Aquafor. Eucerin. Keihl's Creme de Corps. Eight-hour cream.
I've tried them all, I think. When my skin feels as if it's going to consume me, when I wake up at 3 a.m. with joint pain and a sensation that my skin might crack and fall off, I seek soothing moisture. But rarely does the balm applied give me relief more than a few hours.
What can you all tell me works for you? I feel like I have crocodile skin, I tell my husband. Altho I apply Taclonex 2x daily, I would run out in a 4-5 days if I applied it every time I'm itching.
Have you tried African Shea Butter? It seems to help me. At least it seems to last longer than many. It comes in either a 16 oz little tub or a larger 32 oz one. Here's a link below. Also, have you tried Palmer's Cocoa Butter? Hope this helps!! I'm sorry your skin is feeling tight!! I hate that feeling too! Best wishes! :-)
Oh, it also comes in either a white formula or the yellow one that is in the picture. I've only used the yellow one, but after hearing good things about the white one I've ordered it and should be receiving it soon. When you use it you have to rub your hands together to get the consistency more malleable because it's rather chunky. Then as your hands warm it you smooth it on! It feels so good going on and my skin just drinks it in!! If you try it, please let us know your reviews!! :-)
For many years I had the giant tub of Aquaphor. It really works best if you soak the skin first, with a shower. If you put it on dry skin in will help, but not nearly as much. My P is worst on my hands.... when my skin gets out of control I soak my hands in a sink of very warm water for about 5 minutes, pat dry, then slather thickly with Aquaphor and put cotton gloves on.
I was at Mayo Clinic inpatient for severe psoriasis when I was 8 yrs old. They ALWAYS soaked first before covering skin with any ointment or cream. Then wrapped the affected area in clean cotton.
One product suggested for very large areas is Vanicream. It is by prescription, and it was used by Mayo in 1980, and still suggested by dermatologists today. It is a light disappearing white cream (not an ointment) in a big tub. I can't remember if it is medicated, I don't think so though. But used after soaking the skin it is very soothing.
I'll reiterate that the key to helping P and itchy dry skin is to add moisture first, THEN seal it in with one of these creams / ointments.
Best wishes! I know how miserable it is :(
ps: soaking in the tub with a bath oil, THEN coating with something like Vanicream was the Mayo method.
A couple of weeks ago, after reading rave reviews, I picked up a big pot of CeraVe cream. I’ve found it excellent, and even better, it’s cheap! Walmart has it for about $15 a large jar, cheaper than Cetaphil. So far, I really like it. I’m using it on face, hands and dry spots.
The product info specifically mentions psoriasis.
For many years I had the giant tub of Aquaphor. It really works best if you soak the skin first, with a shower. If you put it on dry skin in will help, but not nearly as much. My P is worst on my hands.... when my skin gets out of control I soak my hands in a sink of very warm water for about 5 minutes, pat dry, then slather thickly with Aquaphor and put cotton gloves on.
I was at Mayo Clinic inpatient for severe psoriasis when I was 8 yrs old. They ALWAYS soaked first before covering skin with any ointment or cream. Then wrapped the affected area in clean cotton.
One product suggested for very large areas is Vanicream. It is by prescription, and it was used by Mayo in 1980, and still suggested by dermatologists today. It is a light disappearing white cream (not an ointment) in a big tub. I can't remember if it is medicated, I don't think so though. But used after soaking the skin it is very soothing.
I'll reiterate that the key to helping P and itchy dry skin is to add moisture first, THEN seal it in with one of these creams / ointments.
Best wishes! I know how miserable it is :(
ps: soaking in the tub with a bath oil, THEN coating with something like Vanicream was the Mayo method.
I've seen it, I'm going to try it out. You all have been so helpful!
Seenie said:
A couple of weeks ago, after reading rave reviews, I picked up a big pot of CeraVe cream. I've found it excellent, and even better, it's cheap! Walmart has it for about $15 a large jar, cheaper than Cetaphil. So far, I really like it. I'm using it on face, hands and dry spots. The product info specifically mentions psoriasis.
For thick, cracked skin patches that appear on my feet and hands (it gets worse in the winter), I've found that Uremol and Kerasal work best. This is only for thick skin, not for plaque psoriasis. They're a bit pricey, but they're quite effective, available without a prescription at Wal-Mart. Hope this helps!
The only over the counter moisturizer my dermatologist recommends is CeraVe. I have my teenage girls using the face soap too. It helps with their acne.
I do pretty much what Marietta suggested, except my brands are different. I use neutragena shower oil when I bathe. I put it in the tub water, or if I shower, I apply it to my skin while I am still wet. Then I pat myself dry, and put my bathrobe on to dry me the rest of the way. I use a lotion called Renew that you can get from amazon. It is pricey, but it is the only thing that works for me. For my hands and feet, I use eucerin before bed with cotton gloves and socks over them. I am very liberal when I use lotions and creams.
An idea to help you get through the night might be to use a really thick application of eucerin or aquafor on your knees and elbows, cover it with gauze and lightly apply an ace bandage to hold the gauze on. I found that covering the ointment overnight made my skin softer and less likely to crack when I moved.
Im with you on the taclonex. There have been days that I wanted to dip myself in a vat of it! Hope you get some relief soon; it’s the pits!
Hey GrumpyCat and others, thanks so much for the advice, it has lifted my hopes. I just put in a big order thru drugstore.com to do a product comparison!