What is Sebhorrheic Psoriasis?       

Sebhorrheic Psoriasis is something of a misnomer - meaning the term doesn't quite fit either of the chronic skin condition it refers to.

Psoriasis is a chronic, non contagious skin condition which causes thick, dry patches of skin to develop on your body. These psoriasis patches tend to be covered with white or sliver skin flakes, and psoriasis is caused by your body over producing skin cells.

Seborrheic dermatitis however, is a different kind of skin condition which has similar symptoms. Seborrheic dermatitis tends to develop most often on the scalp, face, eyebrows, ears, nose, navel and armpits. The signs of this condition involve red or pink colored skin with either dry or greasy skin flakes on it.

Both psoriasis and sebhorrheic dermatitis can be inflamed and itchy.

Psoriasis tends to affect adults primarily, but it can occur at any age. Psoriasis is caused by the body's immune system over reacting to some form of stimulus or trigger. Children develop psoriasis for instance, after a severe illness such as strep throat. Some people develop the condition when they experience extraordinary stress in their lives.

Normally the human body produces new skin cells and sheds old ones about every thirty days. New cells are developed below the surface of the skin, and these gradually rise over a thirty day period. They reach the top about the same time that the existing surface skin cells have fully died and are ready to be shed.

With psoriasis however, the body starts generating skin cells much faster, and pushing them to the surface in just a few days time. This creates an overabundance of skin cells on the surface, because the existing cells are not yet ready to be shed. This overabundance usually appears on the elbows, knees or scalp, and it tends to have a red, dry look to the area with thickened skin which has thick white or silver flakes and scales covering it.

There are several different types of psoriasis though, so it can look a little different on people who have a less common variety. Some psoriasis for instance, develops in the folds of the skin and looks a bit like a rash. This psoriasis often has red patches of skin and raised bumps similar to pimples. There's another form of psoriasis which also involves having red, inflamed skin, but this version includes white blister like bumps all over the reddened area. A much more rare form of psoriasis can develop all over the body, and have an appearance that looks like the person has been burned.

Seborrheic dermatitis seems to occur more in teenagers, or children going through puberty. It's often seen more in men than women too. It's not quite know what causes it, however it is thought to be primarily a factor of hormone imbalances in the body. Some research suggests Seborrheic dermatitis is linked to yeast though, and if that's the case this condition would be a simple fungal infection.

There is also however, some evidence that seborrheic dermatitis is also linked to the body's own immune system, and this combined with the similarities in symptoms might explain why it's often referred to as seborrheic psoriasis.