Stick With Your Psoriasis Treatment Plan - Even If It's Frustrating

Being diagnosed with psoriasis can turn your world upside down. It may seem like your life is less than what it was before you were told and you may feel you can’t do things you once enjoyed. At its worst, you may feel like you might lose friends or even your job. But in most cases, these things won’t happen. And you have to remember that there are plenty of treatments out there with psoriasis.

Research treatment options

Your first treatment could consist of moisturizers, coal tar shampoos, or natural oils. Spend some time researching these to make sure they don’t contain anything that may irritate your skin or patches and that you stick to a regime for applying and then washing off anything you use. I need to stress, I am not a medical professional, I merely have lived experience of psoriasis and that’s what I intend to share.

I started with moisturizers, coal tar shampoos, and natural oils. They were good at lessening the itch and making my patches appear less red, but they didn’t really get rid of the problem. Because of this, my doctor moved me on to corticosteroids, which, again, while helpful, didn’t really clear the problem. The other issue I had was that all of these things helped to alleviate the patches or lessen the patches, but they were all time limited. Once you stop using them or think your patches are gone, they all come back with a vengeance. And this was the most heartbreaking thing for me.

Finding treatments that work for me

It took some time before I started phototherapy which gave me the best clearance for a number of months. I would stand in the unit and work up on my minutes as I went through the treatment process. I loved walking to my appointment and then walking away as my patches started to clear. But because its phototherapy you can’t have too many treatments and once again, a few months after finishing, my patches came back - and even worse than before.

It’s not been until I started biologic injections that I would really see things settle down for a long period of time. But I have tried lots of different ones all in a bid to see my patches clear. And they mostly have while I’ve been on my current injection.

Finding the right treatment can be frustrating

What I am trying to say is that the treatment process can be long and frustrating, and involve the trial and error of many different options. But you will get there. You will get fed up and wish things would move quicker. You may get side effects and grow annoyed that you seem to be picking up infections and other illnesses. But that’s the issue with an autoimmune condition.

Don't give up, though. Whatever you do, don’t give up. This condition you’re with for the long haul and you need to give treatments time to settle in. As I’ve said, these are just my experiences but I do know people who have had good success simply with moisturizers and natural oils. Others, however, have been beset by delays and frustrations to their treatment working. Stick with it, you’ll get there.