Difference between eczema & psoriasis

[Guest Posts]

What the easiest way to tell the difference between eczema and psoriasis as I think I have one of them but not sure which?! Penny

[Dr Anton Alexandroff]

Dear Penny,

Thank you for your question. Psoriasis usually affects extensor surfaces of skin on elbows and knees (although it can affect any part of body and also scalp) and atopic eczema (most common type of eczema also known as atopic dermatitis ) usually affects skin folds e.g. inside of elbows, behind knees, neck and so on. As a rule psoriasis patches are well defined, have silvery scale and 'salmon pink ' colour (although it can have any shade of red). Atopic dermatitis patches are usually less well defined and less scaly. There are of course other types of eczema e.g. discoid dermatitis where skin patches are well defined but this type is less common. There is also seborrheic dermatitis caused by yeast which usually affects face around nose and eye brows. If it is of interest there is more information about psoriasis, eczema and available treatments on my website: https://www.alexandroff.org.uk/patients.html.

I hope this is helpful.
With Best Wishes,

Dr Anton Alexandroff FRCP(UK) PhD CCT(Derm) FRSM FAAD
Consultant Dermatologist and Honorary Senior Lecturer
The British Skin Foundation Spokesperson
London, Cambridge, Leicester and Bedford

https://www.alexandroff.org.uk/

Instagram your_skin_dr

[Thivimaru]

Dear Penny,

It can sometimes be quite difficult to tell the difference between eczema and psoriasis! Some helpful clues are

1. eczema tends to affect the skin fold creases such as the neck, arms and backs of knees, whereas psoriasis tends to affect the elbows, knees and belly button (although both can affect the scalp)
2. eczema is often dry with fine scales whereas psoriasis has thicker and larger scales on the surface
3. eczema can be associated with hayfever/asthma/food allergies whereas psoriasis is not usually
4. psoriasis can be linked to arthritis and nail changes with small pits or thickening under the nails

However, eczema and psoriasis can resemble one another and it can be tricky to tell the difference particularly during a flare up so rather than trying to make the diagnosis yourself, I would recommend seeking an opinion from a health professional in the first instance. This is also important as there are different treatments for psoriasis and eczema.

Best wishes

Thivi