Inverse Psoriasis

by Edward F. Group III, DC, ND, DACBN
updated on 04/28/2006 at 05:14PM

Approximately four million people in the United States suffer from a chronic skin disease called psoriasis. From the Greek word meaning, "itch", psoriasis is a relatively common condition that comes in different forms and varying levels of severity. Some patients experience very mild psoriasis, in which they don't even realize they have it. Others, however, suffer from severe psoriasis that is painful, itchy, swollen, and cover large portions of the body. In either case, psoriasis is not contagious. It is not possible to "catch" psoriasis from another person and another person cannot "catch" it from you.

Most patients with psoriasis suffer from plaque psoriasis, in which the skin breaks out in lesions or plaques. Plaque psoriasis appears as patches of raised red skin covered by silvery white scales. Inverse psoriasis is another form of psoriasis that occurs less frequently.

What Is Inverse Psoriasis?

Also called flexural psoriasis, inverse psoriasis is characterized by bright red, patches of skin that are smooth and not scaly. They patches are found in the flexural areas of the body, or in the folds of the skin. Inverse psoriasis most commonly occurs under the breasts, in the armpits, near the genitals, under the buttocks, or in abdominal folds. These patches of skin become irritated and inflamed. They are also aggravated by the sweat and skin rubbing together in the folds. An overgrowth of yeast may trigger the skin lesions of psoriasis. Inverse psoriasis is more frequent and severe in people who are overweight because excess usually puts greater pressure on the skin folds that are particularly prone to irritation from rubbing and sweating.

How Is Inverse Psoriasis Treated?

The skin that is typically affected by inverse psoriasis, namely the groin, armpits, buttocks, and abdominal folds, are usually very sensitive areas. This makes treatment of this condition somewhat difficult. Irritation is often aggravated by the treatments that are used to alleviate it. Another problem is that these moist, flexural areas can be prime locations for yeast and other fungal infections.

Treating Secondary Yeast Infections

The areas affected by inverse psoriasis are particularly prone to developing secondary yeast and fungal infections. For this reason, most health care professionals will test for these conditions when diagnosing inverse psoriasis. The natural product "Mycozil" is effective for yeast and fungal infections.