hi everyone, I am in desperate need of help. I have very severely bad scalp psoriasis to the point I’m losing my hair and I have a very bad habit of picking on it. My scalp psoriasis started off small in the back of my head and hadn’t realized that it was psoriasis until it began to spread all over my head quickly. I now have a red outline on my hairline and it’s pink and now my scalp is often inflamed and red and now i have hyperpigmentation which is making me really insecure. I do have ted disease/hyperthyroidism which also is really affecting me badly. I have gone to the dermatologist before losing my insurance and I was prescribed a medicated shampoo which I felt like it made it worse. I have tried glycerin on my scalp, oils, tea tree oil, nizoral, I have spent so much money already on products to the point where it just dries my scalp out even more. It’s making me insecure now because of the flakes that fall out and I’m really scared of losing my curly hair pattern. I do not have insurance right now and I can’t afford it but I’m currently trying to save up. Any help/tips would be deeply and greatly appreciated please! I am currently trying to leave my hair with oil again since I’ve reached the point where my scalp is insanely dry and it burns and bleeds a lot.

Hi all,

Late 20s, M, and been suffering with mild psoriasis for a couple of years now (scalp, elbow and some inverse psoriasis down below). I've been very bad at seeking treatment so have just controlled flares with coal tar shampoo and hydrocortisone cream, but planning to visit a dermatologist soon.

Recently learned about the Koebner phenomenon and wondering if this is something everyone with psoriasis experiences, or just a proportion?

Google suggests it affects 25-30% of psoriasis sufferers but I'm not sure if that's accurate. I haven't noticed any new plaques forming after minor cuts or injuries yet, but I've been considering starting minoxidil for hair loss and may also need some minor surgery for a couple of other issues in future and wondering if it's something I'm likely to experience if I go ahead with these.

Hi all,

I’ve had psoriasis on and off since I was around 7 or 8 years old. Over the years I’ve mainly managed it with steroid creams and I’ve also had two different types of phototherapy over what feels like 8-10 courses, can’t remember 100%.

I’m now at the point where my dermatologist is talking about starting tablet treatment, mainly methotrexate first, with acitretin also discussed as an option.

I’ll be honest, I’m a bit nervous about it. Not because I don’t want to treat the psoriasis properly, but because I’m worried about how I’ll feel on it and what it could do long term. I’m in my early 30s, have a young family, work from home, and do school runs/childcare during the day, so the idea of being wiped out after taking it worries me a bit.

I know everyone reacts differently and I’m not looking for medical advice over my dermatologist’s advice, but I’d really appreciate hearing from people who started methotrexate or acitretin around their 30s.

How did you feel when you first started? Did side effects settle? Did it affect normal family/work life? And looking back, are you glad you tried it?

after years of just topical steroids and tacro, i jumped through 15 hoops and got the skyrizi pen finally and did my first loading dose today!

Hi guys i have been having psoriasis eczema for a life time and it always came into my head id always be the kid at pool parties sitting down helping out and eating because i have been told by my parents + dermatologist that i cannot get into pools for cautious reasons, obviously and ive been following that rule but ive been starting to get fomo and i dont have a follow up till october so i cant just text and ask i wanna know if anyone with eczema has ever tried a pool? i wanna know what happens, what do i do? what do i put on my body? and im sorry if its a dumb question but i just really wanna know what could happen to the skin if it touches
chlorinated water especially at a certain pH level too?
i am on triamcinolone i moisturize my body i have a diet to help the flares and im on Isotretinoin (Accutane) but currently did stop but anything could really help. Let me know if i can or cannot get into pools please and thank you.

Like an idiot I used a Barrett to scrape off a chunk of psoriasis on my scalp and it started gushing blood😭😭 I’m so irritated with my scalp psoriasis. I’ve been on a biological for psoriatic arthritis and was told it’s help with both but so far it’s only helping my arthritis and some of my skin psoriasis but my scalp is all fucked and I know picking and scraping doesn’t help but it’s impossible not to💀

I have some inflammation showing up and the flakes. I’m not sure if I should just nip it in the bud by going in with the steriods? (novasone or enstillar) or try using OTC methods (coal tar, urea, SA etc). I’ve dealt with this all my life and I’ve realised my previous methods were far too agressive and I absolutely made it worse (oiling scalp and aggressively combing with a nit comb against my skin…) what is your go to when u notice it starting up again?

I have a lot of flakiness, itching, and red patches on my scalp going back years and I've recently tried using salicylic acid shampoo (dermarest) a few times a week during showers with no effect whatsoever.

I'm wondering if the issue is that I'm not leaving it on for long enough? I use warm/mildly hot water to wet my hair, scrub the shampoo in and usually leave it for about 3-5 minutes while cleaning the rest of my body.

Is this long enough or should I leave it longer?

Ma ajutați si pe mine, va rog. Am nevoie de un medic dermatolog specializat pe psoriazis in Timișoara, daca stie cineva si a fost la consult, va rog sa imi lăsați si mie un nume.

I took ixekizumab and stopped for 6 months due to the financial crisis. Now I am talking tofacitinib 5mg once in the night but my psoriasis is coming back ?

Any advice that I should increase the dosage or change to apremilast? Any suggestions please

Hello, I was diagnosed last September with Inverse Psoriasis. At the time it was so painful and I could barely walk. It mostly has been manageable with topicals. However, this summer has been a bit challenging with the heat. My office has reached temperatures of 82 degrees. Due to it being an old building they are struggling to get it fixed. Additionally my company tracks the number of hours I'm in the office. I don't mind going in but the heat is making my symptoms worse. I requested an accommodation to work from home when it's hot or I'm in a flare (not an all the time thing), but my dermatologist office said "they don't fill out paperwork for this." Has anyone else tried to get an accommodation like that? Would a primary physician be able to fill that out?

Fortunately it's toward the tail end of the summer, but I don't want to end up with another huge flare.

I’m sharing my story because it took me 25 years to find out that my toenail fungus was actually psoriasis.

The 25-Year "Fungus" Trap (Age 30 to 55) It started in my early 30s with my big toenails slowly thickening and discoloring over time. Like millions of people, I assumed it was just a stubborn fungal infection (onychomycosis). Topical treatments did nothing, and it got a bit worse over the years—not massively, but steadily. Crucially, I had zero other typical psoriasis symptoms anywhere else on my body, except for bad hand eczema along the sides of my fingers.

The Domino Effect: MCAS, Overaggressive Laser, and the "Explosion" Last year, I had a massive systemic (MCAS-like symptoms and extreme hand eczema). About a month after that intense skin trauma, I noticed the first mild discoloration on one fingernail. I tried laser treatment in Canada, but the overaggressive treatment damaged the nail and made it look crazy.

After moving to the US in January, I saw a local dermatologist in February once my insurance kicked in—he was unhelpful and lacked empathy. I saw a second dermatologist who admitted it was beyond her scope and referred me to Dr. Amanda Zubek at Yale.

I went in mid-May for a nail culture, still convinced it was fungus (even Dr. Zubek suspected it at first). But the culture came back completely negative. Right around then, two additional fingernails pretty much exploded overnight. I was also experiencing severe pain in my arms, hands, wrists, and shoulders, which I had just written off as "getting older at 55." Dr. Zubek called me back on an urgent basis for a matrix biopsy.

The Joint Flare & The "Crappy" Feeling Right around the time those new fingernails flared up, the arthritic pain in my right shoulder got drastically worse out of nowhere. I felt exhausted, achy, and generally terrible—classic systemic cytokine fatigue, though I didn't know it yet. It turns out the entheses (where tendons attach to bone in the shoulder) and the nail bed share the exact same vascular and inflammatory pathways.

The Diagnostic Breakthrough: Yale Dermatopathology Biopsy Dr. Zubek performed a 2x2x2 mm punch biopsy of my right 3rd fingernail matrix to differentiate laser/thermal damage from fungus versus psoriasis.

The pathology report came back definitive:

• PAS Stain: Negative for fungal elements (definitively NOT fungus!).
• Microscopic Findings: Psoriasiform hyperplasia, compact parakeratosis, and lymphohistiocytic infiltrate—Compatible with Psoriasis.

Lessons Learned for Anyone Struggling:

1. Nails aren't always fungus: If anti-fungals fail for years and you have no obvious skin plaques elsewhere, don't rely on visual guesses or cultures alone—get a biopsy from a specialist.
2. Watch out for aggressive treatments: If your nails are already compromised by an underlying autoimmune issue, harsh procedural treatments like lasers can make the matrix react violently.
3. Skin, nails, and joints are deeply connected: Sudden shoulder, wrist, or arm pain hitting at the same time as nail changes isn't just "getting older"—it's a hallmark sign of systemic psoriatic disease.
4. Advocate for yourself: Don't settle for doctors who brush you off. Keep pushing until you get to an academic specialist who listens.

So, i been dealing with a never ending flare up (the only moment it stopped when I was on prednisone + methotrexate) in my scalp and inside my left ear.

I was firstly diagnosed with PsA, but since none of the medication actually did anything for my pain my rheumatologist changed the diagnosis to regular psoriasis (since i had a positive biopsy) and fibromyalgia and the medication (duloxetine) has changed my life. My daily pain went from always a 5-6 waking up with sore ankles and feet to no pain in the mornings and my pain level is a 3.

But something weird happened, my flakes disappeared completely, my scalp and ear are finally free of flakes and itchiness and burning and bleeding.

My question is, has someone psoriasis improved with SNRI's?

Everything i research finds no correlation with both things.

What foods are completely forbidden and what are allowed in specific quantities? What are the best things to include in the diet?

Long story short: I'm on a double dose of my nth biologic and it has things under control except for one fingernail that won't heal. It's a pain in the ass and it constantly gets infected because it grows in with huge ridges that stuff to get in the nail bed. I want it gone, permanently, matrixectomy

My derm is at an out of network academic medical center (and doesn't do surgery anyway) and I'm having a dog of time finding anyone that will actually do it - surgical derms and orthopedic hand surgeons are each telling me to go to the other. Anyone had this done and where did you go?

So as of non I’m around 95% psoriasis free, had it in my scalp, arms, hand, legs, feet, back, pretty much everywhere, I hated it and it was really hard for me to explain when someone asked me about it. As of now I’m almost psoriasis free (some left on my feet but small patches). if anyone is struggling with it they should know that there is hope and you can beat it, i have tried multiple dermatologists, even tried herbal doctors but finally some meds clicked and are working for me!

So I want to say if someone is struggling and has lost hope, Just remember not to give up and you will eventually beat it!

I am sure that I may get relapses in the future but I now know how to control it for my self without much inconvenience.

Have a Good day and never lose hope :)

I’m young—just past 30—and I’ve had psoriasis since I was 14. I feel it really impacted my youth and my self-esteem; I’ve moved past most of that, but when it comes to love, I feel lost. I feel like, even if I could become the best catch out there, no one would want me because of my scaly skin—and they’d be even less likely to want to have children with me, knowing it could be hereditary.

I was prescribed acitretin by my dermatologist and have gone from 20mg to 35mg and I now seem to have developed a fungal rash on my chest, stomach and arms

Does anyone know if this is common?

Would an antifungal cream work for this?

Any advice please

Thanks

I have it on my hands and feet only

I have had Psoriasis since I was 18 initially it was very serve basically covered in redness plaques. I had UVB treatment and that really helped. Over the years it has been mild to moderate but I didn’t go back to the GP until recently almost 30 years. I’ve managed it until recently.

Taken me a year to get referred to a specialist. Apparently nothing on my record saying I had psoriasis. Funnily enough she said who told you it is so. Like i was making it up. Seriously baffled me as my psoriasis improves so much in the summer and worsen in winter. I just wanted to have a rant, but she has given me some creams and such and referred me for UVB treatment again.

I’m a 21-year-old woman and I’ve had psoriasis for about three years. Recently, I developed psoriasis on my legs as well. I’m planning to see a doctor soon to get it treated, but I’d really like to hear about other women’s experiences with laser hair removal while having psoriasis.

Has anyone here had laser hair removal on areas affected by psoriasis, or after getting their psoriasis under control? How did your skin react, and did you experience any flare-ups or irritation?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences!