I have been diagnosed with phoriasis five months ago particularly bad on my scalp. It is incredibly itchy and flaky and is driving me mad. I can deal with the odd patch on my body but the scalp is a different matter. My hair is also thinning. I am being referred to a dermatologist.
I would be grateful to hear of anyone with similar problems
Posted Mon 21 May 2018 09.01 by Whenafishsings
I suffer from psoriasis on my scalp like you it drives me insane, I have had this now for years, the one thing I have found that keeps it at bay for me is dying my hair colour is optional as at the moment im purple, I don't know about you but do you fine certain shampoos can make it worse??
Posted Mon 21 May 2018 10.38 by Bumblebee
I have developed scalp psoriasis aged 59 out of the blue. I had never heard of it before and it is severe and long lasting. My GP was clueless and noting worked, by the time I saw a consultant the condition was over my entire scalp, I have lost 50%of my hair on the top of my head and 80% of my fringe. I have just joined this forum, I had severe reactions to ciclisporin and it was stopped after 3 weeks. I am about 5 weeks into an alternative drug but it is not helping, in fact it is making it worse. I am despairing of anything helping. I hope you have better results than me.
Thank you both for replying. I wonder why it suddenly comes on , never had skin problems before. I am seeing a consultant privately on 30th and really hoping she can come up with some miracle cure. I have also lost 50% of my hair on top and my fringe is getting thinner by the day. So upsetting. The small patches on my body have cleared up.
Posted Mon 21 May 2018 18.45 by Margaret W
Hi Bumblebee - I just wondered how long you have had it and whether you had it on any other part of the body. I am using Calcipotriol on my scalp - is this what you had a bad reaction to and if so what sort of reaction.
Posted Mon 21 May 2018 19.35 by Tps
Hi
I’m 52 and have had scalp psoriasis for at least 42 of them! Best thing for me is Diprosalic scalp lotion - it clears the scaly bits and then works on the red skin !
Worth a try - good luck
Gosh - what a long time you have had it. Does it ever go away or have you got it constantly?
Posted Mon 21 May 2018 19.54 by Bumblebee
Hi Margaret W. I was diagnosed by myself, it started with a fingernail about 18months ago but my GP had never known about pitted nails and psoriasis so treated it for a fungal nail infection. The scalp started last Autumn and I was given steroid mouse and thick cream to apply but I had long fine hair but masses of it so getting to the skin of the scalp was difficult and it did nothing to help. A referral was made to a dermatologist after I did enough research to tell my GP I needed a referral. With every passing week it got worse and when I saw a consultant my entire scalp was covered in thick plaques and my hair was coming out in 10-15 hairs on each plaque. The drug I reacted to was ciclisporin, it am now on acitretin and it is showing no signs of helping, I have just developed large patches on my arms and legs since seeing the dermatologist and starting on acitretin. I am currently driven insame with itching all over and it is on my face. Death does not seem an unattractive option to me right now so I think I will ask for an earlier review than the three months given to me. I am not aware of Calcipitorol and would love to know of it is helping you. I hope you get some relief
Stay positive Bumblebee ! We all know how you feel 😬
There’s a new drug ‘clear skin’ by Novartis
It’s for severe plaque, scalp and psoriatic arthritis - it’s a new biological inhibitor - only available via dermatologists and if it is funded - but results are amazing 👍
Posted Mon 21 May 2018 20.10 by Tps
Margaret
2 weeks in the sunshine normally does it !!
I have been told to keep my head out of the sun! I have a friend who has severe phoriasis on her body and the sun really does help her.
I will let you know if my consultant comes up with anything on 30th.
Bumblebee - stay positive.
I use Dovobet gel on my body and my patches have cleared. I also moisturise with Cetraben daily
Posted Tue 22 May 2018 11.09 by OhNo_NotAgain?
Margaret - depending on the preparation/medications you are using the advice will be to stay out of the sun. Some increase your sensitivity to direct sunlight in a bad way. I suggest to ask your consultant about this specific issue when you see them.
I don't know the correct advice if you are using just Calcipotriol without steroid.
Posted Wed 23 May 2018 18.53 by MrsDale
I've had scalp psoriasis for around 20 years, have tried various treatments without success.
I've ordered some Loyon cream as someone mentioned it in the forums. I am also going to try Vosene shampoo (I don't use any shampoo at the moment).
My GP could not care less so I am saving up to see a private Dermatologist and hopefully will be able to have some lightbox therapy.
My new problem is a very hot patch of skin at the nape of my neck...it is bright red and is starting to go scaly. I've tried E45, Sudocrem, olive oil, coconut oil and cocoa butter but nothing helps. A cold flannel placed over it is soothing though.
Has anyone else suffered with thus and could you recommend anything to relieve the burning/scaling?
Posted Wed 23 May 2018 21.49 by Whenafishsings
MrsDale I get those horrible red patches at the nape of the neck, the only thing I found to work for about 5 weeks is to dye my hair, I have had psoriasis for nearly 20 been backwards and forward to the doc to derm and the only thing I found that works is to dye my hair it last for about 5 weeks, but it defo make it a whole lot better
Posted Wed 23 May 2018 22.19 by Margaret W
Mrs Dale - sorry to hear your story. I am new to this scalp phoriasis which started five months ago. I have it all over my scalp and one of the worst places is the nape of the neck. I use Calcipotriol on it and although it briefly stings like mad it definitely helps. I hope yours improves very soon
Posted Thu 24 May 2018 09.20 by MrsDale
Thank you both.
Hair dye is not an option for me as my scalp is cracked and bleeding, I would not be able to face having dye put on it!
Margaret, I'm sorry to hear you are suffering. I haven't heard of Calcipotriol but am glad it is helping you.
xx
Posted Thu 24 May 2018 13.48 by DanE
Another recommendation for ginger shampoo: I've tried lots of different shampoos - polytar, alphosyl and nizoral mainly - with varying success. But a short assistant at Boots recommended Bodyshop ginger shampoo and it is a revelation. Cheaper and smells nicer, and has cleared up my scalp incredibly effectively. My only concern is that other treatments can lose effectiveness over time, but so far so good.
Posted Thu 24 May 2018 14.12 by MrsDale
Thanks that sounds like another option to try, I'll pick some up at the weekend.
Hi Bumblebee,
I has severe scalp psoriasis a while back, and similarly I lost half go my hair, i started Methotrexate and that has cleared it now but at the time i found it difficult and incredibly embarrassing.
I found the best thing that worked for me was to put coconut oil in my hair, and particularly the scalp, always in the bath as the warmth opens your hair follicles and wet hair makes it easier to apply, then wrap it in a warm towel and sleep with it over night and wash it in the morning.
It is genuinely the only thing that bought me any relief and eased my scalp, plus using coal tar shampoos and medicated treatments has dried my hair out so much I couldn't brush it without ripping more out, so it really helped with that too.
Its definitely no miracle cure, but as least gives relief from the itching and conditions the hair that you do have, and also makes the plaques softer so they are to quite so irritated,
I hope this helps!
Posted Sat 26 May 2018 13.53 by Margaret W
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I will try coconut oil as like you I find the prescribed medication and shampoos very drying. Has the phoriasis hone completed and has your hair grown back?
We use cookies to help us provide you with a better service, but do not track anything that can be used to personally identify you.
If you prefer us not to set these cookies, please visit our Cookie Settings page or continue browsing our site to accept them.
Close
Posted Wed 16 May 2018 21.06 by Margaret W