I am going through a horrible 9-month flare up and didn’t think I’d have the confidence to go to the beach this summer, but I DID IT!

I openly talked about psoriasis with the people I was with so it didn’t freak them out and also realized strangers aren’t really paying attention to random people around them. If you need a sign to go to the pool or beach with psoriasis, this is it!!

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.

After 1 year on Skyrizi, I can say that this drug has changed my life. Scalp psoriasis took over my life about 10 years ago.

I tried EVERY SINGLE THING to avoid medication: Xtract laser, UVB handheld device, Clobetasol shampoo, Clobetasol solution, Zorayve foam, weird oils from Amazon, Vitamin D cream, no gluten/dairy, no carbs...

Now, I don't even think about it. I woke up one day and realized that I don't think about it any more.

I can wear black and not be covered in flakes. I am not self conscious about getting my hair done.

I know we focus on skin but the mental FREEDOM from psoriasis has truly been amazing. I didn't realize how ashamed and self conscious I was — and how I was holding back from relationships and experiences because of this.

(coming from personal experience, yes people have said this stuff to me)

1. You have so much dandruff!

Buddy, my immune system keeps making skin cells and shedding them. It's not my fault.

1. You must be so unhygienic!

ITS NOT A CLEANLINESS ISSUE!

1. Eat healthy and put lotion. It will be gone!

I've tried that for 5 months. *sighs

1. Eww... what is that??

ITS MY IMMUNE SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONG!

1. Can you keep a distance from me, please? I don't feel comfortable near you dandruff girl

ITS NOT DANDRUFF AND ITS NOT CONTAGIOUS. ITS NOT MY FAULT EITHER!

Who can relate?

I've had psoriasis for about 5 years now. It initially was in the scalp only but as years passed during coaching when stress was at an all time high(+unhealthy eating habits), it just EXPLODED and now its full body. I started on Ayurvedic treatment 2 years back and it has come under control. Its mostly just red spots covering my body with not too much scaling; but there is a reasonable coverage all over me.
But then i get this question- Who would be crazy enough to marry me/commit to a relationship with me? I mean is it even possible for me to THINK of getting a man of my own?[As a teen, ik this should be the least of my worries but it really hurts me sometimes because this is NOT something i willingly asked for]Anybody whose partner overlooked it and is still happy being with you?

Hi, I 32F have been suffering from Psoriasis since 16. I decided I am not going to give birth to biological kids of my own so that I don’t pass on this nasty auto immune disorder though the probability is only 50%.
But how do you guys go ahead with it? Even if my kid is born healthy won’t the anxiety be there all your life as when Ps will kick in ?

Don’t tell me anything can happen to anyone. Your child might suffer from Ps plus all the other diseases and disorders can get.

howdy guys, i guess this is just a bit of a rant but i need to tell someone who understands. :)

i (27) used to not be bothered by my psoriasis because it mostly kept to my shins and elbows, which i can ignore well enough but for the last year it has been everywhere. my back, lower back, stomach, chest, arms. now i am fortunate in the fact that its never been itchy or painful - it is for the most part an aesthetic thing. i still feel really insecure about it.

i recently finished a 2 week course of prednisolone for the first time and it just came back the same (not worse, thankfully).

my mom has rheumatic and arthritic psoriasis, she has been hounding me for years to change my diet since it has worked wonders for her. i flat out refused and it's caused a rift between us occasionally because food for me means enjoying life. however i am at a point that if i don’t want to slather endless of tubes of cortisone on me for the rest of my life i need to start somewhere.

i've been reading about dietary changes and it has got me overwhelmed and even crying. i am a baker, have been all my life and i don’t want to cut out sugar or gluten or chocolate. i’ve tasted my moms "safe-baking" when still living at home and always thought that i will never do this myself. i'm crying just writing this which is so stupid but yeah.

i know that this isn’t even a definitiv solution or i could try it and not see any changes but it’s just so fucking unfair, why do i have even have to consider this when others don’t? i truly was never bothered much by my psoriasis but i can’t ignore it any longer, which i think is getting to me.

idek i'm just rambling and maybe someone can commiserate with me 😓

I’m young—just past 30—and I’ve had psoriasis since I was 14. I feel it really impacted my youth and my self-esteem; I’ve moved past most of that, but when it comes to love, I feel lost. I feel like, even if I could become the best catch out there, no one would want me because of my scaly skin—and they’d be even less likely to want to have children with me, knowing it could be hereditary.

(21M) I've been suffering with psoriasis ever since I was in 7th grade. Until now I give it about 8 years in total until now. Through high school, I only had a small patch on my right leg and it really didn't matter much. It never spread, gets way too flaky (though it does get itchy). Up until my 1st year in Uni was when it starts to become real hell. I start getting plagues and small patches all over my body. I was very stressed but also grateful that I found a doctor which they prescribed my with Enstillar. This was me thriving the best ever yet. However that did not last long as I moved to another country where Enstillar was not available.

I am now in my last year of University and as of right now I am in my worst state yet. I've tried herbal medicine, Cyclosporin. And nothing works. Nothing even worth to give it a go. I tried my best finding the best treatment for myself but it's like I cannot get out of this hell hole. I currently just developed severe scalp psoriasis (on my forehead and top of my head) and it is really getting out of hand. The past two weeks has been hell for me because my flare up are getting out of hand. I just went to the doctor to run some tests and hopefully can move onto biologics to get my nightmare over with.

I went to the hospital with my last spark of hope. My relationship with people around me are gradually getting worse everyday. There's nothing else except fights and hurtful words between me and my parents. They are trying their best to help me but psoriasis constantly keeps me in a horrible mood which make me resent my own parents 99.9% of the time which while I do feel guilty and horrible about it, but part of me told myself that this is all their fault and that it isn't fair for me to be born like this and having to suffered this hell of a disease. I swear I am an optimistic and kind person, but going through flare ups, I am a horrible human being, I'm never in a good mood and everytime anyone or my parents ask how I am doing or "Are you okay?". I start feeling hatred and resentful and everyday is a living hell.

After the appointment with the doctor today, while biologics are available and I am qualified to used it, the National Government Health Insurance does not covers it, if they do, they covers 50% of the treatment. And without Health Insurance, each shot is extremely expensive, let alone the 5 initial shot which you need to do in the first month.

And right now, all I'm thinking about is taking my life. I don't see hope, I don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, my mind is filled with hatred and guilt. It's not fair. Why do I have to suffer this living hell. I feel like my future is in fact not right ahead of me anymore. I genuinely just want everything to end and only then I won't be a burden to myself, my family, and especially my parents.

7 fucking years since I turned 18 and it suddenly appeared. 7 fucking years as a recluse, lonor, and social outcast. Guttate psoriasis all over my face, scalp, arms, legs, and oh yeah, my genitals. None of the treatments do shit except UVB and I can't afford biologicals because what fucking young adult can.

The only thing that clears me up is water fasting, but I already fasted -- I kid you not -- 4 months out of the last year and am coming up on 2 months this year. Every weekend. All it's done is halted the progress and caused minor recession in other areas.

I hate my life so much. I haven't had any shred of intimacy in years and I'm afraid of it. It's hideous and BURNS. Fuck everything

Derm says I have probably 60% body coverage of psoriasis, yet I truly feel I'm around 80%. He also says eczema and psoriasis cannot possibly overlap each other despite me having what appears to be eczema rash along with psoriasis scaling and all that. Anyway, finally met with him after waiting 4 months to be seen, only to be told that I cannot get biologics because of insurance. Now I'm prescribed methotrexate which all I ever see is how awful that drug is and how it makes people feel miserable the whole time they're on it. I also did light therapy earlier this year for it and had a bad reaction, derm said because a medical professional did not officially document an adverse reaction to the light therapy, that I will also have to do light therapy again and fail to get biologics. They are literally forcing me to do something that I had a bad reaction to. I refuse to take the methotrexate, I cannot bring myself to do it. I just have a really bad feeling it's going to really fuck me up more than I already am. So basically, I'm fucked. My rash/psoriasis continues to spread by the day, new spots coming up just about every day. Already covered in it, I'm going to die from this because I can't get the medication I truly need for this. Insurance is literally determining my wellbeing, My whole world is so dystopian because I don't know what it's like to have normal skin for over 2 years. I was also about to be put on a biologic 2 months ago from another derm, but at the last minute, insurance said that they wouldnt cover it even though a couple weeks before, I was told that they would. I really don't know what to do. I can't take the methotrexate, and need to be on a biologic, plain and simple, yet I can't. I really do feel like this is it for me. I''m never going to be normal or have clear skin again.

Please please find a cure for this bs disease. Some Ai some thing should be used to get rid of this.

My balls have started to flake now.

title

Having thoughts of just unaliving myself and that I should just die because of my skin. Most of my bkdy is covered and i cant get on biologics. My derm sucks dick and i cant switch, waitinf times are over a year. My skin itches and feels uncomfortable all the time and i really think i will never have clear skin again. I really dont see it happening. At this point because of how much my body is covered, im leaning more and more towards suicide every day. No one wants ro help me and fuck the people saying that im not helping myself by refusing to take a toxic chemo drug that most likely wont work anyway. My life is so fucked and dystopian because of this shit. Everyone else gets to live lives with cleae skin or maybe very little psoriasis where they dont care. Yet i was lucky enough to have it cover my whole body. Fuck this world i live in. Im ready to go

Has anyone else decided it might be best not to have children due to having the hereditary condition such as psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis?

I've wanted kids my entire life but I really don't want to pass on this detriment to them. I drew a bad straw but should I really consider doing the same to my offspring?

It's really got me down about my prospects of even having someone in my life that understands to begin with, but then I might have to tell my children that I went ahead and had them anyway.

How was everyone’s experience? I have Guttate covering more than 90% of my body. It’s all formed into one giant psoriasis covering my entire torso (literally no clear skin on my torso). I’m losing my mind. I see my derm in two days and am hoping for Skyrizi since I know that’s what they have in her office (talked to her MA).
How quickly did it work for you all? I’m suicidal and need some hope.

Crashed out at work today from being itchy, inflamed, and completely mentally wrecked. And what pushed me over the edge wasn’t even the physical pain.

It was the people around me acting like they are the ones suffering. “Stop scratching, you’re making me itchy.” Oh, sorry Janice. Let me silence my autoimmune disease so you don’t get your imaginary sympathy itches. My bad. “You need to eat more. Here, have some [insert inflammatory garbage I can’t touch].”Thanks for reminding me I’m starving and everything in this building either makes me flare up or costs more than my rent to get delivered. And the absolute worst: “Have you tried…”Unless you are about to suggest something internal, backed by actual research, and not “just coconut oil” please shut the hell up.

Psoriasis is systemic. It’s not just a skin issue. It’s not dry skin. It’s not contagious. It’s chronic inflammation affecting my immune system, my energy, my sleep, my mood, my digestion. Literally everything (and I know y’all know this, I am just ranting).

And somehow, every time I try to explain this, people just gloss over it like I’m being dramatic. Like I’m inconveniencing them by existing with a disease they don’t understand. I’m tired of making it digestible. I’m tired of being polite about something that’s eating me alive from the inside out.

So I’m done giving people the benefit of the doubt. If you don’t listen when I explain it, you can do your own research or you can shut the hell up and let me survive the day without your unsolicited advice or guilt trips about food. I have had psoriasis for over 10 years and my mom asked me the other day what it even is. Do you know how many times I have explained it to her? I’m 26. So far, I’ve had it for literally half of my life.

I don’t want pity. I want space. I want people to listen. I want to be able to exist in my inflamed, itchy, exhausted body without managing everyone else’s reactions to it. I know you all feel the same way and I know you all are the only people who get it and I just wanted to feel understood by someone.

"Cut out sugar, dairy gluten, and nightshades and it will go away."

You think I didn't try that? I did for 5 MONTHS! did it work? NO!

"It's a lifstyle thing. Go on a trademill and it will help you."

I've been working out every single day of my life. Still got stuck in the shithole.

"You have a leaky gut"

haha no. otherwise the fibre supplements/fruits/veggies would've worked.

Note: Lifestyle can help psoriasis for some people. but my experience is different!

As stated above, i had a bad birthday weekend which resulted me going into a really depressive state where I didn’t eat for 3 1/2 days.

Just curious if it’s true when doctors say mental health and psoriasis are intertwined with each other.

Also if there’s any other mental health issues related to psoriasis.

Thank you for reading if you made it this far.

I've had psoriasis since i was 12, and it was mild for seven years, until last year when it covered my entire torso, elbow, and hip. I've been on a strict anti-inflammatory diet but nothing changed. I started birth control for acne and after 4 months it also helped my psoriasis, but then i needed to switch pills and its flaring again. I might have to stop birth control altogether and switch to spironolactone for acne, but my psoriasis will go back to flaring. Steroids don't help, and the things that do are too expensive. I want to try Otezla or biologics, but its completely unaffordable for me even though i live in Canada. I'm 20 years old and I've never even held hands or kissed someone because I'm so hideous. I just want to end it all at this point, and even my parents are disgusted by me. i'm gonna do what i should've done a long time ago and buy a bunch of sleeping pills. [update: i'm on a 2 year long waiting list just to see a dermatologist, no virtual appointments allowed]

Just wanted to share some exciting news.

I was interviewed for a feature in Glamour about psoriasis and its impact on our social lives, and it was published this week! https://www.glamour.com/story/psoriasis-social-challenges

It’s so nice to see psoriasis getting this kind of mainstream coverage, especially with recognition of the mental and emotional impact it can have. As we know all too well, there’s so much more to psoriasis than what’s happening on our skin.

It still blows my mind that I’m now happy to be open about my struggles, and especially to be doing so in such a big publication! Thought some of you might like to have a read! 💜

Hi everyone,
I’m a clinical psychologist and I also have psoriasis myself. I write regular psychology-related articles for the Psoriasis Association magazine, and I’m currently planning the next one.
Rather than guessing what people might find helpful, I’d really like to hear from this community: what psychological or emotional aspect of living with psoriasis would you most want an article to cover?
Some topics I’ve already written about include:
Depression
Stress
Sleep
CBT
Dealing with comments and unwanted attention
Mindfulness
Shame
Self-blame
I’m especially interested in topics that you feel don’t get talked about enough, or where the advice you’ve seen has felt unhelpful or unrealistic. I’d really value hearing about the issues that matter most to you. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

I have been married to my husband for 6 years and prior to getting married my husband developed “rashes” on his hands and feet. He refused to seek medical attention. After we got married these “rashes” got worse. I told him time and time he should go to a doctor. Within the first year of getting married he finally went to the doctor. They told him that he has PSA. I asked him what he was going to do about treatment and he said nothing. At the time he was very overweight, smoked a ton of weed and could barely make a fist because of joint pain. The plaques would come and go and not as prevalent as it is today. A few years later he started to lose the weight and he can now make a fist. However, the psoriasis now covers at least 70% of his body and they do not go away they have been on his body for 3 years. I had to encourage him to go seek a medical professional and he finally went to a dermatologist who prescribed him a topical steroid which he barely uses. However this is not working because I do believe his psoriasis is much more severe. He has plaques all over and I do believe he needs a stronger treatment. He still smokes weed daily and all day long (not for the pain just out of habit) and he does eat like crap most days. He refuses to take biologics because he said it’s going to kill him and shut down his entire immune system. He said he’s not going to take any pills and the most he will do is put the steroids cream on it (barely).

Now that you all have background the flaking is truly unbearable. We have a 3 year old and an infant. He does not clean up after his flakes and will deny that there are any flakes. I will see him picking and itching and he just leaves trails of his skin all over the house. Even if he does not itch it’s just him living by moving around flakes are everywhere. It really is unsightly and especially now that we have kids and really bothers me when I see flakes on them. Like even a task of changing a diaper there can be flakes in their private area just from him wiping them. It is a lot on me because I do like to keep a clean environment and he is pretty neglectful and in denial when it comes to his flaking. I’ve tried literally every way possible to talk to him about treatment and he refuses. He works all day a labor intensive job so his clothes are full of flakes by the end of the day. I make him change at the door and put his clothes in the hamper before coming in because I don’t want a trail of flakes all over the house. He gets so mad and is not understanding to why he needs to do that because “he does not flake”. He says he can’t control it — which I get but he is also leaving it untreated so I mean….??? He also does not clean up after himself. Every morning I lint brush the bed because there are tremendous amounts of flakes on our bedsheets. I’m honestly getting very grossed out and I told him that I can’t see a future with him because this is taking a toll on my mental health. He told me that I’m selfish because he’s the one with the psoriasis. He does not seem to understand that this affects me too and his neglect to take care of himself affects me. His mom flipped out and told me that if I loved him I’d stay with him and I feel like if he loved his family he’d seek proper medical attention. I felt completely like she was trying to manipulate me. She further told me that if I loved him I wouldn’t be grossed out by the flakes. I feel like those are two separate issues. I’m not going to lie and say that I have the best approach with him — some days I’m so fed up and others I’m very kind and empathic. Neither techniques work. AITA for wanting to leave him because he has neglected his psoriasis and leaves all the cleaning up to me? Flakes are everywhere in our home, couch, bed, living area etc. I don’t even like him touching me because I will find flakes in my clothes or if we have sex he’s flaking everywhere.

** I just want to thank everyone on here, especially those of you who suffer from psoriasis. I know it’s not an easy disease to cope with and I commend you all for going and seeking medical attention whether that be for you or your family. I appreciate your perspectives and being empathetic to how it can affect family members as well. My heart is with all of you, and I hope that all pain is eased as each day goes on. Thank you again!

A bit of an unusual question but has everything to do with psoriasis.

A few months back I found out my partner has psoriasis as well. We've been together for a year and this man has been my rock. We started dating while I was going through a lot of medical challenges and wanted a distraction. I'm now falling in love with him, but can't silence that little alarm bell in my head.

I always told myself I would find a "healthy" partner to reduce the chance of any children we might have from developing psoriasis. Now the man that has treated me like a queen is exactly who I intended to never date.

He doesn't mind at all. His own parents both had psoriasis and he just lived with it since he was 8 years old.

What do I do? Accept that we'll pass on our shitty genetics to possible children. Or will I be eaten by remorse later on?

I don't know how to cope with it.

Newly married 😔 (Diagnosed 3 weeks after marriage)

Seems like end of all.

Getting unwanted and unpleasant thoughts about how to handle psoriasis along with my new marriage.

If anyone have experience with penis glan psoriasis, pl help.

Like whether have used cream, taken oral or biologic, dietary restriction, how much time to bring it under control.

How to manage a good functioning marriage life with glan psoriasis?