Psoriasis & A Healhtier Lifestyle

I have scalp psoriasis and gutate psoriasis. I was diagnosed last year. I was 42 ( just 3 months before my 43rd birthday) with my first outbreak and I could not understand what was going on with me. I was freaking out! I had these sores all over my head and scratches from where I just dug and dug at my scalp until I was raw. My doctor didn't know what it was so he sent me to a dermatologist. The dermatologist took one look and said "psoriasis!" Of course I said, "no it isn't!" Reluctantly, I used the scalp oil prescribed to me every night and I used it for weeks! Just as soon as I THOUGHT that I was coming to terms with that, I broke out with these spots all over my body. The dermatologist told me that it was a second type of psoriasis that I had. I was prescribed an ointment that I had to put on my body and sleep in it. It is a really difficult thing to deal with, especially when you work and have to put your hair up. I caught people looking at me and it was really hard. I quit my job in April of last year and never wanted to leave the house. I was taking pills to control it, but were very dangerous for long term effects. I eventually weened myself off of them and braced myself for the worst. So far, I have not broke out on my body again ( knock on wood ) but my scalp, it lets me know that my psoriasis is still a factor. I may have had to treat my scalp 3 times in the last 6 months, opposed to treating it every night just a year ago. More of a KEEPING IT IN CHECK type thing than actually needing to treat my scalp. I feel the knots on my scalp but it doesn't flake like it use to. I get knots behind my ears and I do have issues inside of my ears. My face, I use a Garnier for moisture because between my eyebrows, I seem to have a noticeable red patch that flares up when I stress out. I also use Aveeno for my skin if it gets a little dry. I have not been to my dermatologist in maybe 9 months and I was stressing over my scalp oil..... but I found a $3 bottle of Tea Tree Oil at Wal~Mart that is WONDERFUL!!!! It seems to do for me what my prescribed scalp oil did. Like I said, I haven't had to "treat" my scalp , but I like using it occasionally to moisturize my scalp. I bought the shower caps and it is just nice to have in the house. With all that being said.......... to the heath part.
I started losing weight in July of last year. I quit smoking in December of 2010 ( one of the many reasons..... smoking brings on psoriasis!!! ) Trust me, giving up smoking after 25 years far outweighed a breakout in psoriasis!! So, I researched vitamins and things to do differently to prevent a breakout like fish oil that some of you mentioned and keeping your stress level in check. Things like that. Where I am going with this is I started losing weight in July and looking back , that was when my issues with my psoriasis got better. I was 7 months smoke free, working out and eating right along with my vitamins. Don't get me wrong, I have the knots on my head that remind me that it is there but I always did wonder if I had taken just the right amount of that real bad medicine to slow it down or if it was my vitamins or simply my change in my diet over the past 6 1/2 months. One thing I do know.... it can show up at any time so I just can never relax and take it for granted that it slowed down like it has. I hope this helps some of you or all of you...

YAY! So glad to find this thread. I've been struggling with scalp psoriasis for years. Minor outbreaks on arms, huge ones on my scalp to the point I lost 50% of the hair on my head. Not thinning but thick, 4-5 inch diameter patches. I wore head wraps for an entire year :ohwell:

Anyways, as you all know it gets better and it gets worse....a new funky thing? MY EARS....psoriasis....in....my...ears... SMH

So yes, cleanER eating has helped TONS. I avoid ketchup (for some reason, ketchup absolutely triggers outbreaks for me) and a few other trigger foods that I cant quite pinpoint. Highly processed crap will do it too.

I also have SLE on top of psoriasis, which at first the arthritis was associated with the psoriasis but then re-diagnosed...funny thing....both psoriasis outbreaks and SLE outbreaks tend to go hand in hand!

Yes t-Gel is AWESOME. Although it no longer works as well for me as it use to years ago. I avoid as many hair products as I can due to chemical & high alcohol content which is horrible for the scabbies. BUT any deep conditioning treatment mast, or cholesterol hair masks are great....I also try not to wash my hair more than every 5 days. I'll push it to a week and even dry-shampoo (yes its got a ton of alcohol) but if you do a conditioning mask right before the next wash....no problem!

I was diagnosed with Psoriasis when in my twenties (though when I was a teen a doctor had told me it could be syphilis!). I had a bad flare up that covered much of my body, and that was at the same time I was having terrible headaches. So definitely stress was a factor. The coal tar baths, shampoo, creams, sunbathing helped and so did less stress. I then improved so that only my hands and elbows were involved.

Some years later I started taking fish oil and that really made a difference. Now I am fifty and notice only the rare patch on my palms.

I hope for everyone here relief from whichever form of Psoriasis you have.

hey, Iv also got Psoriasis, i was diagnosed in about 1995 at around the age of 10. Since then i dont think iv ever been without a flair up on my scalp and in the last year its constantly been in my ear cannal :noway: I will get it in other places when highly stressed and thats usually my knees, elbows and face. Iv never really had any help or support from my G.P also untill this post i didnt realise it had improved with a better diet, but iv been extreemly stressed out and iv had no real "body" outbreak, result!!

My scalp is irritated by shampoo's, some more than others, but after years of trial and error iv found that the body shop, ginger shampoo will clear it up almost comletely. Iv often wonder what Ginger its self would do to the Psoriasis.