When to Call a Doctor

Calling the Doctor

If the symptoms you are experiencing are new to you, you should call your primary health care physician.  Your physician can either help you or refer you to a dermatologist (a doctor who specializes in skin conditions).

Some symptoms that would warrant a call to your doctor would include:

• Bright red patches with loose scaly skin
• Thick patches on the scalp
• Problems with your nails - tiny pits, yellowing, separation of nail from the nail bed

What to Expect

When a person has psoriasis it is easily detected by a doctor. Upon your first visit to the doctor’s office, your doctor can usually make a diagnosis by simply looking at your skin. However, there may be some routine tests to rule out other conditions.

First your doctor may order a skin biopsy. During a skin biopsy, a piece of the lesion is cut off so it can be looked at under a microscope. Hospitalization is usually not necessary; the procedure can take place in the doctor’s office while under a local anesthetic. If you are experiencing joint inflammation and pain, an x-ray will be ordered to make the proper diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis. If you have guttate psoriasis, a throat culture may be done to check for a strep infection.

Once you are diagnosed with psoriasis, you should contact your doctor and inform him of any flare-ups you have. Also, if your medication is not working you should contact your doctor so adjustments can be made.

When to Call Immediately

There are circumstance that would require an immediate appointment with your doctor. These symptoms can be serious, so it is important to get yourself to the doctor if you experience any of the following:

• Increased pain
• Extreme redness, swelling or tenderness
• Discharge (any fluid that oozes from the lesion)