When you stop and think about it, the skin really is quite amazing. It's designed in such a way that the old dead cells fall away naturally, and are instantly replaced with a brand new layer. The problem some people run into is that their skin creates brand new skin cells before the previous cells are ready to slough off, as a result the cells layer on top of themselves like building blocks. Instead of building new skin cell over a period of a few weeks, the body creates the cells in just a few days. This condition is call psoriasis. The buildup of the spare skin cells generally doesn't effect the entire body, but tends to be patchy.

Many people think that psoriasis is a contagious disease, and it does look like it should be but it's not. Not only did you not catch the condition from someone else, you don't have to work about passing it on. Advanced dermatology experts have noted that it's a genetic condition that gets passed down from one generation to the next. Some people in your family might be affected, while others can carry the gene and never experience the condition.

The think that puzzles advanced dermatology experts when it comes to psoriasis is the way the condition effects different people. When they have a patient with the condition, they often don't know what will happen next. Not only do different people respond differently to the same types of treatment, but some advanced dermatology doctors have had patients come in with one type of psoriasis, only to have it morph into a different variety of the condition, which further complicates treatment plans. If you have the condition its extremely important to provide your doctor with as detailed a family history of the condition as you can which will help them predict how your body will respond to treatments. You should also be ready to alert your doctor as soon as you notice any changes.

One of the advanced dermatology treatments doctors have started to successfully used to treat severe psoriasis (more than 3%of the body effected) is phototherapy. This type of treatment involves exposing the stacked skin cells to intense ultraviolet light which slows the development of the skin cells. While the treatment can be effective, it's not an instant fix. It takes multiple trips to the doctors and repeated exposure to the phototherapy in order to net the desired results, and some people experience better results than others. Some people have also experienced a worsening of their condition before the condition finally started to clear up.

The phototherapy generally works best when combined with a topical anti-psoriasis cream.