Psoriasis is causing pain and embarrassment, any help?

my son has psorasis & since using his cream regularly ( he didn't use to becuase he though ti was not macho to apply cream) it has really improved & the patch on his hairline has gone completely

He needs to ask for a referral to a dermatologist. I'd had years of bad advice about moisturising and steroid creams and then developed even worse psoriasis after being prescribed medication. The dermatologist was brilliant. She arranged light treatment and during the wait period, gave me proper advice about emollients and and steroid cream, which was totally different to GP advice over the previous 30 years.

There may be a long waiting list. I confess to having been so desperate (bleeding legs from tip of toe to above knee and other huge patches, that I paid to see a dermatologist within 3 days. It's a horrible auto immune disease and I hope he gets some proper help.

Thank you all for your kind words and helpful suggestions. I have bought coal tar soap for my DS in the past and also given him an Aloe Vera plant . My 12 yr old grandson (his nephew ) bought him coconut oil last week after seeing his large open sores and feeling dad for him.
Because my DS doesn't live with us I can't monitor what he does,but I can nag him in to asking to see a dermatologist Thank you once again, I'll research all suggestions, your help is much appreciated.

This is my face without regular use of Aveeno as prescribed by my dermatologist. All the barrier creams and steroids didn't work.

Absolutely agree with the other comments GP do not have the expertise to manage skin conditions an this needs a specialist dermatologist. My daughter has had severe excema since she was tiny she is 30 now.She has tried every treatment and has taken drugs which although worked have affected her liver . She stopped the drugs to try to start a family and her condition returned with a vengance. She recently saw a pharmacist who was foreign who saw how many creams she was using and suggested that she buy magnesium tablets which they use in his country for a range of skin conditions including psoriasis.Currently she is clear and so grateful ,may be worth try .

Solitaire

I have had psoriasis for over 40 years in several areas of my body. No idea why but not so itchy the longer I have it.

I have gone through the prescribed creams from the doctor and obviously the doctor will be of more influence than I but can I suggest a couple of products that WILL NOT cure but just might help with appearance and itching that I find helpful, others may come along and say rubbish but we all have to try these things for ourselves don't we.

I use ' MALFKI Dead Sea Soap ', about £3.50/£4 a bar which I buy from Boots (available on line look up dead sea soap). Recently I have had some success with ' Aldi's LACURA hand and nail cream ' . The latter I have no idea why it helps but is cheap about 79p but it softens and seems to ease 'the scaling' and does not itch so I can only say try a patch on hubby. It does have Beeswax & Allantoin in the ingredients and I believe beeswax to some has a good result.

I have been reading over the last couple of years of 'breakthroughs' but it can't come too soon as psoriasis is embarrassing and as your dear hubby knows not a joke.

www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/psoriasis/research

Interesting what you say about the soap POGS as I once read that swimming in the Dead Sea was a cure for psoriasis; something that stuck in my mind at the time [a prescription on the NHS being somewhat difficult].Allantoin is a pain reliever I believe. Thankfully I've only ever suffered from occasional bouts of eczema but they've been enough to make me feel so sorry for anyone who suffers from skin conditions. I know she sold it and was biased, but a friend of mine swore by drinking Aloe Vera juice for skin complaints; she had suffered badly with eczema since she was a child and it cured her. Any auto immune problem is difficult because it varies from one sufferer to another.

I'm prescribed one of the biologic treatments referred to on the link POGS posted. It's changed my life because I have inflammatory arthritis along with the psoriasis. Most people with one auto immune condition are blessed with a few others. The biologics do carry risks but so does untreated inflammatory arthritis. It isn't uncommon for people with psoriasis to develop psoriatic arthritis, but thankfully, not everyone does.

I had psoriasis from puberty to the change of life when it miraculously cleared up, haven't had it since. I did get it
very bad and used Diprosone ointment, always found ointment
absorbed better, though different creams/ointments suit
different people, I used the ointment then wrapped it around with cling film after my shower leaving it on untill evening or morning shower, repeating the process untill after it had cleared up, about two weeks for me, then just used the ointment on its own, did this during summer when I wore sleeveless dresses swimsuits etc, got me over the worst although found it itched like the devil in the winter when I got warm so some times repeated this process for parties, (skimpy dresses)hopefully medicine has improved since then though.
then thou

muddy nails, the dermatologist I saw recommended I use emollients, leave ten mins for them to absorb into the skin, more and thicker emollients, allow to absorb and finally apply the steroid before wrapping in clingfilm. I'd been in a lot of pain, discomfort and large areas of skin from toes to above the knees just raw - this regime was so helpful but the puva light therapy that I waited three months for helped clear it. The biologics I'm now on keep me clear, other than the patch on my elbow. I've kept up the emollient regime (minus steroids and cling film) because the suggestion is if I don't it could recur.

Iam64, I was also reccomended to have a bag with proper porridge oats tied to the bath tap and let the hot water run through the bag into bath, soothed the itching,I also used oilatum in the bath, it coated the skin with a thin layer of oil and I think helped the skin from drying out. this was all 20 plus years ago though, as I said mine cleared off with my hormones and I trust medicine has improved, although a friend tells me how tight her Dr. is at handing out prescriptions as he keeps reiterating how expensive these sreoid creams are, I feel like visiting him and giving him a piece of my mind, he obviously doesn't realise how ill a bad bout of psoriasis can make you feel, that's without the embarrasment of thoughtless people making snide remarks. I'm really pleased your regime is working for you though, I know what a relief it can be.

Yes, the porridge idea was recommended to me as well muddy. I'm shocked to hear your friends GP is reluctant to prescribe as unless a flare up is swiftly dealt with it can become life changing. Your'e right, people may look and think the worst of it is unpleasant remarks about patches, or embarrassment but that is nothing compared with how very ill you feel when covered in psoriasis. It's the only pain I've ever experienced that made me cry. Could your friend ask for a referral to dermatology? I know they often have long wait lists but once a dermatologist has recommended a treatment plan, the gP must then prescribe as directed.

In my post I mentioned 'break through's' and I couldn't for the life of me remember the name of a new product but this is a new psoriasis foam spray just available on prescription.

It' called ENSTILAR FOAM SPRAY. I might give it a go.

Sorry

psoriasisnewstoday.com/2016/07/18/first-combination-foam-spray-psoriasis-enstilar-launched-in-uk/

Solitaire For what it's worth a friend of mine who had severe psoriasis wanted to lose weight so that he could cross a sky dive off of his bucket list. He cut out all dairy products from his diet and lost the weight he needed to lose and the psoriasis disappeared too. He kept off of dairy products for the rest of his life, stayed trim and his skin remained clear too.

It is a horrible condition. I am fortunately not a sufferer. But I know people who are.
I would certainly suggest insisting on a dematologist if it is very severe.

POGS I have given my son a medicated foam spray which he has just started using and CrazyDaisy I think your suggestion about dairy products could be helpful but we are all vegetarians and dairy products, like cheese and milk, form quite a significant part of our diet. However if it works for my son it's certainly worth a try.....now to source alternatives to dairy X

I have psoriasis and have large patches of redness on my face and have been using dermalmd psoriasis serum daily. The redness has significantly decreased. I'm hoping that it will continue to minimize the redness with prolonged use.

I will go through the regime I went through. it is somewhere else on GN so hope I don't irritate some of you who have already read it, if so I apologise.
We are a family with psoriasis, my mums dad was hospitalised a few times and my dad had it so, naturally, 2 out of us 4 girls got it reasonably badly, 1 only on her scalp and the other got off scot free!
Mine didn't bother me till I came to live in the uk, no sun!
So boring putting up with it because it never really goes and most of the treatments are either smelly, time consuming or ultimately damage your skin and just stores up trouble in later life.
I was directed to a book written by Dr John Mansfield, first published in 1990. He has in the past been President of the British soc. for Allergy and Environmental Medicine among other things. It is called Arthritis,allergy, Nutrition & the Environment and is, I think, a must read book for anyone with migraines, arthritis or psoriasis.
I followed his diet, very hard at first but I persevered and my skin improved enormously. Sometimes it's difficult to evaluate the improvement as psoriasis is a condition that can come and go but, after 2 years, my skin is so much better. I don't stick to the diet religiously now but have changed my eating habits and it seems to keep it at bay. Just about to have my rhubarb and yogurt for breakfast!
This does take effort but I think it's worth it.
After my last post on this subject I was sent a private message form someone who also followed this path and was very happy with the results.

By the way I use Capasal to wash my hair. Expensive but it lasts ages

I have it on my leg and when its flaring up i use Manuka honey , just spread some on and rub it in , for me it is the only thing that has ever cleared it up.

Foderma serum eliminated psoriasis on my neck! I have tried creams, lotions, remedies and suggestions from my doctor. I was expecting it to take much longer to see results, but within 2 weeks, the psoriasis is 98% gone - I have to look very close to see any remnant of it.

I have had psoriasis for many years, and tried all sorts of medication from many Dr's around the world and I'm very happy to say I've been using Dermalmd Psoriasis Medicated Skin Serum now for maybe 1and half years morning and night and very happy to say that my ankles are free from psoriasis and my elbows are still scaly but taking a bit longer,but dermalmd is the best treatment I have ever used.

Lots of good advice here - thank you. I have had a terrible rash on my leg - bright red, swollen ankle. The rash was on my back, arms and stomach. The one on my leg was weeping. Three months and 4 visits to the GP later, I still have it on my leg. My back and arm has cleared up but my leg is very red and patchy but no longer swollen or weeping.. GP now wants me to go for blood tests but I have recently had blood tests and all was OK. This all started when she changed my BP medication and I feel it is a severe reaction to that. I will try some recommendations from here.

Psoriasis can be defined as a non-contagious, auto-immune, skin disorder that is chronic in nature. It is characterized by the appearance of reddish, dry, and scaly skin that comes out as patches found over the scalp, ears, elbows, genitalia and on the palm and feet. These scaly patches are formed due to excessive skin production in the areas of inflammation. They are formed at a speed faster than the body’s ability to shed off older skin and therefore it gives a silvery-shiny appearance.

There are many treatments available for psoriasis but very few of them really works. The best treatment for psoriasis is the homeopathic treatment(https://www.askdrshah.com/psoriasis-treatment.aspx). It is a slow process but it has got guaranteed results. Many people cured their psoriasis with the help of homeopathic medicines. I would suggest you go with it.