Eczema vs Psoriasis: What You Need to Know

Is your child troubled by itchy or irritated skin that flares up with little warning? A weakened skin barrier may be to blame.
- Your young daughter is happily playing with her toys when suddenly you notice her scratching furiously. Before you know it, her skin is red, weepy and inflamed.
- Your son, who’s just about to sit for his exams, has lots to do, but the persistent distraction of his irritated, itching skin makes it impossible to concentrate. To make matters worse, he’s worried it will show on his graduation pictures.
- The whole family is looking forward to the long-awaited beach holiday right around the corner, and you are fervently hoping that your kid’s skin won’t flare up and ruin the whole weekend.
While occasional redness or itching is nothing to worry about, frequent episodes might be a sign that your child has a weakened skin barrier. In healthy skin, the skin barrier helps to retain moisture and prevent bacteria, irritants or allergens from penetrating; when the skin barrier is weakened, this function is impaired, making skin more reactive to these substances.R1
Many people mistake eczema for psoriasis; at a glance, especially to the untrained eye, the symptoms may appear to be similar but they are in fact two different skin conditions, hence they need to be managed differently.
EczemaR2 | PsoriasisR3 | |
---|---|---|
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What is it? | Allergic condition, common in infants and children especially those with family history of asthma and allergies. | Autoimmune disease which causes skin cells to grow rapidly. |
What triggers it? | Overactive response of the immune system to external factors irritants; causes intense itching. | Build up of dead skin cells causes redness, inflammation and itching |
What does it look like? | Red or brown patches or small, raised bumps that leak fluid when scratched, leaving a crust | A thick patch of silvery-white scales, which are made up of dead skin cells |
Where does it usually appear? | Mainly affects face, back of knees and wrists, hands and feet. | Most commonly found on knees and elbows. |
What can you do about it? | Avoid triggers and replenish moisture to relieve dryness and itching. Topical treatment with corticosteroids and/or antihistamines may be prescribed. | Topical treatment with corticosteroids and/or light therapy treatment. For more severe cases, oral, injectable or intravenous medication may be recommended. |
EczemaR2 | PsoriasisR3 | |
---|---|---|
![]() | ![]() | |
What is it? | Allergic condition, common in infants and children especially those with family history of asthma and allergies. | Autoimmune disease which causes skin cells to grow rapidly. |
What triggers it? | Overactive response of the immune system to external factors irritants; causes intense itching. | Build up of dead skin cells causes redness, inflammation and itching |
What does it look like? | Red or brown patches or small, raised bumps that leak fluid when scratched, leaving a crust | A thick patch of silvery-white scales, which are made up of dead skin cells |
Where does it usually appear? | Mainly affects face, back of knees and wrists, hands and feet. | Most commonly found on knees and elbows. |
What can you do about it? | Avoid triggers and replenish moisture to relieve dryness and itching. Topical treatment with corticosteroids and/or antihistamines may be prescribed. | Topical treatment with corticosteroids and/or light therapy treatment. For more severe cases, oral, injectable or intravenous medication may be recommended. |
The intense itching that accompanies a flare-up of eczema can take a toll. Regardless of age, people suffering from eczema may feel frustrated and helpless, while the itchiness has a negative effect on concentration and quality of sleep. In addition, scratching can lead to inflammation and scarring, which can cause feelings of embarrassment.R4
As eczema is a chronic condition, it’s important to manage the condition well, avoiding triggers and flare-ups while strengthening the skin’s protective barrier. This will help to prevent the dryness and itching that is caused by moisture loss through the skin; in medical terms this is known as trans-epidermal water loss or TEWL.
Experts recommend the use of moisturisers and emollients as the first line of treatment.R5 This supports the skin barrier which contains ceramides, fatty acids and cholesterol, making ceramide-dominant skincare an important tool in helping to repair the skin barrier function.R6
Designed specifically for this purpose, the Ceradan® range, which includes Ceradan® Cream, Ceradan® Wash, and Ceradan® Skin Barrier Repair Cream, contains the correct ratio of lipids to replenish the skin. Its steroid-free, ceramide-dominant and lipid-based formulation is proven and clinically tested to relieve the symptoms of eczema.
Speak to your doctor for a proper diagnosis and discuss a skincare regimen to manage your child’s skin health needs.
References:
- Kim BE, Leung DYM. Significance of Skin Barrier Dysfunction in Atopic Dermatitis. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2018;10(3):207–215. doi:10.4168/aair.2018.10.3.207, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5911439/
- Skin Conditions and Eczema, WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/atopic-dermatitis-eczema#1
- Understanding psoriasis and eczema, https://www.healthline.com/health/psoriasis-vs-eczema-pictures#psoriasis-vs-eczema
- Jonathan I. Silverberg, Diane B. Nelson & Gil Yosipovitch (2016) Addressing treatment challenges in atopic dermatitis with novel topical therapies, Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 27:6, 568-576, DOI: 10.1080/09546634.2016.1174765
- Vávrová K., Kováčik A., Opálka L., “Ceramides in the skin barrier”, Eur. Pharm. J. 2017, 64 (2): 28-35.
- ISSN 1338-6786 (online) and ISSN 2453-6725 (print version), DOI: 10.1515/afpuc-2017-0004