I am a newbie to this forum and would like to say hello to everyone. A little bit about me....
I was diagnosed in 2004 with Psoriatic Arthritis when I noticed my fingers starting to get crooked and went to a Rheumatoid Doctor. He told me I would soon develop crusting in my scalp and suggested I go on Humira.
I opted not to take the medication, as at that point I had no pain. Now here it is 10 years later and I am starting with joint pain and now my left ankle seems to be swollen and very sore. I still can deal with the pain; however, this scalp psoriasis is driving me crazy!! I have been given every RX shampoo, mousse, and oil known to man, yet nothing seems to help.
I will be seeing the R.D. soon and I have no doubt I will now have no choice but to go on medication. I am very leery due to all the side effects I have read about. My sister was just diagnosed with Lymphoma and I am at risk for developing it without adding a drug that is known to possibly cause it.
Anyone that has had success controlling their scalp psoriasis, please give me some suggestions.
My dermatologist prescribed Olux. A foam. I got my scalp psoriasis almost 20 years ago. Had no idea what Psoriatric arthritis was. I was just diagnosed 2 years ago. So I'm sure a lot of damage has been done. The Olux was awesome. Once under control.. Only had to use twice a year
I have not tried this foam; however, I did use Luxiq and that has not helped me at all. I am going to do a google search and see the difference in the ingredients.
A detailed discussion about treatment options and specific risks with your doctor and a GOOD pharmacist. There are all kinds of options. Google is a great place for specific facts and personal experiences but as friend of mine who just had a major spinal surgery that he had put off for years said summing his experience: "I did learn to not focus too much on the experiences people post on various internet sites. Most people go back to regular life and never post again, and thus the sample is biased toward worst outcomes, and as a result scare you to death."
The types of lymphoma associated with some of the meds are very specific and have common risk factors associated with the the diseaes itself (sort of a chicken and egg) so may not be at all related to your sisters situation. I can not imagine everything that you must be going through between your situation and your sisters.
There are a number of newer meds that are not only effective for the PsA but also the P that will likley have a risk profile you can accept. Untreated disease has some VERY significant risks beyond skin and joint pain.......... I'm sure you will find the right combo soon. Hang in there for you and your sister.
Oh, I'm a fan of emu oil. There are lots of manufacturers, wouldn't say it cures anything but it takes care of the scales and burn (most of the time)
Thank you for your feedback and your kind words, I truly appreciate it. I clicked on the link for emu oil, I have never heard of this product. There are so many variations. Which one would you suggest? As you can see in my picture, I have a thick head of hair, which I think is a big part of why topical treatments are not working, I have a hard time getting them to the scalp.
I will be seeing the Doctor soon and will weigh out my options; however, if I could relieve the itch and dandruff in the meantime, that would be great. Also, I have been reading many of your posts and it seems like all the meds take some time to kick in. Would be great to get a quick fix at least for the head until I find a more permanent solution.
The meds take a while to work for most the cool thing is that most here have reported pretty quick results for the psoriasis. I recently had some surgery (and complications) and was off my meds for several months. While I have had some pretty significant joint flairs over the rears the psoriasis was pretty much a memory except for a patch here and there. That was all to change it exceeded pre med levels. I was about to go nutso when I got the go ahead. Literally I woke up the next morning NO P - zip - none!
I tried all kinds of stuff when my scalp flared last year- the only thing that kicked it was methotrexate. It's coming back a bit now after I've been on methotrexate for 3.5 months, but nothing like it was. I found the steroids made everything worse and gave me steroid-induced acne, which added to the discomfort and unsightliness. Shampoos with salicylic acid and soaking my scalp in warm olive or coconut oil helped loosen the scales.
Thank you rosen, I have tried the warm olive and coconut oil but made the mistake of scraping my scalp with a comb at the recommendation of my Dermo. The psoriasis seemed to grow ten fold!! After some research, I came to realize not to disturb the cells or they do multiply. One would think a Dermatologist would know that, not mine.
My hair is very thick and I just can't seem to get anything directly onto my scalp without having to wash my hair multiple times the next day which in turn counter acts the oil :(
I have not tried any systemic medication yet, but I believe at my next appointment I will be told it's time. I have managed to live with it for 10 years, but I am having issues with my ankle swelling and it looks like my foot may even be turning a bit.
Have you tried any of the coal tar based shampoos like T-gel? Target makes a cheap store brand (up and up) version of T-gel which works really well and is 1/3 the price. I find that cycling through several shampoos is helpful I always have ones containing the four main ingredients (salicylic acid, pyrithicone zinc, coal tar and selenium sulfide) on the shelf and I cycle through them. It seems to help keep things at bay for a while. Once things have flared up then I used clobetasol propionate liquid (prescription needed).
The most natural remedy I've tried is a mix of witch hazel (get the no alcohol content kind--it doesn't sting) mixed 50/50 with glycerin. The glycerin keeps the witch hazel on your scalp and it absorbs and calms things down. But, as you can imagine, the glycerin makes your head a greasy mess. If you use it at night sleep on a towel! I mixed mine and stored it in an old medicine bottle which was fine until I confused the bottles one morning and put the glycerin on after a shower. It took me 10 minutes of drying my limp and greasy hair to realize my mistake. Re-shower, re-shampoo, re-style...late for work.
You guys are going to flip when you hear this, but I had tried ALL the over the counter stuff and prescription stuff to get rid of my scalp psoriasis for years with no relief. I, too had really thick hair (not so much any more), and it was making me crazy. With this latest flare (I hesitate to even call it one anymore given how long its been going on), I finally caved and bought Wen Tea Tree Cleansing Conditioner. I had tried the Paul Mitchell version, and several others that I found here and there with nothing...but the Wen seems to have just the right combination of things to work. Its like a perfect storm of psoriasis treatment (for me). The conditioners are helping to keep my hair from breaking off so badly, and I think the hair loss from MTX has slowed as well, not to mention those same conditioners are moisturizing my scalp, and the tea tree extract has completely eradicated scalp psoriasis for me. This is a huge thing. I have had scalp psoriasis either in tiny patches or covering my scalp for nearly 20 years. And in case you are wondering, yes, I did try it on the rest of me, but it isn't working anywhere else. But my scalp is clear! whoo hoo
I use clobetasol foam on my head. I part my hair after washing it and tap the foam along the part line. I keep parting it and tapping it until the area is covered. Then I wash my hands really well as the steroid can causing scaring if it comes in contact with face or genitals. It is the only thing that has worked for me.