I'm cracking up - anyone have good advice?

Posted Wed 24 Oct 2018 09.23 by Alimart

Hi, I am new to psoriasis and to this forum so please forgive me if I get terms wrong. I have bad foot psoriasis and am on a waiting list to see a dermatologist because GPs can't seem to sort it out. I have tried all sorts of things and am now using a emollient called 50 / 50. Both my soles are totally covered in hard skin but this stuff seems to slowly be removing the scales (don't know what comes after that). My main problem is the cracking of the skin. I have several sites on each foot and it is like walking on a foot with about 8 open paper cuts - very painful - but you can't stop walking! I got plasters and strong adhesive "tape" to put over these cracks. Problem is that they both don't stick to hard scales and so I am left with unprotected cracks. I do get itching sometimes but found that sudocrem does help with that. Eventually these cracks seal up and disappear - but as soon as one disappears, another one appears! Is there anything I can do to stop this cracking? Look forward to hearing from experts out there.... A

Posted Wed 13 Mar 2019 23.42 by Londoner (edited Tue 19 Mar 2019 23.24 by Londoner)

Not sure what you have but I have plaque psoriasis (elows) and irritant contact dermatitis (skin on knuckles splits and bleeds). For the latter I use pure lanolin balm (Lanolips 101 Ointment) and this totally stops the skin on my knuckles cracking and bleeding. For my psoriasis, Pommade Divine minimises flaking but not the redness/inflammation. Still seeking suggestions there. Update: in terms of other natural / sustainable treatments that work - have seen consistently good reports on blueberries (100g/day - includes vitamin K), plus also Turmeric+black pepper capsules (reduce inflammation), omega 3 oils (eg cod liver oil capaules; a carrier oil for fat soluble vitamins A, D E & K), plus also foodstuffs containing said vitamins A, D, E & K.... All good for skin & immune system regulation, like natural steroids. Similar reports also suggest avoiding "nightshade" vegetables eg tomatoes plus also limiting red meat, both of which cause inflammation. One week and counting in my trial of the same...

Posted Tue 19 Mar 2019 18.06 by psoriasis123

you should really have been prescribed a steroid, ask your doctor about estilar, its so good. Also ask about PUVA which is also really good for hard to reach areas of psoriasis. And by the way I am relatively new here.

Posted Tue 19 Mar 2019 23.09 by Alimart

Thanks for the advice. I've tried steroid creams which work up to a point. I bought myself a home UVA light but instructions said you can overdo it so I did up to the maximum amount they recommend and then stopped. My feet have improved slightly. Hard scale covers about 60% of my feet and still get cracking. Waiting times on NHS Scotland are around 12 months to see a dermatologist. I was referred months ago but heard nothing. Was suffering so much - couldn't walk because of pain and couldn't sleep at night because of itching that I had to go see a private dermatologist. Luckily I can afford to see one. He gave me stuff which helped a bit but I seem to be levelling out at 60% scaly (cracking) and 40% red throbbing area. I have been scanning internet and am now going to try supplements, natural creams, etc, to see if there is anything along that line which may help.

To take part, sign in or register with us