Ichthyosis and psoriasis are two different types of inflammatory skin disorders. Both may cause scaly skin and red skin rashes. However, ichthyosis and psoriasis are not the same.
The key difference between ichthyosis and psoriasis is that ichthyosis is characterized by dry, itchy skin that appears scaly, rough, and red throughout the body, while psoriasis is characterized by a rash with itchy, scaly patches, most commonly observed on the knees, elbows, trunk, and scalp.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Ichthyosis
3. What is Psoriasis
4. Similarities – Ichthyosis and Psoriasis
5. Ichthyosis vs Psoriasis in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Ichthyosis vs Psoriasis
7. FAQ – Ichthyosis and Psoriasis
What is Ichthyosis?
Ichthyosis is a skin disorder that causes skin drying and scaling. Those with this condition lose the protective barrier that keeps moisture in their skin. Ichthyosis has more than 30 types. Ichthyosis can be caused by genetic factors or can be acquired as a result of another illness or from medication. The symptoms of ichthyosis may include dry, itchy skin, skin that’s thick or rough that may look dirty, white, gray, or brown scales, extra lines on hands and feet, rough and bumpy skin on the arms, thighs, and butt, trouble sweating, skin redness, peeling, blisters that cause wounds, hair loss or hair that breaks easily, dry eyes, and trouble bending the joints.

Figure 01: Ichthyosis
Ichthyosis can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, blood or saliva test for genetic changes, and skin biopsy. Furthermore, treatment options for ichthyosis include rubbing cream, lotion, or ointment onto the skin every day to add moisture, taking more than one bath a day to hydrate the skin, taking baths in salt water to reduce burning, stinging, or itching, rubbing the skin with a pumice stone to help get rid of dead skin, and removing dead skin with a product that has salicylic acid, glycolic acid, or lactic acid.
What is Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin condition that causes skin inflammation, itchiness, and discomfort. It is a chronic skin condition. The symptoms of psoriasis may include a rash or raised skin area of the thick skin, discoursed plaques on the skin, scaly or flaky, easily shed plaques on the skin, bleeding, and lesions formation. Psoriasis is caused by an overactive immune system that creates inflammation.

Figure 02: Psoriasis
Psoriasis can be diagnosed through physical examination and skin biopsy. Furthermore, treatment options for psoriasis are steroid creams, moisturizers, anthralin, medicated lotions, vitamin D3 ointments, vitamin A or retinoid creams, light therapy, PUVA, immune therapies, methotrexate and cyclosporine.
Similarities Between Ichthyosis and Psoriasis
- Ichthyosis and psoriasis are two different types of inflammatory skin disorders.
- Both skin disorders may cause scaly skin and red skin rashes.
- Both skin disorders can be diagnosed through physical examination and biopsy.
- They can be treated through topical medical creams and lotions.
Difference Between Ichthyosis and Psoriasis
Definition
- Ichthyosis is a rare skin disorder that causes dry, thickened, scaly skin.
- Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder where skin cells build up quickly, leads to formation of red or discoloured, scaly, and itchy patches on the skin.
Causes
- Ichthyosis happens due to genetics or happens after birth because of another illness or because of medicine.
- Psoriasis is caused by an overactive immune system.
Symptoms
- Symptoms of ichthyosis include flaky scalp, itchy skin, polygon-shaped brown, gray, and white scales on the skin, severely dry skin, and thickened skin.
- Symptoms of psoriasis include raised inflamed bumps, whitish silver scales, dry skin that may crack, soreness, itching, thick pitted nails, and painful, swollen joints.
Diagnosis
- Ichthyosis can be diagnosed by medical history, physical examination, genetic testing, and biopsy.
- Psoriasis can be diagnosed by physical examination and biopsy.
Treatment
- Ichthyosis can be treated by exfoliating your skin with a loofa or a pumice stone, taking products with lactic acid or other alpha hydroxy acids and retinoids.
- Psoriasis can be treated by topical retinoids, topical corticosteroids, anthralin, vitamin D analogs, methotrexate, cyclosporine, light therapy, and biologics.
The following table summarizes the difference between ichthyosis and psoriasis.
Summary – Ichthyosis vs Psoriasis
Ichthyosis and psoriasis are two different types of inflammatory skin disorders. Ichthyosis is a skin disorder that causes scaling and flaking of skin with annoying dryness to severe disfiguring of the skin while psoriasis is a skin disorder that causes clearly defined, red, and scaly plaques formation on the skin. This is the basic difference between ichthyosis and psoriasis.
FAQ: Ichthyosis and Psoriasis
1. What causes ichthyosis?
- Ichthyosis is a skin disorder. For most people, this disease is caused by one or more mutated (changed) genes people received from the parents. It can also be caused by underlying illnesses and certain medications.
2. Can ichthyosis be cured?
- There is currently no permanent cure for ichthyosis. The aims of treatment include reducing the redness, thickness of the scales, and itching of the skin. Available treatments include hydrating the skin with creams or ointments to help trap moisture in the skin and reduce dryness in the skin.
3. What is the main cause of psoriasis?
- Psoriasis is considered to be an issue with the immune system problem infection-fighting cells attack healthy skin cells by mistake. Scientists believe both genetics and environmental factors play a role in psoriasis.
4. Is psoriasis serious?
- Having psoriasis carries a certain amount of risk for developing other conditions, such as psoriatic arthritis—a chronic form of arthritis that causes pain, swelling, as well as stiffness of the joints—and cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes.
5. Can psoriasis be cured?
- There is not a permanent cure for psoriasis, but currently available treatment for psoriasis can improve symptoms. These include prescribed special cream or moisturizer or medications, light therapy and immune therapy.
Reference:
1. “Ichthyosis.” NHS Choices, NHS.
2. “Psoriasis: What It Is, Symptoms, Causes, Types & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Ichthyosis (1)” By Gzzz – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Psoriasis on elbow” By Haley Otman – Haley Otman (2019-10-29). 5 Things a Dermatologist Wants You to Know About Psoriasis.” (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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