KING

More than 7 million Americans have the skin disease psoriasis.

If you get poison oak, it goes away.

If you're diagnosed with the skin disease psoriasis, you have the condition forever.

Jenna Betro was diagnosed with psoriasis when she was 17. Her skin hasn't been the same since.

"Red, dry, flaky and you never feel like you're clean or like yourself because there's something constantly on you when you look at yourself," she said. "You don't recognize yourself when you look in the mirror."

She's not alone. More than 7 million Americans have psoriasis.

"Psoriasis is a condition where the skin is hyperactive," said Dr. Sandhya Yadav, dermatologist. "And you end up with a lot of scaly patches all of your body or it could be localized on the elbow and knees."

Psoriasis impacts more than your skin.

"It really affected all my social aspects, interactions with friends and relationships," Betro said.

Many people think it's catching, but it's really not contagious.

There is a genetic link.

"If a parent has psoriasis, there's a 10-percent chance a child has it," Yadav said.

While there is no cure, there are treatments for psoriasis - including standing in a light box. Patients are exposed to one specific wave length of light that helps minimize flare-ups.

And as Betro discovered, medication, reducing stress, eating a well balanced diet and sun exposure can help too.

Psoriasis most often appears between the ages of 15 and 35, but it can develop at any age.

The severity of psoriasis can vary from person to person; however, for most people, psoriasis tends to be mild