What's The Difference Between Eczema And Psoriasis?

AAD Welcome!

Diseases & conditions

• Acne
• Eczema
• Hair loss
• Psoriasis
• Rosacea
• Skin cancer
• A to Z diseases
• A to Z videos

• DIY acne treatment
• How dermatologists treat
• Skin care: Acne-prone skin
• Causes
• Is it really acne?

• Types & treatments
• Childhood eczema
• Adult eczema
• Insider secrets

• Types of hair loss
• Treatment for hair loss
• Causes of hair loss
• Hair care matters
• Insider secrets

• What is psoriasis
• Diagnosis & treatment
• Skin, hair & nail care
• Triggers
• Insider secrets

• What is rosacea
• Treatment
• Skin care & triggers
• Insider secrets

• Types and treatment
• Find skin cancer
• Prevent skin cancer
• Raise awareness
• Español

Featured

Atopic dermatitis: More FDA-approved treatments

Research breakthroughs are giving patients with atopic dermatitis/eczema more ways to treat this condition. See what a treatment plan may include.

Biosimilars: 14 FAQs

Find answers to questions patients ask about this newer treatment option, including, “What’s involved in switching from a biologic to a biosimilar?”

Everyday care

• Skin care basics
• Skin care secrets
• Injured skin
• Itchy skin
• Sun protection
• Hair & scalp care
• Nail care secrets

• Basic skin care
• Dry, oily skin
• Hair removal
• Tattoos and piercings

• Anti-aging skin care
• For your face
• For your skin routine
• Preventing skin problems

• Bites & stings
• Burns, cuts, & other wounds

• Itch relief
• Poison ivy, oak & sumac
• Rashes

• Shade, clothing, and sunscreen
• Sun damage and your skin
• Aprenda a proteger su piel del sol

• Your hair
• Your scalp

• Nail care basics
• Manicures & pedicures

Featured

How to trim your nails

Keep your nails looking their best with these tips from board-certified dermatologists.

Relieve uncontrollably itchy skin

Find out what may be causing the itch and what can bring relief.

Darker Skin Tones

• Skin care secrets
• Hair care
• Hair loss
• Diseases & Conditions

• Acne
• Dark spots
• Dry skin
• Light spots
• Razor bumps

• Caring for Black hair
• Weaves & extensions

• Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia
• Frontal fibrosing alopecia
• Hair loss in Black women
• Hairstyles that pull can cause hair loss

• Acanthosis nigricans
• Acne keloidalis nuchae
• Hidradenitis suppurativa
• Keloid scars
• Lupus and your skin
• Sarcoidosis and your skin
• Skin cancer
• Vitiligo
• More diseases & conditions

Featured

Fade dark spots

Find out why dark spots appear and what can fade them.

Untreatable razor bumps or acne?

If you have what feels like razor bumps or acne on the back of your neck or scalp, you may have acne keloidalis nuchae. Find out what can help.

Cosmetic treatments

• Your safety
• Age spots & dark marks
• Cellulite & fat removal
• Hair removal
• Scars & stretch marks
• Wrinkles
• Younger-looking skin

Featured

Tattoo removal

Find out why laser tattoo removal outshines other methods for removing a tattoo.

Scar treatment

If you want to diminish a noticeable scar, know these 10 things before having laser treatment.

Public health programs

• Skin cancer awareness
• Free skin cancer checks
• Camp Discovery
• Good Skin Knowledge
• Shade Structure grants
• Advocacy Action Center
• Pathways: Inclusivity in Dermatology
• Awareness campaigns
• Educational resources
• Get involved

• Lesson plans and activities
• Planes de lecciones y actividades
• Community grants

Featured

Free materials to help raise skin cancer awareness

Use these professionally produced infographics and videos to help others find and prevent skin cancer.

Dermatologist-approved lesson plans, activities you can use

Free to everyone, these materials teach young people about common skin conditions, which can prevent misunderstanding and bullying.

Find a dermatologist

• What is a dermatologist?
• FAAD: What it means
• How to select a dermatologist
• Your digital health
• Prior authorization
• Dermatologists team up to improve patient care

• Finding accurate health information
• Health apps
• Wearable medical devices
• Telemedicine
• Taking pictures of your skin
• Protect your information

Featured

Find a Dermatologist

You can search by location, condition, and procedure to find the dermatologist that’s right for you.

What is a dermatologist?

A dermatologist is a medical doctor who specializes in treating the skin, hair, and nails. Dermatologists care for people of all ages.

Facebook Twitter Instagram

1. Public
2. Diseases & conditions
3. Eczema
4. Childhood eczema
5. Could my child have eczema?
6. What’s the difference between eczema and psoriasis?

Advertisement Advertisement What’s the difference between eczema and psoriasis? Types & treatments Atopic dermatitis Contact dermatitis Dyshidrotic eczema Hand eczema Neurodermatitis Nummular eczema Stasis dermatitis Childhood eczema Could my child have eczema? Treatment Itch relief & skin care Triggers Related health concerns Test your knowledge Adult eczema Can adults get eczema? Eye problems Eczema during pregnancy Raising awareness story Coping Insider secrets Eczema or psoriasis? Managing eczema in summertime Moisturizer to reduce eczema flares Nickel allergy Severe atopic dermatitis Weeping eczema

What's the difference between eczema and psoriasis?

• Children get eczema. They can also get psoriasis.

• While more children develop eczema than psoriasis, almost 1% of children have psoriasis.

• It’s not always easy to tell whether a child has eczema or psoriasis. A study conducted in Australia found that most children who had psoriasis were initially diagnosed by their primary care doctor as having another disease, often eczema.

• To a dermatologist’s trained eye, psoriasis and eczema tend to look quite different.

Learning the differences between eczema and psoriasis

• Psoriasis causes well-defined, thick, red, scaly patches, commonly in areas like the elbows and knees. It is common to see psoriasis on the face, buttocks, and scalp of a child. You’ll also commonly see thick patches of skin with overlying redness.

• Eczema tends to appear in the crooks of the knees and the elbows.

• Children who have psoriasis tend to have mild itching. In eczema, the itching can be intense.

• There are many ways for a dermatologist to tell the difference between eczema and psoriasis, including what one sees on the skin, the amount of itch, and where the disease appears on the skin.

There can be overlap between eczema and psoriasis

• Still in some children, it’s hard to tell the difference. In this case, a dermatologist might diagnose the child with “psoriasiform dermatitis.”

• Sometimes, a child has both eczema and psoriasis, so there can be some overlap.

• A dermatologist, however, will generally be able to differentiate between these two relatively common skin disorders.

All content solely developed by the American Academy of Dermatology

The American Academy of Dermatology gratefully acknowledges the support from Sanofi and Regeneron.

Advertisement

The American Academy of Dermatology is a non-profit professional organization and does not endorse companies or products. Advertising helps support our mission.

Opportunities

Advertising | Sponsorship

Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement