One of the many things about psoriasis that has perplexed me at times is how to manage it day to day to minimise itching and burning.
I got so confused hearing slightly different things from different dermatologists or being given fairly detailed advice hurriedly at the end of appointments that I eventually took a deep breath and spelled out my need for a Well Thought-Out Plan, On Paper!
My dermy obliged and what I got involved a nightly bath with Aveeno oil in the water, application of 3 different steroid creams, then, after a 15 minute wait for the steroid to be absorbed, an all over application of emollients. I did a double take at that! And indeed, the whole business took about an hour at first.
As you know I have not been diagnosed formally as PsA but as have DIP and shoulder/hip involvement my rheum thinks that's what it will turn out to be (some confounding MCTD features that are muddying waters).
One reason for the caution is I don't have psoriasis and particular no nail abnormalities. My mum did have bad psoriasis and mild -moderate PsA in ankles and one wrist.
Do you get your aveeno on prescription? If so good, but a cheap alternative is oats. I am always telling my patients with eczema this one - get a sports sock rough side out. Fill with couple handfuls of cheap oats, run your bath water through this while running a bath and use the sock as a bath mitt after, mildly exfoliative but all the soothing benefits of oats. She also swore by copious amounts of coconut oil - both eaten and topical.
Being a bit of a healthy food freak I love the sound of oats and coconut oil! And the exfoliating technique is ingenious! I might resort to that if I run out of prescription stuff. Yep, I get Aveeno on prescription so you could too. I really like it.
Something else that has a bit of 'natural' going for it, but not in such a nice way perhaps, is Balneum Cream which contains urea .... I reckon it works that bit better than the urea-free versions.
For splitting fingertips I've found that generic OTC eczema creams with colloidal oatmeal give good results, and for bad days, using Vaseline and cotton gloves overnight, works wonders.
All of the above specified by my Dermatologist at Weill Cornell NY Presbyterian.
Thanks Len! Sounds like you're very conscientious with the moisturiser, I just about manage once a day at the moment but I seem to be getting away with it. If the psoriasis were to get worse I'd apply it twice daily for sure, it took me a while to realise that moisturising etc. are absolutely worth it.
One thing I find very tricky is my scalp. When scalp P was at its worst I seriously considered shaving all my hair off because applying de-scaler and steroid cream is so haphazard and messy. Even so, I've got better at it, these things definitely take time to adjust to. And also, fortunately I have a helpful partner because applying 'stuff' to the back, especially with arthritis is, well ... quite a challenge!
How is your psoriasis if you don't mind me asking? As well as being just plain nosey I'm interested to hear how others are doing.
Is it a cream or a lotion you have for your scalp. I have really bad scalp psoriasis and am prescribed a lotion which is really easy to apply, it is just liquid and just soaks in. I still hate using it though!
Actually I did have a liquid steroid and that was easy to apply. However that was soon replaced by foam. Applying that is like some sort of game show activity because it disappears to nothing in seconds, often before it actually reaches my head! Plus I can't feel it. The liquid stung just a little which at least had the virtue of letting me know which areas I'd already done!
I'm not big on complementary therapies but I've got a bit of a thing for apple cider vinegar. Again, that might just be because its astringency makes a flaky scalp feel clean and it is cooling. I use it in addition to the prescribed medications.
For ages I used Moo Goo cream for psoriasis but that has started wearing off so I am now using hydro-cortisone which is also stopping having an effect. I'd actually really like to know where to go from here. About four months ago I had to have my wedding ring cut off because it flared up around it. I can't have a larger one made because it hasn't cleared up yet so i am definitely looking for something that is effective.
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but good news if i ever do x
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