Help and advice needed!
Posted Fri 20 Oct 2023 21.11 by LukeM
I’m a 46yr old male, and 9 weeks ago I suddenly developed what has now been diagnosed as psoriasis. Up until now I’ve never suffered from this before. It started on my scalp whilst on holiday, moving to my elbows and knees. I now have a really severe outbreak over my genitals for 3 weeks - extremely painful to say the least. I’ve been prescribed Dovobet which has helped other areas, and now lotriderm and Dermol. None of these are helping my genital psoriasis which is not good. My gp said it was the worst he has seen in 32years of practice, which scared the hell out of me. He also proscribed me with prednisolone oral steroids which I’ve been taking for a week with no effect. I’ve managed to get an appointment with a dermatologist in November, but could be doing with some advice about treatments for the genital psoriasis. Apologies for the lengthy post, but I’m struggling to understand why this has suddenly happened, and what I can do.
1
Posted Sat 21 Oct 2023 16.59 by jayp
Hi, I've psoriasis in same place , groin is bad area to get in, as it can cause fungal infection because off psoriasis their, I use cream called dermovate cream sparingly, as it is a strong cream , it does take it away for me , plus use a good mostizer. Hope it helps
Posted Wed 25 Oct 2023 22.17 by kiloran
From Lichen Planus to Plaque Psoriasis to Palmoplantar and Nail psoriasis - newly diagnosed 2023
Ouch. Having had BXO which resulted in a later life circumcision you have my sympathies. Is the doc sure it's just psoriasis and not fungal/bacterial? I started this year with plaque psoriasis in my natal cleft (arse crack in layman's terms) and that progressed to a fungal and bacterial infection. Any odd odour?
You do have to careful with strong steroids on genitals which is probably why he's prescribed lotriderm (standard treatment for that area and flexures, it's what cleared up my natal cleft in a couple of weeks of treatment) and an oral steroid. At your age though it's probably less of a risk, particularly if it was a short sharp course. Dermovate is pretty hardcore, I'd be worried about skin peeling and burning sensation.
In terms of advice it's probably about managing symptoms for now. When I had my circ done I wore a jockstrap impregnated with udder mint. Cooled and moisturized the area and the jock stopped things moving about and chafing too much. Chamois cream used by cyclists is also good because it has a cooling sensation. Udder mint is/was used by dairy farmers to cure/relieve symptoms of skin problems on udders.
As to why this happens no-one has a definitive answer. There's a genetic element which can get activated by a virus or it can be stress related or chemical exposure or just one of those things. Fortunately many more treatments now than there were even five years ago. There's a very clear treatment protocol under the NHS but for the next step you need to see a consultant as a GP won't usually prescribe strong topicals (Dermovate) or systemic treatments like Acitretin. I was in such a bad way I stumped up to go private, it was "only" £200 to get a recommendation for Acitretin and to go back into the NHS for the prescription.
To take part, sign in or register with us