergy reaction may mimic psoriasis?
Answers (1)
8/ 6/08 12:03pm
That's an odd one, but the only thing I can think of is eczema.
Eczema looks a little different from psoriais. Psoriasis generally has red, inflamed patches of skin covered by silvery or whitish scales (which are rough, dead skin cells). Eczema appears as a red, itchy rash, sometimes with a thickening or discoloration of the skin.
Eczema is associated with allergies and asthma. It's also chronic -- usually appearing in infancy or earlier childhood and then disappearing and returning throughout life. Eczema may be set off by extreme temperatures, stress, sweating, medication, clothing (especially wool or silk), grease, oils, soap and detergents, and environmental allergens. Dryness is perhaps the most important trigger. Drying soaps should be avoided, and the skin should be moisturized frequently.
It usually doesn't require a biopsy to diagnose it.
That's the only allergy-related skin reaction I can think of that might seem like psoriasis. But you'd need a doctor or someone like that to be sure.
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