IMAGE GALLERY
Accurately diagnosing and assessing psoriasis in people with darker skin can be challenging, as many dermatology resources do not fully reflect the diversity of clinical presentations. To address these gaps, the International Psoriasis Council (IPC) developed this educational image tool to support diagnostic accuracy and promote equitable psoriasis care across diverse skin tones.
A global IPC survey informed the development of this resource, which focuses on dermatologists caring for patients with diverse skin tones. The survey identified important differences in plaque color, scale, morphology, and post-inflammatory pigmentation that are often underrepresented in existing references. The curated image collection highlights these variations, with particular attention to high-impact and commonly overlooked sites such as the scalp, genitals, nails, palms, and soles, as well as examples of delayed or untreated disease. Images are contributed by IPC members from all global regions and continue to be added as new submissions are received. The collection represents a diverse range of skin tones, psoriasis subtypes, and clinical settings to improve recognition of psoriasis and promote care equity worldwide.
Terms of Use
The images contained in this gallery are provided for educational purposes only and are not intended for clinical diagnosis or treatment. Users may download and use the images solely for educational, non-commercial purposes. Users must provide appropriate credit to the International Psoriasis Council and the contributing physicians, as specified on the image pages. Please read the full Terms of Use before using any images.
IPC is interested in collecting photographs of psoriasis on all of skin, from all regions of the world. You can submit your photos to be added to this educational tool by completing this form.
Psoriasis plaques can vary widely in color depending on the patient’s skin tone and the severity of the condition. While many dermatology resources often describe plaques as silvery white or pink on lighter skin tones, in patients with darker skin, the presentation can appear different. Plaques may appear more gray, purple, or hyper- or hypopigmented. Notably, pink plaques on darker skin may be more muted or less vibrant pink, distinct from how pink plaques typically appear in lighter skin. This subtlety is often underrepresented in traditional teaching tools.
In psoriasis, both hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation can occur as part of the healing process or because of post-inflammatory changes:
These pigmentation changes are typically temporary but may persist. Survey results indicate that hyper- and hypopigmentation are more common in patients with darker skin.
Psoriasis plaques are commonly associated with induration and scaling across all skin tones. However, survey results indicate that scaling may appear rougher in people with darker skin, with more uneven, textured layers. Thicker scales may also be present, but this is often due to delayed treatment caused by misdiagnosis or access issues.
Psoriasis on high-impact sites, such as the scalp, face, palms, soles, genitals, and nails, can be particularly challenging for people with darker skin. In these areas, psoriasis may result in pronounced hyperpigmentation or hypopigmentation, leading to persistent discoloration after lesions heal. Differences in how psoriasis presents on darker skin can lead to underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis, complicating timely treatment. These factors contribute to the complexity of managing psoriasis on high-impact sites in patients with darker skin.
The presentation of psoriasis can vary across different skin tones. This section highlights key psoriasis phenotypes—erythrodermic, guttate, palmoplantar, and pustular—showing how these variations appear in diverse skin tones.
A patient doing well on an IL-17 inhibitor is diagnosed with cancer, and the oncologist wants the biologic stopped. It is a call most dermatologists have made without much to stand on: patients with cancer are excluded from psoriasis trials, so the entire evidence base is observational. A new IPC paper in JAAD Reviews takes a position anyway. Per the summary of product characteristics, active malignancy is not a contraindication to any biologic. IL-17 and IL-23p19 inhibitors are first-line, TNF inhibitors and deucravacitinib warrant caution, and cyclosporine is the one to avoid outright. The authors also warn that psoriasis severity is routinely underestimated once a patient is in oncology care: if they meet IPC’s criteria, they are a candidate for systemic therapy regardless of what else is on their problem list. “Too often, systemic psoriasis therapy is discontinued or never initiated in patients with cancer, even when the evidence supports safe and effective options,” says Paolo Gisondi, MD, IPC Councilor and lead author. The post includes the therapeutic options figure, designed as a reference for both specialties to work from, and a slide set for teaching and presentations.
In this article, IPC Board Member Lluís Puig, MD, PhD, gives his expert commentary on two randomized trials showing that ixekizumab plus tirzepatide outperforms ixekizumab alone for skin clearance, joint control, and weight loss in psoriasis and PsA.
IPC is accepting applications for the 2027 International Fellowship Program, a 12-month opportunity for early-career dermatologists and researchers focused on psoriasis. Fellows are matched with IPC Board Members or Councilors for hands-on clinical or research experience, along with virtual mentoring, skills-development classes, and ongoing connections to IPC’s global network throughout the fellowship year. Applications are open until September 30, 2026.
Recognizing GPP in clinical practice can be a challenge, even for experienced dermatologists. IPC’s new five-part training series walks clinicians through the practical skills needed to diagnose and assess GPP with confidence: distinguishing it from plaque psoriasis and other mimicking conditions, and scoring its severity using tools such as the GPPGA and GPPASI. Each module pairs an expert-led video with a case-based exercise, and the series is built to be completed in sequence at your own pace. All five modules are free and open to everyone; watch the videos on your own or work through the assessments as you go. Score 80% or higher on each of the five assessments to earn a Certificate of Completion.
IPC has released a set of summary slides distilling the key findings from its recent publication on psoriasis and metabolic health, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD). The paper outlines five priorities for improving cardiometabolic risk screening and care in patients with psoriasis. Designed for sharing, the slides give clinicians and colleagues an easy way to disseminate the findings.
In this Take Ten with IPC video, IPC Junior Councilor Dr. María Julia Cura discusses paradoxical psoriasis, including its definition and pathogenesis, and reviews clinical case examples, key clinical features, histopathology, predictors of disease severity, and potential treatment options.
