Anybody suffer with Psoriasis out there?
 

Hi, i've suffered with the skin condition Psoriasis since i was about 20 & im now 28 its gradually got worse over the years & ive now got it in areas from head to toe, ive tried various cream treatments including dovobet,dovonex,eumovate,trimovate,silkis,daktacor t, i also got refered to the hospital for crude coal tar treatment this was very messy which although worked well over time as i built up the strength i couldnt carry it on as i work full time & i was having to visit the hospital 3 mornings a week with unpaid leave so i had to seek a alternative, they tried me on the uv light therapy which worked very well almost got rid of it but your limited to so many sessions for health reasons, this kept it at bay for month or so but now im back to where i started again,


:)can anybody tell me what they find best to use & for where? :)

im currently using Palmers coco butter the fragrance free version as a moisturiser i find this about the best ive tried & lasts a while,
i use olatium shower gel i find this excellent,
dovobet for elbows knee's,
daktacort for the private area's this area (i found this area hardest to keep control of any input guys much appreciated)
alphosyl shampoo,
Bulldog sensitive facewash i also find good,
olive oil for the ear's,

Sorry about your problem. Can't help I am afraid but just wanted to sympathise, it must make life pretty difficult at times.

Les

Hi there mate. Have been suffering with severe psoriasis for nearly 3 years!!!

It's one basterd of an condition, horrible in fact. I did have it from top to toe

too, apart from my cock and balls :D. It was so bad it was cracking and

bleeding. Will never forget the days when i was tossing and turning in bed

abd then it used to bleed and the bed sheets got stuck to my back, legs etc

etc. Then my girlfriend had to rip the bed sheet off my back!!!!! Now that

pain I will never forget. It was really hard to live with, as it was cracking and

bleeding it was visible to all (Especially the knuckles) as the blood came

through the clothing and you'd get funny looks from folk!!! One day i got up

and the sheet wasn't stuck!! From that day on it all went away????? Then it

came back on my knuckles, elbows, knees, ankles, hips and coccyx. It not

bad at all, just red and very itchy at times. The cream that worked for me

was Dovobet, but sometimes didn't work at all. I did try Tar which was

absolutely stinking :D I even went on a course of methotrexate which i got a

load of side effects like, couldn't sleep, head ach and lost appetite. But did

not do nothing at all to the psoriasis, just a wate of time. How bad do you

have it if you dont mind me asking???

I use Alphosyl and the occasion sun tan cabin,
I tend to get less trouble if I just use the alphosyl and the sun treatment,
The creams etc bring their own problems,
Citric acid is key to the issues so avoiding it as much as possible really helps,
Ive also altered my diet which has helped.

I also use perfume free soaps as well, like Simple. It really helps me as i dont get many itching with iy :)

My middle son has had it from a very young age he is 21 now and its real bad at the moment, my wifes a carer and only yesterday she said she was talking to someone who had a water softener installed and it had improved hers no end. He was going to join the Royal Marines and they chucked him because of his psoriasis he has had all the same treatments as you over the years it goes off a bit in the summer and slowly creeps back in the winter months though.

thanks for the input & kinds words guys, i wouldn't say i have it bad as ive seen really bad cases but its bad enough if that makes sense,

i tend to use the olatium shower gel mainly for washing but its expensive & then something like simple as you said or anything purfume free for places that need washing, i do find aloe vera gel is good for stopping iching, one soap i have been reading up about is shea butter soap which is supposedly good so might give that a whirl if i can find somewhere that sells it,

i've always tried to avoid the sun tan cabin's with using steriod creams on my face but might give it a try for short periods,

it does get alot worse over the winter months the summer can't come quick enough:)

allways had it on my elbows used to get quite bad, hot bath used to help to rub away the dead skin, then moisturise, ner ever scratch as that makes it worse, i use the strawberyry cream stuff from my wifes avon, every night before bed i used to use it and after baths etc, mine has completely gone now, a holliday in spain helped,

I've got it a little bit - patch on right arm near elbow & couple of patches on left shin. Also get it behind my ears which is a damn pain! What I don't understand is why, when they can grow a human ear on the back of a mouse, there is virtually nothing that can be done to get rid :(

TX.

Edit - agree with sun comments, it almost disappeared last Summer ...

I've suffered it for years but not as bad as some people here. I find it a mild irritant but ignore it for scratching purposes - if I find myself scratching, then like as not I have it there so I stop. I get it on my scalp, for which I use E45 Shampoo or Head/Shoulders when I can't find any. On my face (usually where eyebrows meet nose and where face meets nose at the bottom) I use E45 cream and likewise for "sensitive" areas - for instance, I changed my deoderant and got rashes under my arm so had to stop using any for a couple of weeks and use E45 instead - beat the problem but I'm sure I hummed a bit ;)
Also comes up in various places around my thighs, legs and bum for which I use Devonex. Sometimes other spots occur. I make sure I use skin-sensitive soaps and deoderant as well. After-shave is a no-no!

But not as bad as some other people here, so I am lucky I guess.

my ex had this. quite bad on her legs and hands. apparently, stress made it flare up. whilst we were together it really did start to clear up. she had been through alot of ****e before we met. so the stress theory is true, i know that much.

i miss her like mad. but all i know is stress doesnt help. sorry i cant help more.

dan

Yes it is stress related also if ur feeling low or run down it seems to creep up on you,
As mentioned Ive avoided the creams and gone with the sun cabin thing as I noticed it was a lot better thru the summer months,
Its what works for you.

Something to add to your list which could really help is something called Udo's Oil.

It is an Omega 3-6-9 oil mix that the inventor worked on over many years to deal with his own conditions. You simply drink about a shot glass full per day.

You can get it in health stores - but is must be refigerated and kept in the dark as it breaks down very quickly.

It can get fantastic results so worth a go. You should see a difference within a week - with real improvements in two weeks - if it is going to work for you.

i would post a pic but it's not for the faint hearted :D

+1 (I think)

I suffered from quite bad Eczema since birth (Parents had to soak me in the bath in the mornings before they could take my baby grow off)

Anyway during my mid to late teens I had it quite bad due to stress and perbety I suppose (Mostly just hands, arms, legs and a little bit on the face) and after trying all sorts of oils, creams etc I had something like above that worked wonders.

Bt the time I hit 25 I had pretty much got rid of it apart from the odd occasions that I still get on my fingers and behing my knee and elbow joints.

Good luck with it mate, I think its just a case of trying lots of things until you find what works for you.

Steve

Seriously with Psoriasis you need hospital treatment.The doctors, nurses and other genuine employed workers there will help you.

Both my brother and a friend from work suffered quite badly with this. They both tried many different products with little effect.

By far, the most effective 'treatment' was going on the sunbeds. For both of them, going on made it almost disappear. Some may not think it's the best approach, but so long as you don't use them excessively, then I would imagine it should be safe enough and make life more comfortable.

I get little patches of what I think is eczema, and no doubt it is worse when I'm run down or stressed (like now), and going on the sunbed definitely calmed it down.

Good luck getting sorted.

But this occurs repeatedly Lisa, sunbeds aren't the cure.Take my advice just trust me.You don't want to see your brother & friend live with it.

My sister has this since her early teens.

She suffers with it quite badly on her arms and legs. Not very nice for a teenage girl to go through when wearing skirts and tshirts.

She's tried allsorts had treatment in hospital a few times, various creams and potions. Some help, some don't.

However, she does suffer from it more when she gets stressed. Recently, she bought a house with her boyfriend, and with one thing and another, it all started going pair shaped. She got stressed, and her Psoriasis got worse.

The worst thing is people pointing and making comments. More so when she was at school. As we all know, school kids can be very cruel.

Had a friend who also suffers from it.

I'm affraid there is no majic treatment to make it disapear. If there was, I'd dare bet my sister would give every penny she had to get it.

I never said it was a cure, I said it calmed it down.

Both have been referred to hospital in the past for it, and still had no joy in it being cured, so they had to live with it. They both found something that helped, and I'm just passing on their experience.

I've suffered with it for years, but over the last two it's got really bad. I've got it everywhere apart from my face, hands, feet and wobbly bits! LOL!

It's a right pain, tried everything you can think of, but never heard of Udo's Oil that Trout mentioned earlier. Off shopping in the morning, see if I can find some. Cheers!! Got to be worth a shot.

I'm using Dovobet at the moment, but it's sooo bloody greesy! Someone told me that bathing in water with sea salt added helps, but not tried that yet....

Right ok i'll help you, think about someone you genuinely fell in love with & are thinking about a future together with children.That isn't something to be ashamed of & you can sing about that always.Think about that lovely, warm, cosy place with each other.I don't really know what you think about on this subject, i'm just trying to help that's all.

Google Gamaderm(maybe 2 m's). This cured it for my sis where the skin thinning steroids failed. Remarkable natural product. Give it a months try. D

I have had it since I was 18, im 32 now. When it was at its worst I was admitted to hospital for a month and had intense treatment from tar baths to PUVA. That cleared it up and it has never been that bad since.

I currently use Dovobet on my arms and legs, Ecolon (i think thats how you spell it) on my head and Trimavate (again spelling might be wrong) on my face.

In the summer I get out in the sun, I avoid eating to much citrus and too much bread (I found this impacts it) avoid to much alcohol (again works for me) and now you cant tell I have it.

I have had as many PUVA sessions as I am allowed, I have had as many UVB sessions as I am allowed too, When they told me there was no further light treatments I could have I kind of just stopped worrying about it, and that went a massive way towards making it better.
For me I do the following to keep in check

Eat well
Sleep well
E45 in the shower
Dovobet every week day in the morning
Ecolon when I need it
Trimavate when I need it
Get in the sun when you can
Get in the sea when you can
Most important dont let it win!

Heren was me at the best!!! Yes it was not bad at this time believe it or not!!!! This was abrease to what it was at worst!!!!!!!

I had it bad when I was a kid, I was even signed off primary school for four weeks because of it, Cant remember what it was that made it go away maybe it just went its self I dont know but I've never been bothered with it since and that was 25 years ago, now and then I might get a wee patch on my elbow but it soon go's away again, from what I remember it's stress related

i do take the fish oils but in tablet form & along with a good multivitamin i find this helps considerably another addition to those ive been told about is Turmeric which is a curry powder you can get this in tablet form this is ment to be really good ive not tested this yet though

My wife has it bad as well, she has tried lots of different things to help clear it up but nothing helps long term :( when she was pregnant with both my kids it went but in time just came back, at the moment she has gone on the contraceptive pill but that don't seem to work (doctor recommended). It is definitely linked to diet and stress tho, has anyone tried the Chinese method? the tea thing!

I Have to use dovobet. twice a day. @50 euros a tube.
But I find that adding baby oil to the bath as its running helps with the hard water. in fact this along with the dovobet sees me relieved I used to be covered 90% so bad now about 5 %
so I think some of it could be down to routine around the house and work. detergent I wash my clothes with can have a dramatic effect
so to can the clothes I wear.
I worked really hard understanding what aggravated the condition.
for me I think moving to France made a difference well it does in the summer. for several months I don't have to use dovobet at all just keep bathing warm water with baby oil in the water. showers are a no no for me in winter. you can see the colour of my skin go blotchy red - purple within minutes. I can't use any soap just head and shoulders shampoo.
Defo stress related....

I've had this since I was 7, in the past I had it quite badly on my scalp but nowadays I only have a bit left over my eyes. Anyway, another vote here for the fish oils: when I had it on my scalp I took these and they worked wonders. I had to take them for a while before they worked but they did. I noticed a real difference between the more expensive brands and the cheap ones too - i.e. it was worth paying the extra £££.

Coughs, colds and infections definitely make psoriasis worse and I found that if I didn't nail the symptoms straight away, the flare up would last for ages and gradually worsen. So it's worth taking care of your general health via sleep, diet, etc.

I think it pays to be careful with some of the 'gentle' facial and body washes 'cos I have definitely found that some of them have made the psoriasis worse, I would suggest find what works for you, although it might take a lot of experimenting, and stick to it religiously. Aveeno stuff always works for me (I put the body lotion on my face if I want to calm down my psoriasis, it's great stuff). Eucerin shampoo is excellent and also makes a great body wash for psoriasis in my experience although it does cost about £8 a bottle so not a cheap option!

I was lucky in that Dovonex worked when I had flare ups in the past and now I can just use over-the-counter hydrocortisone. I had coal tar and dithranol in the past, a load of faff to apply and did stuff all. I wonder whether sometimes people have to try just about everything before they find the thing that works for them? Different people seem to respond to treatments in very different ways.

The biggie of course, is stress. If I am stressed I can feel the skin above my eyes (the only patch of psoriasis I have left now) itching and it'll be red and flaking within 12 hours. So yes, minimise stress. Which is of course easier said than done with a skin condition...

I noticed that when I moved in with my OH and then when we got married my psoriasis got a lot better (around 75-80% better), probably because I now live with somebody much more chilled out than myself so that dramatically reduced my stress. It vanished pretty much 100% when I was pregnant and just over a year later only the half centimetre patch on my eye has come back. I am aware that (a) that situation may not last and (b) it's hardly a scientific trial but my gut feeling is still that reducing stress as far as possible and living your life in a way that makes you happy is a massive help.

It's either that or I have accidentally discovered that the only cure for psoriasis is marriage and kids: that may not come as great news to everybody!

But whatever you do, don't give up looking for the treatment(s) or other approaches that will help you, because they are out there somewhere, they just may take a while to find.