Palmoplantar pustulosis-any tips for daily life?

First Back 1 2 3 4 5 Next Last

Posted Thu 17 Jan 2019 17.50 by daveym

Hi, I was recently diagnosed with PPP. I am a male, 39 years old, ex smoker now vaping. I have the most mild psoriasis just under the knee which is why my doctor associated this to what I have recently experienced on my palms and soles although I am inclined to disagree so just wanted to ask a few questions based on what I have experienced. My original psoriasis came up just below the knee when working off one knee over a constant period of time for 2 years. I was always on the same knee when working at very low surfaces so could always feel it rubbing. In hindsight I should of used a knee pad. When I left this job the area was red raw just below the knee and without noticing over time this ended up turning into a small area of plaque psoriasis that has never grown beyond the exisiting area. Fast forward 3 years and I started getting small slightly red raised papules about 1mm in size in various areas on my soles of feet. They start tiny and brightish red and get a little larger in some areas. they can vary in size from a couple of mm and stay that size or from a couple of mm and over the course of a few days grown to anything up to 0.5mm. They remain circular but end up becoming a raised and hardish skin with often a smaller inner layer of flakey skin in the centre. Sometimes within a period of 2 weeks the whole thing can completely flake away and leaves the most minute scar although hardly noticable with no little or no reddening. Other occasions it takes far longer for the area to break away and fall off and might not come clean off but when it does it leaves a far redder area of scarring which takes a while to clear or in some cases has just left a circualr reddish scar. In the last 2 months I've had 3 tiny dots come up on one palm and 2 on the other. They don't look far different to thoese on the soles as they grow over a few days but because the area of skin on palm is thicker the scarring is less noticable. One has completely flaked off and can't really be noticed but left the most minute pimple like appearance. The others have all slowly come away and just left some reddish scarring but these seem to get lighter by the day although none have completely cleared. If I wash my hands or they get wet the reddening is that much worse and is very noticable. My worry is I have that many areas on my feet I didn't want this to then suddenly appear all over my hands. The difference to what i've read from others in this thread is these are not yellow in colour, not do they show any signs of puss or fluid, they are merely hard areas of slightly red raised circular skin. They are not itchy in any way and you wouldn't even know they are there. My doctor only mentions psoriasis because of the patch on my knee and associated it with this. Going on pictures of PPP mine don't have that appearance although PPP can show up in different manners at is an unusual psoriais unlike that on other parts of the body. Can anyone suggest if what I have is similar in any way to what anyone else may have experienced? The only change I've suffered in recent months is above average stress levels due to certain issues in life. thanks for any contributions.

Posted Sat 19 Jan 2019 14.47 by Niki

Hi daveym, can I also suggest the facebook group as I've found people to be enormously supportive and knowledgeable on there, mentioning other, similar, skin conditions. I'm afraid I don't know much so can't help but good luck, hope it clears up, along with your life stresses. Facebook group/page is called ppp palmoplantar p psoriasis worldwide support group.

Posted Sat 19 Jan 2019 22.36 by Barb

I signed up today for this forum. I’ve had psoriasis for a few years. Today behind my right ear it just won’t stop weeping. It is very sticky and just won’t stop. Any advice on what to do to help it get better?

Posted Sun 20 Jan 2019 09.20 by OhNo_NotAgain?

Barb, it does not sound like plaque psoriasis if it is sticky and weeping. I would suggest to go to your doctor to confirm if this patch is indeed psoriasis, what type and what is the best course of treatment.

Posted Sun 20 Jan 2019 11.06 by wendyloish

Hi Barb, I have done this to myself behind my ears (and in them) by persistent picking and scratching at the psoriasis affected skin. I found dabbing at it for a while with tissues will eventually slow down the weeping, then a good antiseptic like tea tree or even betadine applied night and morning for a couple of days. I scratch around, in and behind my ears every day. To stop the weeping, which I think maybe symptomatic of bacterial infection I have now got into the habit of applying an antiseptic cream almost as a preventative at least once a day. Have a go at my home remedy first, before you go see a doctor, as it is likely that you would end up with a course of antibiotics, and they are something that really need to be reserved for special occasions. wendyloish

Posted Sun 20 Jan 2019 13.00 by OhNo_NotAgain?

Wendy, hopefully a doctor will only treat what he sees, antibiotics would only be needed for something that shows evidence of a deep-seated infection, and in the UK Doctors will not simply prescribe them as a matter of course. A wedding is a < special occasion >. This brings to my mind your recent post where you described yourself as a know-it-all.

Posted Sun 20 Jan 2019 20.22 by wendyloish

Hi OhNo, I see that irony escapes you. wendyloish

1 Posted Mon 21 Jan 2019 11.57 by KirstyW

I have been diagnosed by the dermatologist as having PPP. I have been getting treatment from my GP for Pompholyx for the past 3 years. The GP finally referred me to the dermatologist when the pustules flared up on my left foot and I needed a course of antibiotics. I have been booked off work since end of November and have not left the house as it has been impossible to wear shoes and socks due to the debilitating pain. I still have it on my foot and on both hands and will be starting PUVA therapy mid February. I am so depressed and tearful with this constant pain and itching and have been using various steroid creams for 3 years. Hope the PUVA works.

Posted Thu 14 Feb 2019 17.42 by Soobaloo

I've had PPP for about 10 months and never had any skin problems before, it literally came out of nowhere. I've tried lots of creams, steroid and over the counter, Chinese herbal stuff and I even went on the pill at 46 as I thought it might be hormonal! The one thing that worked was Mometasone Furoate cream, prescribed my doctor. Applied at night, thin layer and wrapped hand and feet in cling film. Bit of a faff but it was a miracle. From my entire palm/foot covered in pustules/scabs/rash to absolutely clear and normal in about 2 weeks. It started to come back when I stopped using the cream after about 48hrs. So I'm now using the cream every other day to keep it under control whilst I wait for (potentially) light therapy. The cream isn't a long term solution but for me it was amazing. PPP is such a horrible condition and hugely life changing. The rash on my feet made it hard to walk and it was so embarrassing to shake someone's hand or hand over cash in a shop etc. I've been living in white cotton gloves for months, which makes people naturally ask what's wrong. I wear non latex gloves in the shower, use coal tar soap and try not to let any products near my hand, other than the cream, the soap or Neutrogena hand moisturiser (use it regularly). I feel for all of you that are suffering and I would recommend the mometasone (worked for me anyway). I'll post again if and when I try the light therapy.

Posted Thu 14 Feb 2019 18.37 by OhNo_NotAgain?

Soobaloo: a quick question, which coal-tar soap are you using? (and are you in the UK?) Thanks.

Posted Thu 14 Feb 2019 20.29 by Soobaloo

Wright's - £0.60 in Tescos today!! Not sure if it's helping to be honest. Of if it's actually Coal Tar or just fragranced, hard to tell from the label. But I've assumed it might be better than Nivea etc. The only thing that has definitely helped is the mometasone. Shame I can't add pics on here, the difference is astonishing.

Posted Thu 14 Feb 2019 21.01 by Soobaloo

Oh sorry, forgot to say, yes I'm in the UK.

Posted Fri 15 Feb 2019 02.52 by OhNo_NotAgain? (edited Sat 16 Feb 2019 06.16 by OhNo_NotAgain?)

Thanks, yes Wrights doesn't contain any Coal Tar any more, only the fragrance. I used Wrights Coal Tar soap when I was at University in 1980, and for a few years after that, and it helped my plaque psoriasis a lot. I stopped using it for many years as I no longer needed it,. When I wanted it again I discovered the actual coal tar had been removed. I have not been able to find something similar since. Many over-the-counter products containing coal tar were removed from sale or reformulated some years ago. It was a huge shame (for me at any rate). I was hoping that you might have found a viable over-the-counter alternative.

Posted Fri 15 Feb 2019 17.08 by Niki

I was prescribed Coal Tar but on the leaflet it said that under no circumstances should it be used on our condition..... Dunno if it's true as they don't seem to know much eh but worth bearing in mind. Great to hear of your success Soobaloo.....

Posted Sat 16 Feb 2019 13.45 by Itchy

Have had this ppp for 8 months and have had 7 steriod creams and umpteen moisturizers, light treatment did not work as I got polymorph light eruption now had bloods done and now to see if cyclosporine could be an option . Has any one had positive outcome from this drug . I'm so fed up at not been able to use my hands to do my craft work as they are so tender /crackedand sore

Posted Sat 16 Feb 2019 23.11 by Jo

Hi everyone, I posted on here on 10 Aug 2018 and after the PPP got so bad for me that I couldn’t walk for 6 weeks my dermatologist started me on a biologic called ustekinumab in September 2018. I now have 99% clear skin. No pustules or cracks but still a little dry which I use deprobase cream twice a day. which dies the trick and keeps it moisturised through the day. The redness is still there but this will fade with time. I only need 1 injection every 12 weeks and have had no side effects at all. I can not tell you how much this drug has given me my life back and I am completely back to normal. PPP is one of the most debilitating conditioners that not many people seem to know about but it seems a lot of people suffer from it. I just wanted to post and say that there really is a drug out there that works. Jo

Posted Wed 27 Feb 2019 11.23 by Guernseygal
Late 50's just diagnosed with Palmoplantar

Hi everyone, new to the forums, was only officially diagnosed on Monday, but was pretty sure this was what I had after a lot of research. Interesting what Nikki said further up the thread about it turning up when she entered the menopause - me too! Also tracing back to when my first flare up occurred also correlates with when I started taking blood pressure medication. Currently my hands are not to bad, just a few scaly patches, but my feet - oh god my feet - also like Nikki my left is my worst and I fell like I am walking on broken glass all the time. It has taken 6 weeks to see a dermatologist (and that was with health insurance) after my GP decided that is was not fungal - and told me just to moisturise and nothing else, so that the Specialist could see it untreated. He has started me on a salicylic acid cream and Aveeno moisturiser for the next 2 months before re-evaluating treatment. I hope to god things improve before then, I have been battling this in one form or another since last October.

Posted Sun 10 Nov 2019 21.47 by Charlotte1989

Hi. Im new to PPP. Diagnosed in january on my 30th birthday (wonderful) Was a long battle to get diagnosed. Was treated for fungal infection which obviously didnt help. Was prescribed cetraben emollient and ointment. Neither helped. Started off on one hand, within a month both hands and feet were covered. Saw a dermatologist in april. He tried me on dermovate and xemacort cream. Nothing was working. I decided to stop because it wasnt making a difference. I went away to cyprus and the 30 degree heat alongside my body shop hemp cream made a lovely cobination and i was pain free for a whole 4 days. Until i got home. So, eventually i went back end of August to see the dermatologist who said there was nothing more he can do for me and referred me to a hospital. Only when i made an appointment online, the nearest appointment was april 2020. Lucky for me i recieved a cancellation which is for tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed i get some kind of help. After reading all your stories im thinking after Christmas a diet of gluten and dairy free has got to be trialled. After all what have i got to loose. I am neither a smoker or was a smoker. I probably drink one glass of wine socially with family once a week sometimes fortnightly. I am a healthy 8 stone 10lbs and i would say i eat considerably well. With the odd take out every couple of months. I wouldnt say i was a stressed person either as my partner and son keep me smiling daily. Iv had to quit my job (hairdresser). But i struggle daily looking after my son whos just turned two. Dont get me wrong hes an angel. But when it comes to changing nappies, getting him dressed, bath time, battling with his tantrums throwing himself on the floor, trying to pick him up. Walking holding his hand, transferring him from home-car seat to pushchair. Pushing the pushchair. Cooking dinner, opening bottles, oooh the list is rediculous and endless. Dont get me started on washing my hair.. shampoo is like sticking vinger in a cut. So i now have cotton day gloves and bed gloves. I have marigolds for cleaning and a pair for the bath to wash my hair and body. If that wasnt demoralising enough after 3 months of battling to open and close my button on my jeans everytime i needed a wee which resulting in my other half lending a hand.. iv switched to jeggings. Buttonless jeggings.. what has my life come to. Im so lucky to have my partner who makes fun of me but also is my biggest rock and fighter. Let just hope by the time we get married the year after next il have a decent finger he can put a ring on.

Posted Sat 16 Nov 2019 09.03 by Soobaloo

Hi Charlotte, I feel your pain. I've had this for about 18 mths now and have tried various creams, diet changes etc. I've had some success with dermovate cream but it's not a long term solution. I'm back to the dermatologist on Monday and may agree to try some of the more scary sounding drugs - Alcetretin or Methotrexate. I'm not sure if NHS offer PUVA light therapy but will ask.. Some people have success with these, some have horrible side effects. I've tried cutting out nightshades (potato, tomato, pepper) with some success - tomato seems to be a culprit for me - it's very trial and error. I also ditched diet coke and anything with aspartame which helped short term - though my PPP has managed to adjust to any dietary changes after a few weeks of relief! Not sure if you're on Facebook but there are a couple of really good groups with hints and tips. They've helped me mentally as I finally feel like I'm not the only one dealing with this. Might be worth having a look, even if it's just to rant at people who know what you're talking about :-) Search in FB for: Coping with Palmoplantar pustulosis and Palmoplantar pustulosis Both are really good sources of hints and tips. Good luck with the wedding.

Posted Sat 16 Nov 2019 17.34 by Jo

Hi Charlotte, Please see my post 16 feb. I can confirm that my PPP is no more even the redness has completely disappeared 😀 I have been on ustekinumab for over a year and my hands and feet are completely back to normal. You have 1 injection every 3 months and I have had no side effects as it’s suppose to be a very low side effect drug. Even though this is a biologic drug people tend to think that they are really bad but I would have tried anything as the pain and debilitation that PPP caused was far far worse. I really do want people to know that this drug really does work and has completely cured it. If you are going to see a dermatologist ask them about it. I really do hope you get better soon and I will continue to write on this site as there is something out there that works with no nasty side effects. Good luck Jo
First Back 1 2 3 4 5 Next Last

To take part, sign in or register with us