What does it look like?

The typical lesion of psoriasis is an erythema (red patch) with net margins covered in white, silvery scales caused by the abnormal thickening of the stratum corneum due to the accumulation of cells. Commonly affected areas are: elbows, knees, hands, tailbone area, scalp, feet. When psoriasis is associated with joint pain, it is called psoriatic arthritis.

What causes it?

Psoriasis is a pathology caused by different factors, including:

genetic factors: there is a familial genetic predisposition for psoriasis. First-grade relatives of patients with psoriasis have a ten times higher risk of developing psoriasis.

environmental factors: emotional and psychogenic (grief, accidents), physical (injuries, trauma, lesions), pharmacological (NSAIDs, beta-blockers, lithium), infectious (fevers, strep throat among children).

Besides, psoriasis can be aggravated by lifestyle factors like smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, stress, and unhealthy eating. People with high BMI (Body Mass Index) have a higher risk of developing psoriasis.

How can it be treated?

The therapy depends on the severity of the disease, the frequency of relapses, the ability of the patient to follow the treatment, the patient’s expectations, and the effects of the previous treatments.

Psoriasis is a very challenging pathology to treat. Normally, therapies try to promote a reduction of the inflammatory infiltrate and the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes.

There are several therapies available:

for light forms of psoriasis: topical therapies with emollients, keratolytics, retinoids, vitamin D analogues, corticosteroids, dithranol, topical calcineurin inhibitors

for mild forms of psoriasis: UVB narrowband phototherapy and PUVA therapy

for severe forms of psoriasis: systemic therapies with cyclosporine, methotrexate, acitretin, and biologic drugs.

These treatments provide good results, but the high frequency of side-effects usually prompts patients to stop the use of medications for a certain period of time, or seek natural treatments like thermal hydrotherapy. Therapies and health benefitsAt Terme di Comano in Italy psoriasis is treated naturally, without drugs and by simply using thermal spring water.

Thermal hydrotherapy has no side effects, it consists of thermal water bathing sessions that reduce the itching sensation, the inflammation, the redness of the erythema, and increase the duration of the remission phases.

Its long lasting effects have been confirmed by authoritative medical research.             A rejuvenating experience in your hotel in Trentino

The Grand Hotel Terme di Comano, situated between the Brenta Dolomites and Lake Garda, is immersed in a breath-taking landscape. In our elegant hotel in Trentino, wellness is in perfect harmony with nature. It is a place where you can rediscover yourself, revive your senses and find tranquillity, far away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. After a beneficial walk in the stunning natural park, an experience of pleasure, health and pure wellbeing awaits you at the thermal baths of Comano, a dermatological centre of excellence in Europe.