What are the similarities and differences between psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema?

Psoriasis, dermatitis, and eczema are all inflammatory skin conditions that cause redness, itching, and scaling of the skin. While they can have some overlapping features, each type of condition has distinct characteristics that helps to distinguish it from the other two types.

Firstly, psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder brought on by chronic inflammation in which the life cycle of skin cells is sped up dramatically. It appears as thickened patches of reddish or silver colored scaly plaques on the elbows, knees or scalp as well as parts of the torso or back. Additionally, psoriatic arthritis can accompany cases of severe psoriasis.

Secondly, dermatitis is a general term used to describe a range of inflammatory skin disorders characterized by itching and redness which may be caused by an allergic reaction such as contact with irritating substances like soaps and detergents. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a very common form affecting children which often presents more severely on areas such as creases near joints like elbows and backsides of knees. AD may also come with small bumps filled with fluid called vesicles due to infection or allergies to particular substances like pollen or animal fur/dander).

Lastly, eczema refers specifically to atopic dermatitis (AD) but is sometimes used interchangeably for all forms of dermatitis including contact allergic reactions. Eczema patients typically exhibit symptoms such as extremely dry itchy skin due to excess loss moisture through evaporation from damaged lipid barriers within epidermal layers; however certain milder cases only display mild reddening without blisters/vesicles forming making them difficult to differentiate from normal dry thin-skinned individuals who just appear more sensitive/reactive than most people do under similar conditions such stress induced flare ups brought about by extreme weather changes etc...