Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory disorder, which causes red, flaky and crusty patches of skin, covered in silvery skin.
It’s a long-lasting condition that’s caused by too many skin cells being made.
About two per cent of the UK are affected by psoriasis, and it develops mainly in adults under 35.
But, the condition goes deeper than just on the skin, according to Senior Clinician for Barts and The London NHS Trust, Professor Rino Cerio.
“Psoriasis is more than skin deep,” he told Express.co.uk. “If you have the condition, you’re 30 per cent more at risk of developing arthritis – particularly if you have severe psoriasis.
“It can affect your nails, and even leads to so-called metabolic syndrome.
“There’s more treatment for psoriasis now than ever before. It became a priority about 10 years ago, and the drug industry invested a lot of money into it.”
A new blue-light therapy treatment could relieve the symptoms of psoriasis in patients. The therapy uses certain types of ultraviolet light on the affected skin.
A clinical trial, with researchers at the University Hospital of Aachen, investigating the device found symptoms were reduced in psoriasis patients, including thickness of plaque, redness and scaling.
The device attaches directly to the body, and shines on the affected skin.
It takes about 15 minutes for the therapy to work, according to its manufacturer, Philips Healthcare.
The company’s Principal Scientist said: “Psoriasis complicates millions of daily lives and disrupts countless relationships.
“For this reason, Philips Light Therapy team set out to create a world-first treatment for psoriasis sufferers to give them back control of the condition.”
Current treatments for psoriasis include creams for the skin, oral and injectable medications, and blue-light therapy.
Cerio urged patients to combine treatments to gain the most benefit.
“It’s a very interesting and useful device, that’s easy to use at home,” he said.
“I’ve given it to some of my patients. It will be very useful for those with a mild case of the disease, but it needs to be used with other medication too.”