What is Psoriasis Caused By?

Although the cause of psoriasis is still unconfirmed, due to research doctors have found some common causes for the skin condition.

Psoriasis affects approximately 2% of the population and is usually inherited from a parent or grandparent, although not always. It can also be triggered by physical or mental trauma such as infection, disease, injury, pregnancy, medications or weight gain or loss or grief, anxiety or stress.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune condition, caused when white blood cells mistakenly attack the skin cells. White blood cells are usually used to attack bad bacteria and fight infections, so when they mistakenly attack skin cells, the skin cell production has to go into overdrive. Overproduction of skin cells means they get pushed to the surface, resulting in the plaques that are recognised as psoriasis.