Starting home UV treatment.

Posted Thu 18 May 2017 01.05 by chiquay (edited Thu 18 May 2017 23.52 by chiquay)
I have had psoraisis for 2 years. I am a 52 year old man. It started with a few odd spots on my scalp and has spread to my body.

Hi. I have suffered from Psoriasis on torso and Scalp psoriasis for almost 4 years (I am 53). No amount of creams, shampoos and lotions have had any significant effect. Shampoos especially seem to exacerbate the condition whereby I end up clearing the flakes/plaques on my scalp to the point of having raw and "weeping" skin. I post this as a long term blog as I am aware of the misery that the condition can cause. My body is bad enough. Recently I was in Madagascar for 12 weeks, in the sunshine every day and actively sunbathing every other day. Having Celtic skin and redish hair, I was very careful. I was also swimming in the sea frequently. The psoriasis on my body completely cleared (apart from where the sun didn't get to, my bum etc. But I felt human once again. I have been blessed with a full head of hair which is always long and thus the sunlight did not penetrate to the scalp. The psoriasis started to return to my body some 2 weeks after returning, but noticeably not on the areas of my body that were continually in the sun. My legs and arms (The sun shone practically every day for the 12 weeks I was there and I always wore shorts and t-shirt. Cut to the chase, I have bought a Dermalight 80 hand held UV lamp (£155 from Amazon), which I have been using for 2 weeks now, very tentatively. There are areas where there has been improvement. Living where I live in the Outer Hebrides, flying to Inverness 3 times a week to attend hospital for UV is not an option and thus, I have bought a second hand Philips "over the bed" sunlamp which I am awaiting delivery of from Glasgow. I intend posting how my skin is responding for anyone interested. My dermatologist is actually not allowed to recommend any of these devices, I suspect for reasons of legality in the potential for lawsuits, but he, in his own way, approved as the sunlight of Madagascar had had such a clear and dramatic effect in a very short time. I shall be taking things very easy and look forwards to, hopefully posting positive results. Stay strong folks - and go visit Madagascar if you get the chance. I was teaching as a volunteer incidentally.

Posted Thu 18 May 2017 12.13 by thin-skinned
Irascible septuagenarian fed up with the psoriasis constantly at me :wink:

Good luck with your new purchase and I shall follow your new entries with interest as I am saving up for a 8 x 4ft tube all over treatment kit :thumbup:

Posted Thu 18 May 2017 12.34 by ClearskinPls
Since 2001, tried uvb and creams

Waych out for burn...I did uvb national health but the torso will only tolerate so much....so I immediately stopped. My psoriasis was cleared up...but as im sure know it will creep back. So watch out for too much uvb...not necessarily Sun but home remedies. Hope this helps. Good luck

Posted Thu 18 May 2017 13.25 by chiquay
I have had psoraisis for 2 years. I am a 52 year old man. It started with a few odd spots on my scalp and has spread to my body.

Thanks ClearskinPls. As I said, I am very, very careful. Just my white bits that are a concern as the rest of me has built up tolerance from me being in a few hot and sunny places (not Scotland). Sunbed gets delivered next week. Still using the Demralight 80 a couple of times per day briefly. I am pretty patient. It would be nice for it to get clear as I have not had a partner for years and would love to feel attractive once more. :-)

Posted Thu 18 May 2017 13.31 by ClearskinPls
Since 2001, tried uvb and creams

Hi Chiquay I hope this works for you .....the best of luck ! Kind rgds Tony

Posted Fri 23 Jun 2017 19.48 by chiquay
I have had psoraisis for 2 years. I am a 52 year old man. It started with a few odd spots on my scalp and has spread to my body.

Update. I have made a decision to stop using prescribed scalp treatments. All they seem to do is exacerbate the condition, basically they just make the scabs easier to pick and leave a weeping wound at the end of it. I have bought normal shampoo and use that - far superior (drugs companies are taking the pi#'s with Psoriasis) and, along with the hand held UV lamp, there is significant improvement. The sunbed, I have used for 4 x 4 minute bursts and the improvement is astonishing. Enough to put a smile on my face. I have been eating a lot of veggies. As a Scotsman, that is not normal ;-) and found that I am really actually enjoying eating them too. They must be helping. Point being - significant and very real results. JA

Posted Fri 23 Jun 2017 21.51 by thin-skinned
Irascible septuagenarian fed up with the psoriasis constantly at me :wink:

That makes good reading JA and I hope the improvements continue :thumbup:

Posted Sat 24 Jun 2017 10.05 by chiquay
I have had psoraisis for 2 years. I am a 52 year old man. It started with a few odd spots on my scalp and has spread to my body.

Update. It is truly incredible, the improvement in my scalp! No scabbing at all - and I never used the hand held lamp yesterday. I think the diet must have made for significant improvements too. Don't get me wrong, I am still enjoying a drink (as I always have done) and eating what I want, but am eating lots and lots of veggies (fried of course) which consists of endame beans (soya beans - delicious) , spring onions, crushed and chopped garlic. Fried for 3-4 mins in olive oil, salt to taste (bit of lime or lemon juice added during frying). Tasty. I am not daft. Psoriasis can come and go, but in the space of 1 week I feel much, much better. Thanks for the support thin-skinned. Try the beans - nice with a glass of white wine ;-) JA

Posted Wed 28 Jun 2017 13.25 by SarahM

Hi Chiquay so pleased you have found soemthing that appears to be working for you. i just wondered are you putting a cream on with the sunbed? I have also found sunbeds do help mine but i always use a generic sunbed cream that they sell in the shop and i'm not convinced that this actually helps my skin so i just wondered what if anything you are doing? Thanks :)

Posted Thu 29 Jun 2017 19.26 by chiquay
I have had psoraisis for 2 years. I am a 52 year old man. It started with a few odd spots on my scalp and has spread to my body.

I am showering then using the sunbed in a stand up position. My skin was particularly poor and so have been using dovabet (not used it in 6 months) then putting "doublebass" gel, as prescribed by my doc on top of that a few mins later. I shall stop using the dovabet immediately the skins shows true signs of clearing. In the sunshine of Madagascar it took about 2-3 weeks before the redness started to disappear. I was delighted as there was no scarring left. I suspect swimming in the ocean was a great boos too. My scalp still has dried skin but it is far better than was. Like most psoriatics know, it goes up and down, but it is better. Getting into a routine is the thing. I had 10 mins today, mostly directed at my back, and can see the skin taking on some colour, which is good. I am very careful with the UV and will play it by ear. As said - I have a full head of long hair and so the dermalight will require great patience and time. Hope this helps. I shall hopefully show some true healing in a week or two. Rome wasn't built in a day. At the very least, I feel positive about what I am doing. Hope that gives you some info. Happy to talk about it. Never using the srecommended scalp treatments again though - they just make things worse. Dovabet is the only thing that works as an external application, but it is a powerful steroid and I do not wish to use it regularly. I never used it at all in Madagascar. Oh - I intend having 3 months back there again :-)

Posted Thu 29 Jun 2017 23.45 by chiquay
I have had psoraisis for 2 years. I am a 52 year old man. It started with a few odd spots on my scalp and has spread to my body.

Reason for the shower is to try to remove the scaling from my torso. A bath is best but I cannot have a 20 min bath every morning, so I shower for a good 5 mins and rub off what I can with my hands, the use the towel. It is reducing greatly. Any reduction is a win! I wash my head/hair once a week at moment. Difficult to remove the scaling on my scalp. I cannot see it apart from the edges, but the UV has helped , for sure. The main problem is discipline and, you cannot use these things in company - unless you insist your friends and family wear UV goggles. I try to count my blessings and take my little victories.

Posted Fri 30 Jun 2017 10.48 by AnthonyG

Hello im new here, is phototherarphy imroves guttate psoriais?? i have been struggling for almost 4weeks now i coudnt go to hospital because there is an scheduling, right now i have my scalp p, guttate and inverse psoriasis, and my whole body was covered by small red dots, my neck also was covered small red dots and legs are completely big red dots could you please anyone who could have some advise, I read some that you should think always and be positive but when i see my condition i feel so emotional and stress why is this happen, Hopefully i have another change to bring back my happy life, and smile.

Posted Fri 30 Jun 2017 13.07 by chiquay
I have had psoraisis for 2 years. I am a 52 year old man. It started with a few odd spots on my scalp and has spread to my body.

Try a sunbed. They can be picked up 2nd hand on "gumtree" for very little. I paid £120 for mine but have seen them at £20. Just start slow2-3 mintes and build up gently, taking a break twice a week. I am on 10 mins (5 either side) and it is showing great improvement. Good luck. Anthony.

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