Psoriasis, like all other types of chronic inflammatory skin diseases, has its own stages of development. When diagnosing a disease, the doctor must take into account not only the type of disease, its form, severity and causes of occurrence, but also the stage of development. For an experienced specialist, it is not difficult to identify the stages of psoriasis , since they all differ in specific symptoms, which are almost impossible to confuse. Depending on the manifestations of the disease, the patient is prescribed appropriate treatment, aimed both at reducing and eliminating external symptoms, and at eliminating the factors that provoke the development of the disease.  

Onset of the disease

Despite the fact that the methods of complete cure for psoriasis have not yet been found, as the reasons provoking its occurrence have not been fully established, the forms, types and stages of the development of the disease have been studied quite well. So in the development and course of the disease, there are three main stages: initial or progressive, stationary and “fading”, regressive.

The processes characteristic of the onset or exacerbation of the course of the disease, that is, the progressive stage, is the appearance of neoplasms in the form of a rash on the surface of the skin. In this case, the elements of the rash (point, pointed, lenticular ) tend to grow peripherally. Small rashes spreading to healthy areas of the skin form well-defined rounded or oval psoriatic plaques.

At the stage of disease progression, psoriatic plaques are colored bright pink or red, and there is no specific flaky crust on the lesions. Not covered with whitish scales and thickened edges of the lesions.

During the progressive stage of psoriasis, the patient experiences itching, a slight burning sensation in the areas of skin lesions, and a general slight malaise. At any contact with clothes and in places of scratching, new papular rashes appear.  

Further development

After 1-4 weeks, the second stage of the development of the disease begins – stationary. The exacerbation process weakens, the color of psoriatic plaques becomes less intense, old rashes dissolve, the formation of new rashes stops.

Healing of papules occurs peripherally, that is, from the center to the edges, which determines the characteristic annular shape of the plaques. At the stationary stage, the surface of the lesions is completely covered with scaly, flaky crusts of a characteristic whitish color.

In the regressive stage of psoriasis, at the stage of attenuation of the disease and its transition to the period of remission, all lesions gradually completely dissolve, the color of plaques becomes almost indistinguishable from the color of healthy skin, peeling of the epidermis is noticeably reduced, burning and itching decreases. Around the lesions appears the so-called “Voronov’s collar” – a ring of keratinized, dense layers of skin. On the periphery of all rashes, the skin is discolored. The stage of regression of the disease under the influence of intensive adequate treatment can last for a long time, sometimes up to several months. Then psoriasis recedes completely, leaving minor localized plaques on the body in the most common places for this disease (elbows, knees, abdomen, buttocks). 

The task of a person suffering from psoriasis is to constantly keep the disease in remission. Control over all aspects of life and prevention of the disease will require the strictest – this is no secret. But this is the only way to achieve positive results of treatment, to consolidate them and continue a normal existence in society.