How It’s Treated:

Systemic and biologic drugs are often used in the treatment of psoriasis to minimize lesions. Phototherapy, or exposing the skin to UV light in a doctor’s office or with a home unit, can also minimize the lesions associated with psoriasis.

Eczema

What It Is:

Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, affects more than four times as many Americans as psoriasis, and typically appears on the back of the knee or front of the elbow, in a much more limited area of skin. Unlike psoriasis, eczema can be triggered by irritants, including dust, food allergies, or pollen. Skin lesions from eczema can be infected with bacteria, unlike psoriasis lesions, which are typically not susceptible to bacterial infections.

How It’s Treated:

Eczema sufferers are encouraged to take regular, warm baths and moisturize immediately after to keep skin soft and lock in moisture. If you have eczema, you should wear soft fabrics, like cotton, and invest in a humidifier, especially when living in an arid climate or during colder times of year when dry heat can aggravate your condition. If your eczema is triggered by allergies, monitor your onsets and try to eliminate those foods, allergens, or irritants from your life.

Shingles

What It Is:

Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus - the same virus that causes chicken pox. For patients who had chicken pox as children, the virus, which lies inactive in the nerve tissue near the spinal cord and brain, can reactivate as shingles. Shingles typically appears as a stripe of blisters following a line called a dermatome that wraps around the left or right side of your torso, and may appear on the face and extremities. Dermatomes follow the paths of individual nerves and will typically span the chest and abdomen.