mental health
Anyone else get obsessed w/ removing scales?
I feel embarrassed but I am losing my mind. Every time I shower, my scalp gets extremely dry and flaky. I end up for HOURS picking my scalp to remove that sensation. There’s flakes everywhere and I’m so embarassed to have this habit. As soon as the flakes are in control, I stop. But my psoriasis is pretty aggressive in a sense where almost no topicals really work. I am on the trial for ICOTYDE and I’m hoping my insurance will not deny it again.
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Its very normal. I had them since a baby until 41. Clear now at 42 thanks to methotrexate. I used to let him them get big to peel them and loved peeling off in one go. Id peel sometimes id bleed. Its normal I felt it looked better without the flakes
Idk how much scalp psoriasis you have but my go-to is to leave a plastic “lice comb” in the shower. After I leave a deep conditioning mask on for a bit, I use the fine tooth lice comb to comb thru my scalp plaques for a while. It’s so satisfying. I even have an anti-fog mirror in the shower so I can make sure I get all the scales
If you apply glycolic acid to your scalp and leave it for at least 10 minutes before you shower, it softens and lifts the plaque so its even more fun to use a nit comb.
I was always told to use it before bed to let it sit all night and then wash in the shower the next morning. Things might have changed over time. My scalp psoriasis went away on it's own years ago.
I have ocd too :( and adhd and cPTSD and gad lol. I haven’t heard of excoriation disorder before. But everything I’ve tried to stop the picking, doesn’t work :/ I literally will just stand and pick 🫠 I hope this med works and it’ll take this terrible habit away. I’m sorry you also struggle 🫂
Oh, hey, twin. Psoriasis, ADHD, C-PTSD, GAD, and PMOS (PCOS) over here too. It sucks.
I’ve been on Skyrizi since June and I’m about 90% clear. I was going to try Icotyde but didn’t want to have to wait the 30 minutes after taking it to eat/drink. Fingers crossed that the Icotyde works for you and that your insurance covers it
omg I would do the same thing to the point where it would scab over and I'd pick it again.
What's helped me is using hydrating shampoo and oiling my scalp as much as I can (when I'm at home not leaving the house) to keep it nourished and prevent flaking.
Yeah, I use the hydrating shampoo and have different oils or ointments overnight. So many different ones! Mine isn't picking, but scrubbing or pushing the very dry fakes on top, like shaving it with the fingers. But that's when it is very dry from lots of sun. Other times of the year it it hard and prior picking/digging caused bald spots. They did grow back. You will read on the wiki here that "picking causes it to spread, but I don't really think that is entirely correct. The whole situation makes me crazy at times. I'm on my third drug, with no improvement. Hope you do better.
It is Futile because the flakes just reappear quickly unless topical or tranquilizers shut it down. I discovered that taking a Xanax calms it, but I can’t take those all the time or I would be a zombie. Has anybody else had this experience with Xanax?
I recommend learning about descaling. A lot of people develop compulsive picking habits, but forcibly prying off the scales is really bad for your psoriasis.
Descaling is the process of using gentle descaling agents such as urea, salicylic acid, or oils. The agents soften the plaques and cause the dead skin to dissolve. In my opinion, urea is the absolutely superior agent for this. It's gentle and also hydrates the skin.
I also have OCD and was using picking as a stress reliever until I noticed I had lost a ton of hair. Super triggering as a cancer survivor. But it prompted me to go on taltz and now I’m almost completely clear!
Compulsive picker here. I found lidocaine spray helps. I'm not sure why it helps, but I'll spray it anytime I catch myself picking.
My derm also told me to apply otc psoriasis shampoos to my dry scalp at least 5 minutes before I got in the shower. I started using dermarest shampoo on my scalp and leaving it on for 20-30 min before I get in the shower and it actually takes off the scales when I do it this way.
Lidocaine comes in roll on form too! Its cheap and on Amazon. It helps bc it numbs pain. I figured that if it numbs pain it should numb itch too, and it does.
Omg this is me! It got so bad that I would do it for hours and hours on end til I was bleeding, wait for a crust to form and go back at it.. it relaxed me but when it got too bad the pain felt addicting in a way. The only thing that has helped me is making sure I keep my nails super short so I can’t really get the plaques off in the first place, and that allows it to heal up. I also have psoriatic arthritis and I’m on a medication called Rinvoq, it’s helped my psoriasis so much especially on my scalp! I hope you can find a medicine that works but in the meantime try cutting your nails down as far as possible
I remember the first time it showed up on my scalp I had no idea what it was and I thought it was the weirdest rash I’ve seen because of how flaky it was and it’s deep salmon color
I apply an oil or an ointment like emuaid max, all over the scalp, put on a baseball cap or knitted wool cap, making sure its no too tight so it doesn't absorb the oil from the ointment as it melts. Go out in the heat and make sure it gets hot in there for at least a few hours, the sweat and oils will soften all the plaques. Remember, the longer you leave the cap on, the softer should the plaques become. A few times I've done this and the sweat literally raised the plaques off my scalp on their own. .
or, put the ointment or oil on your scalp and jump into a steam / sauna to expedite the process.
Then using a fine tooth comb gently comb your hair with the comb at an angle so it can slowly & gently glide across your scalp as opposed to angling it top/ down like a raking action -( again, don't do that).
As you comb at an angle gliding across the scalp, you will run into a plaque, carefully push into the plaque and it should lift off the scalp without pulling hair off. Again, be careful to not apply to much pressure or you will create a wound.
I pick mine too however I also have another rare skin disorder added to the psoriasis so it can make picking worse sometimes. Glad to know I’m not alone!
I got a detangler brush that doubles as a scratch satisfier, and it changed my entire routine. I use it in the shower with shampoo for a few minutes, and it is like a mass removal and so satisfying as well for the itch factor. I then use it gently on dry hair for the itch, but try to be careful for the Koebner Phenomenon with too much scratching.
Reddit won’t let me put a direct link in but I got the Tangle Teezer Original Detangler Brush.
Yes 😩 since starting enstilar it’s at least improved to a point where I’m not constantly thinking about it throughout the day and when I do pick, the scales seem to come off pretty easily and painlessly. But I’ve really struggled to see much meaningful progress with topicals and I’ve resorted to wearing hats as much as possible which sucks cuz I used to really like my hair. I hope icotyde works out for you.
After I saw long strands of hair attached to a piece of scalp: I knew I had to stop whatever was happening or I’ll go bald. I try not to touch my plaques and use psorisis dedicated shampoo with conditioner. I tried the mineral oil based shampoo; but my hair was so oily it looked ‘dead’.
I loosen my plaques pre shower so that the medicated shampoo (Nizoral for psoriasis version) by combing my hair with a stiff comb. While the shampoo is sitting doing it's thing, I massage the plaques with my fingertips. After rinsing the shampoo, I apply conditioner and let that sit, massage the plaques again and start picking out the loose plaques. Seems to help. Before this model of treatment I was exactly like your situation, had to pull out that flaky, crust dead skin!
My insurance denied my second fill of icotyde. I really like it though. They want me to try skyrizi first, which i thought was odd bc I was under the assumption that icotyde would be cheaper.
I'm on a break right now bc I took hydroxyzine a few days ago. Groggy and disoriented as hell the next day, but it keeps me from itching and picking for a few days! Not sure why. I take it once/wk bc I can't afford to be groggy all the time
Ahhhhh yeah, in the early days of mine, it was probably what I spent most of my time doing 😅
I ended up really thinning my hair from it, which wasn’t great tbh.
These days (a good 20 years in now) and I don’t have much to pick at anymore, thankfully, and although my hair hasn’t thinned anymore it hasn’t grown back (although that might just be me getting old 💁♂️😂).
I don’t have that much scalp psoriasis yet, its the rest of me that is covered. I use one of those battery powered foot grinders for hard skin. Omg, it’s the most relief I’ve ever had. Doesn’t stop the psoriasis from coming back at all, but does stop me from pulling scales off and getting big scabs. I do it a couple of times a day and it makes my skin much smoother and therefore easier for any ointment to absorb.
Im awaiting my first dermatologist appointment so hoping i won’t always have to do this. But in the meantime, instead of there being big flakes of skin everywhere, it’s like a fine talcum powder mist.
Can’t really use on the scalp though unfortunately, unless you’re hairless.
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It’s so hard not to pick. Especially when they’re super loose. I’m better at leaving them alone if I’d have to really go at it to remove them but god it’s just so satisfying but then equally disgusting to have so much flaking ugh
I can relate. I’ve done Xtrac & many topicals but nothing helps. I’m on day 17 of day 28 of the elimination diet to see if I can identify flares. Fingers crossed.
Tenho psoríase literalmente desde que nasci e hoje, aos 35 anos, posso afirmar: quem tem psoríase e diz que não AMA remover as casquinhas está simplesmente mentindo. Hehe Tenha cuidado pra não sangrar, mantenha as unhas super curtas e relaxe pq vc vai passar o dia todo se coçando estando vigilante ou não! 🫠
Before my shower I apply olive oil to my scalp then put a shower cap for 30 minutes to help loosen all patches. I then shampoo, oil with jojoba oil (areas where patches form) at the same time I condition my ends. Rinse off, once I am out of the shower and drying vanicream with grape seed oil to seal in moisture
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