Symptoms
Psoriasis plaques appear as raised, inflamed, and scaly patches of skin that may also be itchy and painful. On Caucasian skin, plaques typically appear as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells or scale. On skin of color, the plaques may appear darker and thicker and more of a purple or grayish color or darker brown.
Plaques can appear anywhere on the body, although they most often appear on the scalp, knees, elbows, and torso. Plaques generally appear symmetrically on the body, affecting the same areas of the body on the right and left sides. Psoriasis on certain locations, called high-impact sites, can have an increased negative impact on quality of life, regardless of the total area affected by psoriasis.
Psoriasis is often classified by severity, ranging from mild to moderate to severe. This classification is typically based solely on the body surface area covered by psoriasis lesions and does not take into account high-impact sites or impacts on quality of life.
Plaque psoriasis often accompanies nail psoriasis, which may look like discoloration, pitting, or separation of the nail from the nail bed.