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Psoriasis is usually a long-term problem. Symptoms tend to come and go in a cycle of flares, when symptoms get worse, and remission, when symptoms improve and go away for awhile. In other cases psoriasis may persist for long periods of time without getting better or worse.
Several things can make symptoms worse, depending on the type of psoriasis. These factors, or triggers, include:
A few cases of psoriasis may go away without treatment. But it's usually best to treat psoriasis so that it doesn't get worse. If it becomes severe and widespread, it may be much harder to treat.
Mild, moderate, and severe psoriasis
The severity of psoriasis is indicated by the amount of redness and scaling, the thickness of the large areas of raised skin patches (plaques), and the percentage of your skin that is affected.
Mild psoriasis causes plaques that cover a small portion of the body, such as the elbows or knees.
Moderate psoriasis causes:
Severe psoriasis includes:
Learn more about the different types of psoriasis.
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