Accumulating on the Skin: White Scales and Conspicuous Redness | Incheon Psoriasis Korean Medicine Clinic

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Thick white scales and red patches accumulating on the skin. And on top of that, the uncomfortable stares of those around you. Clothes get longer, and spirits dwindle. Fearing misunderstanding as a contagious disease, one tends to keep a distance first.

“It's itchy, but what's harder is the way people stare. I feel so dirty and I lose confidence.”

Psoriasis is not simply a disease that causes scaling on the skin. It is a problem that isolates you amidst the world's misunderstandings and prejudices, making you wear thick armor over the self that should shine brightest, and ultimately afflicting even your mind.

Causes and Symptoms

The Skin's Accelerated Cycle

Our skin cells are typically born anew, grow, and old cells naturally shed as scales over a cycle of about 28 days. This is the healthy skin cycle. However, in psoriasis, our body's immune system malfunctions, pressing the 'accelerated growth' switch for skin cells. A process that should take a month is completed in just 3-4 days. Immature skin cells pile up in layers, haphazardly, on the skin without having a chance to properly shed. This is the reality of the thick scales of psoriasis and the red patches beneath them caused by inflammation.

Traditional Korean Medicine Perspective

When 'blood (血)' becomes hot and dry, Traditional Korean Medicine views the skin as 'earth (大地)' that receives nourishment and moisture from the 'river' of 'blood (혈액, 血)'. Clear and moisturized skin is evidence of clean blood. Psoriasis is seen as a state where this 'river' itself has become hot (혈열, 血熱, *hyeolyeol*, blood heat) and dry (혈조, 血燥, *hyeoljo*, blood dryness). Unnecessary heat accumulates in the blood due to stress or poor eating habits, and this heat evaporates the blood's moisture, making it increasingly dry. A hot and dry river can no longer keep the land (skin) along its banks moisturized. Consequently, the land turns red (red patches), cracks (thick scales), and transforms into a desert.

Therefore, Traditional Korean Medicine treatment does not simply aim to remove skin scales, but rather helps the skin restore its own luster by 'cooling the hot river (청열양혈, 淸熱凉血, *cheongyeollyanghyeol*, clearing heat and cooling blood)' and 'replenishing the lacking water (자음양혈, 滋陰養血, *jaeumyanghyeol*, nourishing yin and enriching blood)', thereby restoring the fundamental health of the blood.

Lifestyle Management

Three Principles to Halt the Skin's Battle

Efforts are needed to reduce factors that irritate the skin in daily life and restore the body's balance.

Principle 1: Stress Management

Stress is the most definite trigger that exacerbates psoriasis. Finding your own stress-relief methods, such as meditation, exercise, or hobbies, and managing the 'heat' of your mind is the first step to managing the 'heat' of your skin.

Principle 2: Skin Protection

If the psoriatic area gets injured, the lesions can spread to that area. Minimize physical irritation, such as scratching or scrubbing the skin, and apply plenty of moisturizer to protect the skin barrier.

Principle 3: Anti-inflammatory Diet

Greasy foods, instant foods, and alcohol can promote inflammatory responses in the body, worsening psoriasis. Reduce the embers of inflammation in your body with a healthy diet focused on fresh vegetables and fruits.

Prognosis and Golden Time

Often, psoriasis is considered a simple skin condition and neglected, a 'spark' starting in the 'skin' before it spreads to the 'joints'. However, the essence of psoriasis is a 'systemic inflammatory response of the immune system'. Leaving this spark unextinguished and neglected is a path that leads to 'psoriatic arthritis', where inflammation starting in the skin spreads throughout the body and attacks the joints. This is a serious problem causing pain and deformities in the fingers, toes, and spine. Addressing the skin problem now is not just about regaining clear skin; it is the most crucial prevention against the spread of deeper inflammation that can develop invisibly, and it safeguards your joints and overall health.

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