What is eczema vs psoriasis?

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They are both chronic inflammatory skin conditions, and they are easy to tell apart once you know the three axes: itch, look, and location. Itch: eczema's hallmark is ferocious itching, the itch that rashes, often worse at night and strong enough to disturb sleep; psoriasis can itch or burn but usually mildly. Look: eczema patches are red, dry, sometimes weepy or crusted when flaring, and leathery-thickened from chronic scratching, with blurry borders; psoriasis plaques are thick, sharply demarcated, and covered in silvery-white scale, per MedlinePlus's descriptions of both. Location: eczema favors the folds, inner elbows, behind the knees, the neck, and (in babies) the face; psoriasis favors the outer surfaces, elbows, knees, scalp, lower back, and it loves symmetry, plus it can pit the nails (tiny dents) and stiffen the joints (psoriatic arthritis, a real complication eczema does not have). Timing: eczema usually starts in childhood and often improves with age; psoriasis typically appears in adulthood and runs a lifelong relapsing course. Triggers differ too: eczema flares with irritants, fragrances, dry air, sweat, and stress; psoriasis flares with skin injury, stress, infections (especially strep), cold dry weather, and some medications. What they share: neither is contagious, both respond to moisturizers as a foundation, and both treat well: eczema with trigger avoidance plus topical steroids, psoriasis with topical steroids and vitamin D creams, light therapy, and for moderate-to-severe cases the modern biologics that have transformed it. The see-a-dermatologist lines: a first widespread rash (diagnosis matters before months of wrong cream), anything not responding to basic care in a few weeks, joint pain or stiffness with a scaly rash, or signs of skin infection (oozing honey-colored crusts, fever, spreading redness).

What is eczema vs psoriasis?

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