Psoriasis is a condition that is frustrating to have, and often frustrating to treat as well. My guest today is going to dive in to different forms of psoriasis, why getting a correct psoriasis diagnosis is important, and how psoriasis can affect other systems in the body. My guest today is Dr. Raja Sivamani, a board-certified dermatologist who practices at Pacific Skin Institute. He is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Clinical Dermatology at the University of California, Davis and Director of Clinical Research and the Clinical Trials Unit. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the California State University, Sacramento. Dr. Sivamani engages in clinical practice as well as both clinical and translational research that integrates bioengineering, nutrition, plant science, cosmetics, and skin biology. With training in both Allopathic and Ayurvedic medicine, he takes a holistic approach to his patients and in his research. Join us as we talk about psoriasis: different types, how it's diagnosed, and how it affects other parts of the body. How do you manage your psoriasis? Let me know in the comments! In this episode: Overview of what psoriasis is from an integrative dermatologist Psoriasis + psoriatic arthritis -- What's the difference? Different forms of psoriasis Thoughts on scalp psoriasis How psoriasis impacts other organ systems (like your liver + joints) Can weight loss improve your psoriasis? Testing - What's important to monitor? Quotes “The most common form is known as plaque psoriasis and that's where you get what are known as big plaques, basically these big red scaly, in many cases, very thick plaques that develop on the body that tend to occur on the outside of the arms, along the elbows, the knees, but they can go anywhere, on the back, chest.” [4:09] “Scalp psoriasis is a challenge and if you only have scalp involvement, that's where it becomes a challenge to say that it's psoriasis because there are variants of seborrheic dermatitis that can be very severe that can also scale a lot. There's actually an in between diagnosis, Jennifer, called sebopsoriasis where it's very thick, it's way too thick to be a seborrheic dermatitis, but you don't see the psoriasis anywhere else on their body.” [8:11] Links Find Dr. Sivamani online Healthy Skin Show episode 076: What You Need To Know About Acne, Accutane & Antibiotics w/ Dr. Raja Sivamani Jennifer's appearance on the LearnSkin podcast: An Inside-Out Approach: The Role of Nutritionists and Nutrition in Healthy Skin Follow Dr. Sivamani on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter