Can Psoriasis Develop in Adulthood?

Yes, psoriasis can develop in adulthood.

In fact, psoriasis affects more than 7.5 million Americans of different ages, different genders, and different skin colors. While kids can, and do, get psoriasis, the chronic inflammatory skin condition tends to strike as you get older

In this blog, Dr. Matthew Zarraga and Dr. Khongruk Wongkittiroch, who head the team of dermatology experts here at Z-ROC Dermatology, outline a few things we want you to know about psoriasis — what it is, when it strikes, and how we can bring your relief.

A brief explanation of psoriasis

Your immune system is designed to protect your body against outside pathogens and dangers, but there are times when it can turn on you instead, which is the case with psoriasis.

Classified as an autoimmune disorder, psoriasis describes a condition where your body overproduces skin cells, leading to patches of inflamed, scaly, and itchy skin. Under normal circumstances, your skin cells turn over every 30 days, or so. When you have psoriasis, your skin cells may turnover every 3-4 days, which creates a pileup of shedding cells.

While psoriasis patches can develop anywhere, they tend to favor:

Elbows
Scalps
Knees

In addition to the patches of inflamed and itchy skin, psoriasis can also lead to psoriatic arthritis (joint pain and inflammation), which affects 1 in 3 people with the skin condition.

When psoriasis typically strikes

We already mentioned that psoriasis can develop in adulthood, but let’s look at more specifics. Researchers have found that here are two peaks of onset with psoriasis — between the ages of 20 and 30 and between the ages of 50 and 60.

Given that we don’t understand entirely what causes psoriasis, its time table is also a mystery. We do know that environment and genetics play roles, but that still doesn't explain the timing of the disease.

There are solutions for psoriasis

While we may not understand what drives psoriasis, the good news is that we have solutions. Psoriasis typically comes in cycles — it flares up for a little while and then goes into remission.

When it’s active, we can treat psoriasis with:

Biologics to disable the cells responsible for overactive skin growth
Retinoids that help skin shed normally
Light therapy to slow skin cell turnover

For best results, we might use a combination of treatments to help clear the itchy and uncomfortable patches and encourage the condition into remission.

Once we get your psoriasis flare-up under control, we can review a few prevention techniques and trigger-management practices that can help prevent future outbreaks.

For expert diagnosis and treatment of psoriasis, at any age, please schedule an appointment at our Fort Lauderdale, Florida, office.