How does psoriasis feel

But I think as much-, it was as much trying to deal with the psoriasis itself as sort of making sure that my skin had no reason to be sort of itchy and painful. So while the steroids were probably good in the long term for reducing inflammation and stuff, making sure that your skin was sort of hydrated and had a sort of barrier between it and the clothes that were rubbing on it, meant that you were much, much less likely to get sort of an itchy, painful event.

And then hair dye — I did like to dye my hair and I've gone from like bleach blonde and stuff before, doing it on my own, and when it was in a worser state that the hair dye would sting a lot but I'd still do it as much as it hurt.

And but then I felt like, 'Oh well, well it's, it's stinging in, it's like burning on it a little bit but it's gonna get rid of it,' and that was like a theory in my head.

Like it's burning it away, and maybe if I'm doing this and then it's just gonna ease it. It's really bizarre. And like there's only a certain extent that I can cover it up, like with foundation and-. Because, because it's not just-, like with acne you can cover the redness, but with psoriasis it's like the skin is quite flaky.

And when you're having like a rough day and it's got quite bad, there's nothing you can do about it. What would you do in that situation if you sort of got the feeling that somebody was looking at a patch of psoriasis? Well if it was someone I knew like quite well, I would tell them what it was and explain to it. Louie used to avoid wearing dark clothes because they showed up the skin flakes.

And with certain shampoos it does get better but it would never really go away until obviously I get rid of-, if I get rid of psoriasis. Having psoriasis on her scalp is difficult for Lola because of the skin flaking.

It sounds really horrible and gross talking about dead skin falling off you. Hannah finds she often compares her skin to that of others. She hopes the hyperpigmentation from psoriasis will improve with time. I feel like it's a really strange journey. Because you're always looking at other people's skin.

For some reason, you're always comparing yourself to people whose skin seems seemingly perfect. And whenever- with me because of my skin tone being quite tanned, when my psoriasis went, I was left with lots of hyperpigmentation, so I have found myself kind of even being frustrated at that, I mean it was not quite perfect — I can still see where it was and all the marks.

And it, that's a really long journey and often it doesn't ever happen where you get to the point where it's just not visible at all. So things were quite hard then to come to terms with when you have psoriasis that, you know, your skin might never be the same. Could you say a bit more about hyperpigmentation and scarring for example and your experiences of that? Yeah, I think it is more likely to happen in like darker skin tones but I-, you can get both, so I sometimes get light patches and I sometimes get dark patches.

Don't really know why, some go one way and some go the other. And there's some that took a couple of months and now I can't see them at all, so. It's just all, there's no, there's no kind of rule to it.

And I mean it's not so bad with the summer because I tend to go out in the sun and sort of feel like things are evening out. Could I ask a bit more about scarring, cos you mentioned a bit earlier and what your experience with scarring has been?

Is it something that any of the doctors have mentioned before? But I have read up online and it is quite common to have with psoriasis. Previous Page. Common signs of nail psoriasis include pitting, deformation, thickening, onycholysis, discoloration. Request a free nail psoriasis quick guide. Up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis may also develop psoriatic arthritis. People with psoriasis are more likely to become depressed. It's important to look for symptoms of depression and seek treatment if you need it.

Learn how to cope with depression with our fact sheet on emotional impacts from the Patient Navigation Center. Psoriasis affects men and women at an equal rate but treating psoriasis as a man may take some extra considerations. The National Psoriasis Foundation has tools, resources and programs to help you manage your psoriasis and thrive in your life.

We use cookies to offer you a better experience and analyze our site traffic. By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Helpline Life with Psoriasis. Here are some ways to manage your psoriasis in everyday situations. Overall Health Related Conditions People with psoriasis are at higher risk for certain related conditions, like cardiovascular heart disease, depression and other mental health issues, and metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes.

Stress Stress is a common trigger for a psoriasis flare. Exercise Consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise routine. Get outside help. Day to Day Stigma Findings from a research study demonstrated that psoriasis is highly stigmatizing, and carries about the same level of stigma as herpes.

Relationships It may be difficult to talk to your partner, friends and family about your psoriasis and how it affects your life. Clothing Psoriasis is nothing to be embarrassed about, but you may not want it to be the first thing someone sees.

Managing Symptoms Itch The itch of psoriasis may have a bigger impact on quality of life than the visible effect of the disease. Nails Nail psoriasis can affect several digits fingers and toes , and related pain and tenderness can impact daily activities. What's more, people who have psoriasis are also at an increased risk of developing a variety other health conditions , including psoriatic arthritis a form of arthritis that affects some people with psoriasis , diabetes, and depression, among others, according to the National Psoriasis Foundation.

For people living with psoriasis, the condition can affect their joints, their ability to sleep comfortably, what clothing they can wear to avoid discomfort, their self-esteem, and much more. We spoke with nine of them about what life is really like with psoriasis—plus some of the biggest things people still get wrong about the complicated disease.

I had a small patch of a red rash on my cheek, and my parents brought me to see the pediatrician. We have a family history of psoriasis. Why not all these other kids?

I would move my legs and bleed through my tights because my skin would crack. Ballet is so much about perfection, and having psoriasis made me imperfect for the art form in a way. I missed out on roles because of it. So while a normal reaction to psoriasis might be to feel depressed and hide in social isolation—and believe me I understand those feelings completely—I like to give the advice of focus on what you can do and find something that you enjoy and puts you out in the world.

Dance, do a yoga class, go for a long walk, whatever makes you feel strong. The patches would get thicker over time and bleed when I scratched them.

After I got diagnosed, my mom would forcibly trim my nails every two weeks to keep me from scratching. By my 20s, it was all over my body. I played a lot of sports over the years to take out some of my emotions—tennis, softball, volleyball—but that meant wearing sports gear that would expose certain body parts. If my skin was really bad, I was allowed to wear tights under my shorts or an undershirt under my jersey.

I have hyperpigmentation, and because I have brown skin, you can really see the skin discoloration. Right now, the hardest thing I deal with is my mobility. Psoriatic arthritis is wreaking havoc on my joints. You have to go with the ebb and flow of psoriasis.

Also, I would remind anyone with psoriasis to take care of yourself and be proactive about treating your condition. Experiment with things that work for you. I ignored mine for a while and tried to be in denial and be a normal teenager.

But my normal was having psoriasis, so I had to change my definition of normal. The spots started on my elbows and looked like red flakey patches. I had a leg up because my mom had psoriasis, so we knew to see a dermatologist and then a psoriasis specialist.

That was vital for me, really understanding that it was genetic and having a specialist to work with me. I also have spots on my scalp and knees. I have tried everything as far as treatments go. Coffee is a trigger for me, for example, so I am always wondering if my coffee in the morning will cause a flare-up. I have to think about it when I enjoy a glass of wine too, or a beer with my husband. You really just never know what could cause a flare-up at any time. So it affects their lives too.

When I'm working on the computer, just leaning on the desks hurts my elbows.