Just lovely....psoriasis

[Kung]

Was getting ready for bed and noticed a very small (maybe the size of a nickel) red spot on my leg. I'm pretty detail oriented, so I paid attention to what it looked like and then searched the 'Net, and sure enough, it's evidently psoriasis. My wife (a nurse) took one look @ it and said "yep, that's it all right."

THANKFULLY, my 'outbreaks' (LOL) are one or two spots - that's it. And from what I understand, it doesn't usually go from this to HUGE problems. But this being said, I'd like to know if anyone else out there has had it, what they use to 'stave it off', etc.

[ellebeaux]

Aww shoot, Kung, I just read something really useful about psoriasis and I can't remember what it was! But it was a new scientific report about the relationship between something in your diet and outbreaks of the disease. I wish I could remember where I saw it as it seemed pretty credible.

Good luck with that,

Beaux

p.s. are you sure it's not ringworm? The easy way to tell is look at it with a blacklight and see if it glows...

[Kung]

I'm sure it's not ringworm, because I've also had the OTHER indicators for years, and just didn't realize what they were (REAL dry/itchy feet et al.)

[MELOC]

i wonder if tea tree oil would help? i have no clue, but i would like to know.

[mtman]

try washing the area with tar soap

[Kung]

Beats me...right now it's not bad at all (only ONE spot on my entire body, and it doesn't itch and it's small), but I will keep these in mind.

[mtman]

Originally Posted by MELOC

i wonder if tea tree oil would help? i have no clue, but i would like to know.

i dont think it would help
the area has over active cells they grow faster then you shed them tar soap and salt from the dead sea helps tar soap being easyer to get

[rkintn]

I have psoriasis and the only thing that helps my outbreaks is to either spend alot of time in the sun or the tanning bed. I did spend about a year outbreak free and that was really nice I get it on my lower legs and my forearms. It gets especially bad when it gets cooler and less humid here. You are lucky, Kung, if you just have that one small patch.

[via media]

Look at the bright side, Kung. I have it IN MY EAR CANALS (doctor diagnosed). Some days I have seriously considered ramming hot pokers into my ears just to get some relief.

/VM

[Peacock]

I have it on my left foot. Not the right, just the left. Weird. My mom has it on both feet and her hands too. You're very lucky. Having it on your feet is awful.

MtMan is right -- pine tar soap helps. Other remedies include hydrocortisone cream, cortisone shots, exposure to sunshine or a sun lamp, and a variety of herbal concoctions. Pine tar soap is probably the most consistently effective. It's also good for eczema and dandruff.

My mom says that her psoriasis got better when she stopped taking OTC pain relievers of all kinds. Her doctor is making her take baby aspirin now so the rashes have returned, but it's a low dose, so they're not bad.

Mine gets better when I alternate between fresh air and slathering it with lotion. It comes and goes. It's not bad right now.

Psoriasis is a look-alike of other skin conditions, though. You might want to consider having an official diagnosis including a culture. Eczema is a close relative.

[Zipporah]

My son and I both have the mess. Sun helps,but this time of year it get worst. I hate it.I have it in my ears, face and hair I've found it helps to use tar soap.I use the bar kind and tea tree oil helps.I add a couple of drops to my hand with the shampoo.My doc said weather change and stress can cause flare ups.

[RedTartan]

My husband has it on his scalp. Only on his scalp! He's had to swear off black shirts for life because it looks like horrible dandruff. Neutragena T-Gel shampoo is the only thing that keeps it under control. I guess I'm recommending tar soap again.

RedTartan

[ceresone]

i got a phamplet(?) today, linking this and arthritis together--seems they're running a study on linkage--

[freegal]

Try P-K-5 (powerful pain relief with glucosamine) lotion. You can get it at Walgreens. It can sting a bit, but it really works. I had a large patch on the front of my ankle that I used the PK5 on several times a day, for a few weeks and it healed nicely. My DH had the PK5 in the medicine cabinet for aches & pains, not sure if it worked for that though.

[Westwood]

I have it on my elbows, knees, anywhere there's a source of irritation. In the last 10 years I've tried everything from steriod creams to quack solutions. The only thing that keeps the plaque down is Dermarest lotion and shampoo. It doesn't seem to CURE the patches, just keeps them in check.

There's a Dr in Kentucky, I believe, who's treating the patches by freezing. Discovered it by accident treating patients for skin cancer. Where the patches have been frozen, psoriasis doesn't come back.

Edited to say:

Don't let it get out of control! If I'd treated mine with the steriods when the patches were tiny, I could have stopped them. At the time, I was too poor to go to a Dr and get a prescription. The steriod creams were $200 a month in those days. The same generic prescription now is $10.

[gilberte]

I've got it on my knees and face, prescription steroidal cream is about the only thing that has worked for me. I was surprised to hear about the poster and son both having it as I thought it usually skipped a generation.

[Kung]

Boy, that's a lot of information....never knew there were this many people out there who had it.

From what I understand, I probably DO have it elsewhere. My feet get RIDICULOUSLY dry and cracked during the changing of the seasons, and the skin on my feet gets real hard. And my hands peel just a bit. But other than that, that's it.

This being said, however, I will DEFINITELY keep this in check.

[Snugglebunny]

My DH has been suffering from this for years now. He has a large patch on his ankle, as well as others on his calves. It's difficult because his socks, shoes and pantlegs irritate it. he's tried everything the doc suggested to no avail. we haven't tried the tar soap yet, though. May try that one... I noticed Lehman's has a whole set of it.

It keeps him up at night. Its horrible to listen to him. Sometimes he alternates between screaming and crying because the itching and pain and burning gets so bad. He HATES the summer weather because the heat makes it worse, but doesn't like the dry indoor winter weather either.

[Westwood]

Try the Dermarest lotion you can get at Walmart OTC. The lotion keeps the area from getting dry, brittle and helps the stinging. Luckily, with my skin type, I don't have the awful itching and stinging some people do.

[Ken Scharabok]

I have had it so bad on the soles of both feet the skin would flake off in quarter size pieces about once a week. Walking in wet socks essentially turned soles to waterless blisters. Often felt like I was walking on hot beach sand. Sometimes a spot would itch extremely severely. Went the treatment route. Nothing worked. I finally asked the Derm. if it could be triggered by an allergy. Test showed I was mildly allergic to an incregient in most laundry soaps. I started washing my socks separately using only enough dish washing liquid to raise a slight foam (Dawn). Cleared up within about a week and I have only had a couple of very minor bouts in about five years. Likely new socks. Soles of feet are still very sensitive though. Even walking on grass barefoot sometimes sends sensations through my body.

Psoriasis is commonly believed to be an auto immune problem. Essentially the body rejecting the skin. Recently it was found there may be a linkage between bad psoriasis and heart problems.

In some cases it can be combined with a fungus - as was mine. One supported the other.

You can also buy coal tar in some sporting goods places - the stuff they use on baseball bat handles. I bought mine on eBay from a vet supply place.

I would recommend a full-spectrum allergy test just to eliminate the possibility. Might show you unknown allergies which might be causing other health problems.

On artritis, it was found a side effect of some new rheumatory artritis drugs was they cleared up psorasis in some patients and some have now been cleared for the treatment of severe psorasis.