SKIN
AS A COMMUNITY PHARMACIST, YOU’LL VERY LIKELY HAVE PATIENTS COMING IN REGULARLY WITH PATCHES OF RED, ITCHY OR SCALY SKIN. SOMETIMES IT WILL BE OBVIOUS THAT THE PATIENT IS SUFFERING FROM ECZEMA OR PSORIASIS, BUT THERE MAY BE OCCASIONS WHEN IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO DIFFERENTIATE SIMPLY ON SIGHT. WHILE BOTH ARE SKIN CONDITIONS THAT HAVE SIMILAR SYMPTOMS, HOWEVER, THERE ARE WAYS TO TELL THEM APART.
ECZEMA OR PSORIASIS?
What it is.... ECZEMA
In the UK, it’s estimated that one in twelve adults and one in five children has eczema. Many children grow out of eczema during early childhood but, unfortunately, many will see it recur in later life. Eczema tends to ‘flare up’, causing distress to the sufferer. While it calms down in between flare-ups, it will remain dry and itchy.
There are various types of eczema:
Atopic eczema: also known as atopic dermatitis, atopic eczema is the most common form of the condition and can appear on any part of the body. While it mainly affects children, it can also affect adults.
20 -PHARMACY IN FOCUS
Contact dermatitis: this is the name for inflammation of the skin that occurs when a person comes into contact with a particular substance, usually an irritant that directly damages the outer layer of skin, or an allergen that causes the immune system to respond in such a way that it affects the skin. Contact dermatitis caused by the latter is the more common of the two and is responsible for around eight in every ten cases of the condition.
Discoid eczema: also known as discoid dermatitis, this is a long-term skin condition that causes skin to become itchy, reddened and sometimes cracked in circular or oval patches.
Varicose eczema: as the name would suggest, this long-term skin condition affects the lower legs and is frequently found in people with varicose veins.
PSORIASIS
According to the Psoriasis Association, between two and three per cent of people in the UK suffer from psoriasis and, unfortunately, there isn’t a cure. Psoriasis is a chronic condition that causes patches of itchy, scaly and often inflamed skin. Patients with psoriasis have to treat the condition on a daily basis to keep it under control.
As with eczema, there are various types of psoriasis:
Plaque psoriasis: also referred to as ‘psoriasis vulgaris’, this is the most common type of the condition, affecting around eight in every ten sufferers.
Guttate psoriasis: this type of psoriasis usually affects children, teenagers, and young adults and can often appear following a bacterial
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