Seb Dermatitis or Psoriasis?

I have been struggling with what a dermatologist suggested was Seb dermatatis but now it seems as though it is more like Psoriasis. How was everyone else diagnosed?

is is common to have psoriasis misdiagnosed as seb derm?

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I think it's common to have psoriasis misdiagnosed full-stop! I'm not very knowledgeable about psoriasis - I had inverse psoriasis in my armpits for many years and eventually it just disappeared. Since being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in 2012 I've had one big psoriasis flare-up covering much of my body and even that caused major confusion, I recall that about 5 or more different diagnoses were considered. In that instance the confusion was somewhat understandable as the drugs I take for PsA also treat psoriasis and, apparently, 'partially treated' psoriasis can present very atypically. However the long-term inverse psoriasis was barely diagnosed, a few doctors mentioned psoriasis, that's all. At one point I was told it was due to not shaving my armpits, though to be fair that's not something you really want to do when the skin is nearly raw.

I think the only thing you can do is to keep plugging away, pushing for a firm diagnosis for your skin condition. Don't give up because there are some drugs that can really help psoriasis. Perhaps you don't need them yet, you don't say exactly how bad things are. But if it is moderate to severe psoriasis, or if it gets worse, it would help enormously to have the damn thing diagnosed so that the dermatologists are ready with an effective treatment plan.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

thank you for the advice. I cannot explain just how much skin condition has taken over my life. I am literally begging for a referral soon I have rosacea which i found easy to manage and is under control however this Seb derm has resulted in me being on antibiotics for what is now 3 years, immunosuppressants in cream format and its still been flaring with the treatment in place.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Oh my goodness, so this is a pretty nasty episode.

To my knowledge, psoriasis isn't treated with antibiotics. I could be wrong, but have never heard of it. Keep emphasising your desire to get the smartest possible treatment, which can really only come with a very confident diagnosis. Sometimes it's the case that re-iterating the obvious is the only way to go .... even the manner in which we talk to doctors is worth working on ... assertive, polite, clear .... I expect that's how you are already, but there's always room for improvement.

Would you let us know how things go, perhaps? Especially if you get a breakthrough of some kind as I doubt you're the only person seeking clarity. But also if you have an ongoing battle, because perhaps others here will have some more ideas and anyway you deserve support.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

This is what is leading me to think that the diagnoisis is totally wrong. In that duration of being on antibiotics its never gone away its still flares for me to go back on it the meds.

The only thing that has an impact on the scaly and flaky rash is the immunosuppressant - Also its spread all over my body.. which is why i think its psoriasis being left untreated. Of course i will provide you with an update. I am considering going private as well.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Out of curiosity ... what is the immunosuppressant you've been using? Do you mean steroid cream?

"I am considering going private as well." I would! Perhaps best to inquire about protocols first, but it shouldn't interfere with your NHS treatment. A few hundred quid (at most) is so worth it if it gets things moving.

Yet another thing I'm not entirely sure about ... there are tests for psoriasis, but they're not done that often so maybe they're not all that reliable or something. However one little patch of my flare up was so 'atypical' that it resembled skin cancer and the biopsy result came back as 'partially treated psoriasis'. Worth asking about anyway.

If the rash has spread all over your body it is a big deal. Never let the doctors forget that. It's astonishing what they can get blasé about (though it only takes one very good doctor for me to start singing their praises to the heavens!).

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

The immunosuppressive cream is called protopic. Here is a link

drugs.com/protopic.html

I was under the NHS for all of 2 appointments one to assume what it is the second to discharge me with a steroid cream (dermovate), Rosacea cream, the immunosuppressive cream and a years course of antibiotics.

Thank you for your advice

[angelamckenna in reply to Hidden]

I also have never heard of antibiotics to treat psoriasis, and believe me i have researched everything about it, i would ask for a second opinion if i were you hun as being on antibiotics for that length of time surely cant be good for you, doctors don't even care enough to explain to us what psoriasis actually even is let alone give us treatment that actually works, it actually can be controlled with many drugs but there to expensive for us to have its discusting how some people can have the treatments and others can't, what about quality of life the nhs system is a complete joke in my opinion

[angelamckenna in reply to angelamckenna]

I don't know how long you have had the dermovate hun but do you know it shouldn't be used often as it thins the skin and should only be used as a short term treatment x

[Hidden in reply to angelamckenna]

Had to the dermovate for far too long sadly. It's the combination of medications esp the protopic that really burns skin off. I was given that at the last referral at Hillingdon hospital - let's just say it's like once bitten twice shy to get another referral!

[Hidden in reply to angelamckenna]

I so agree with you. I'm just forever researching largely due to being left on my own to figure this out myself. The NHS totally failed me in every aspect of my healthcare. The skin issue is one of many now sadly which could have been treated a while back. And not allowed to flare to this stage..

[angelamckenna in reply to Hidden]

Totally agree with you i was just told i had psoriasis and that was it never got told what it was why i had it or anything at all, i had to research it myself, i researched it and all possible treatments and there is many treatments there for it too that work and safe treatments without all the nasty side effects too, were not told any of this because its expensive that's what it all boils down to the cost, it's more or less the nhs just saying we don't matter, when they can put cost over the quality of a persons life it's so wrong on many levels x

[Hidden in reply to angelamckenna]

I had a similar experience too. I have chronic asthma and skin allergies and each time I had asked the doctors why he would say oh you have hay fever it's a seasonal thing...then I had to become anaphylactic to get a food allergy blood test done. Surprise surprise I had a nut allergy since birth that was masked by an obscene antihistamine intake. I'm just frustrated that I think they have totally missed the skin treatment now (maybe they didn't but I have trust issues now)

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Thanks for the link Weezer. Good luck, hope you get somewhere soon with all of this.

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Thank you - will send you an update soon about the referral.

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Update - Has anyone else heard of only being allowed one referral under the NHS?

a bit of background (in gist format!) i have a food allergy which was actually the trigger to my throat swelling up. I was then reffered to an ENT department. So i am under the care of my local ENT department.

Back to what i think is psoriasis, i have just been to see a GP who said that he will have to wait for the verdict from the ent to then activate the referal not to a dermatologist but then and allergist! I was pretty stunned to say the least so i have to wait till the discharge for the Skin to be treated?

I am so confused and don't know what route to take now? Private?

[jax553]

I was Diagnosed with Dermatitis until one-day blisters appeared on my hands and feet, But I had felt this intense Burning in my palms and on the bottom of my feet, before that, It was horrid, felt like my hands were going to burst into flames, they were an odd shade of red too, I still get that burning sensation then I know that sure enough blisters will follow.

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Hi jax553,

I have the burning hands too but not the blisters. Did you have burning hands before the blisters started to appear?