Skin conditions

[Rascal]

I have bouts of eczema, so I'm not going to pretend I know about psoriasis....but.... I'd second the T-Gel reccomendation. A little goes a long way, I usually end up using it as a shower gel too. I avoid all gels, bath gels, foam baths , and just use Pears. I use Nivea, Dove or Vaseline antiperspirants, and switch on a regular basis. I have a pure mosturiser that you can get from the pharmacy - I use Diprobase but there is at least one other clinical emoillent that's equivalent. Not vaseline, never e45.

Alright pal, Dirprobase is not an emollient, it can be used for washing and in the shower although i would recommend Dermol 500. Emollients should not be cold to touch, if they are they have Alcohol in them. Hydromol and Cetraban are decent although i much prefer the basic white soft paraffin.

T-gel is good i agree. Be careful with soaps, bath gels etc, or basically anything that is perfumed however slight.

Also be careful with washing up powders. Changing them can cause reactions and if you find one that suits stick with it.

 

[Rascal]

I've got mild psoriasis on the usual places, both knees & elbows but also behind my right ear and just above my right ankle and a tiny patch under my right eye, although it flared up on my right calf and left forearm last year when I was on morphine for a few months... It's gone on my arm but the calf area is now the worst and gets really itchy. I get an ointment from the docs called calcipitrol that I use very sparingly, once or twice a day and that keeps it in check. Although the areas where I've used it are now very pale as the pigment in my skin seems to have gone. But sun is the best medicine as is wearing T shirts and shorts as much as possible.

Calcipritol is a vitamin D derivative and is strong. Be careful using long term as its not designed for that. Its a quick fix thing. Also dont use on the bit near your eye at all, for face stuff you should use mild steroid cream such as hydrocortisone. Also with Calcirtriol be careful not to get it on areas unaffected.

The best remedy for itch is moisturiser, try one of the ones i have recommended in this thread. Scratching is a big no no in hozzy and Sister is likely to give you a bollocking if caught because if you damage the skin it can lead to the Koebner effect which essentially spreads the psoriasis.

Good luck pal

 

[Rascal]

Just thought I'd add..
My bother also suffers with psoriasis (30 years+), elbows and knees mostly, patches probably about 12 inches by 6 inches.
Bright red and very dry and flakey, he never treated it just put up with it.
So about 6 months ago the doctor prescribed him some calcipotriol ointment and a moisturiser (not sure of the name but could find out if needed).
It's working really well on him, about 3 months back I went round to see him and he was showing me how well it was working.
The dry and flakey skin had disappeared completely and what was left was a red patch (shame size as before he started), he was cuffed to bits.
Even though it looked 50% better, I honestly thought it was just cos he'd been moisturising it everyday.
Then about 2 weeks ago he came round to my house wearing shorts and it was the first thing I noticed when he walked through the door, the red patches are now a very light pink colour and barely noticeable, it's still there, but the difference is night and day.
The cream is not a steroid cream so he can use it everyday, he's also signed up to pay for his prescriptions for the whole year, which keeps the cost down as he goes through a lot of it.
It's obviously taken nearly 6 months for him to see a major improvement but that is because its not a overly strong cream, which as I said means he can use it everyday and long term.
Now as we know with psoriasis there is no guarantees, as one treatment can be working really well, then it just doesn't work anymore for whatever reason, also what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.
Thought I'd post anyway as it may be worth a shot for anyone who hasn't tried it or are struggling finding a treatment that works.
You never know... : )

Thanks for posting pal.

The moisturiser will have got rid of the flakiness, no cream i am aware of does. It is great he has improved so much, chuffed to bits for him but the dangers are long term use. If he could try and reduce it slowly over time it might help halt the rebound effect. Simply stopping a treatment inevitably makes the Psoraisis worse, it can become "addicted" and go cold turkey.

Also Psoriasis scars, it can leave pale marks where plaques were but over time these can fade too.

Tell your Bro to keep up the moisturiser as that is a great ditterent to plaques reforming.

You are right as well, what works for some does not work for others as we are all different. I know people who are 100% free using a treatment that made mine so bad i was in hospital for 2 months.

 

[Tricky Dickys Right Foot Shot]

I was diagnosed with dermotitis on my face, around my nose. Sometimes it won't flare up but about 80% of the year it does. It flakes and goes bright red, and at times can burn. I was prescribed a load of creams but non seem to shift it, to the point where I just let it flare down on its own.
I still use the cream prescribed to me as it's more of a placebo effect for me, but it's really irritating that the doctors told me that nothing will be able to shift it.
Strange thing is it only appears around where my glasses rest.

 

[Summerbuzz]

Alright pal, Dirprobase is not an emollient,

Just being pedantic, the tub says 'Diprobase Cream Emollient' ;)

One of the benefits with these clinical emollients is that they come with pumps. Tubes and tubs collect bacteria and all sorts.

T-gel is good i agree. Be careful with soaps, bath gels etc, or basically anything that is perfumed however slight.

Also be careful with washing up powders. Changing them can cause reactions and if you find one that suits stick with it.

Yeah, I can't use most washing powders. I stick with Fairy gel, and always use the extra rinse setting.

I've also learned to wash my hands regulalry, and wipe down mice, controllers, keyboards and remotes. And after 30 years I discovered I am allergic to latex - especially the thick stuff they use for pen grips (always carry my own pens!). It definitely draws the moisture out of your skin, I'd not be suprised if most people with skin conditions had a similair reaction. I'd reccomend using gloves for all household / surface cleaners and if's a big job, showering afterwards. Last time I checked Tesco stock latex-free gloves.

Doctors are told to prescribe the least potent steroid, and whilst i can see where they are coming from, I think they're wrong. Betanovate/Betamethasone for a day or three is surely better than Eumovate for two weeks. My doctors gave up arguing with me a long time ago and will give me a tube a year.

 

[tazmancblue]

http://www.psoriasisblob.com/penile-psoriasis/

 

[talkativesprout]

Just on my way for the 6th visit to the docs now with a skin condition on my finger and toes. Goes dry brittle cracks open into lge fissures. end up wearing gloves because the ends of my fingers are cut to ribbons.

Tried
Prescribed Anti Fungal tablets and cream..no effect (the tablets are pretty toxic the doc said they can fuck up your liver)
all manner of steroids...no effect
Anti Bacterials...No effect
Hydromol temporary supple skin, (1hr later the same )
stopped using soap to wash now use Dermol 500 helps a little to suppress it
loads of Eczema/Psoriasis creams

Weirdly, some mornings, I wake up and it looks like it has disappeared and left behind pinkish healing skin. 1/2 hr later it's a dry white crust.

Like i said i'm on my way to the quacks now and was going to ask to see a dermatologist, but i won't hold my breath after reading this thread.

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

Im pleased it is working for you, but there is no evidence at all that diet is associated with Psoriasis. Psoriasis is an auto immune disorder. There is a girl associated with the #getyourskinout campaign on twitter that has brought a book out about diet and how it has worked for her which is great and im open to anything. But i think you have to be very careful when making definitive statements such as 100% when there is simply no medical evidence to back up your claim.Myths surrounding Psoraisis are many and they are hard to dispel.

Out of interest mate, what treatments have you had over the years?

Yeah it's one of those things, and I'm of the (uneducated) opinion at this stage that we just don't understand our bodies as well as we think we do when it comes to how diet affects us. Have you checkout out Auto Immune Protocol diet? It's very hard to follow as it's a) strict and b) costly but it apparently is a game changer for skin conditions, and it all goes back to gut bacteria. There's also a lad on youtrube who very bravely documented his psoriasis and how he cured it with a raw vegan juice diet. You can see in all his videos how it definitely worked for him, but a diet of juice is a horrible thought for most.

I've done all the steroid creams, phototherapy(avb) and 3 years on methotrexate. I refused to do the biological injections as a potential risk was heart failure and I'd two mates die young of heart attacks at the time and it wasn't worth the risk. All the treatments seem to work, but at the same time you are aware that you are on something and they all feel like papering over the cracks.

 

[I'm Blue]

Thanks for posting pal.

The moisturiser will have got rid of the flakiness, no cream i am aware of does. It is great he has improved so much, chuffed to bits for him but the dangers are long term use. If he could try and reduce it slowly over time it might help halt the rebound effect. Simply stopping a treatment inevitably makes the Psoraisis worse, it can become "addicted" and go cold turkey.

Also Psoriasis scars, it can leave pale marks where plaques were but over time these can fade too.

Tell your Bro to keep up the moisturiser as that is a great ditterent to plaques reforming.

You are right as well, what works for some does not work for others as we are all different. I know people who are 100% free using a treatment that made mine so bad i was in hospital for 2 months.

Thanks, I'll tell him to start cutting back the usage.

 

[talkativesprout]

Just on my way for the 6th visit to the docs now with a skin condition on my finger and toes. Goes dry brittle cracks open into lge fissures. end up wearing gloves because the ends of my fingers are cut to ribbons.

Tried
Prescribed Anti Fungal tablets and cream..no effect (the tablets are pretty toxic the doc said they can fuck up your liver)
all manner of steroids...no effect
Anti Bacterials...No effect
Hydromol temporary supple skin, (1hr later the same )
stopped using soap to wash now use Dermol 500 helps a little to suppress it
loads of Eczema/Psoriasis creams

Weirdly, some mornings, I wake up and it looks like it has disappeared and left behind pinkish healing skin. 1/2 hr later it's a dry white crust.

Like i said i'm on my way to the quacks now and was going to ask to see a dermatologist, but i won't hold my breath after reading this thread.

Didn't need to ask, the amazing Dr Lee Dukinfield, "you go see a real doctor now instead of daft old Chinky one hahahaha".referral to dermatologist. Mad as Hatter. "You don't complain about me or I sharpen chopstix and throw em at you" "I see you moved near me, you drink in Spread Eagle? I get pissed in there you come and have a drink with me"....FUCK THAT he is well off his rocker sober. Great change from some condescending wanker that thinks he knows everything.