The Most Hard to Treat Areas of Psoriasis

Psoriasis can affect all different areas of the body. Basically, where there is skin, psoriasis can go. That means, everywhere. While some areas of the body may be easier to treat than others, I'd like to explore those difficult to treat areas.

Psoriasis is hard, period.

During my last rheumatologist appointment, I was told that psoriasis on the ankles was a hard area to treat. I was kind of floored by that. In all my years of having psoriasis, no one had ever said that to me. I mean, it definitely made finding comfortable shoes a challenge.

My ankles tend to swell almost daily from my psoriasis. Nothing so far, in the 17 years of having psoriasis, has cleared those stubborn psoriasis patches on my ankles. However, I cannot imagine that in all the areas that psoriasis can present, the ankles are the most difficult to treat.

I am proud to be very hands-on in my treatment. Meaning that I research, ask questions, and even go so far as to say which next treatment I want to try. This topic of hard-to-treat areas of psoriasis definitely demanded research.

Let the research begin

Stating out, all I had to do was put in 'hard to treat psoriasis areas' in the search engine. What I found did not come as a surprise. The whole page of possible articles kept mentioning six specific areas: scalp, face, nails, soles, genitals, and palms.

These really came as no surprise to me. How about you? Maybe my rheumatologist took the ankle as being a part of the soles of the feet, which would explain her statement to me. It definitely will be something I bring up to her in our next meeting.

While I do have psoriasis on my ankles, I have never had psoriasis on the soles of my feet. However, I do have a friend who has psoriasis there so I empathize with the pain she must live with.

A look at inverse psoriasis

I do have inverse psoriasis. To say it is uncomfortable is an understatement. Mine are in the usual areas of the groin and under my breast. The biologics that I have been on seem to keep it at bay for the most part but there are times when my old friend will show up again.

Living in the South, especially in the hot summers, my inverse psoriasis can give me a lot of issues. Being an outdoor's type person in that heat sure makes the inverse get pretty bad at times. I can see why genital or inverse psoriasis would be a more difficult area to treat.

Living with facial psoriasis

Recently I wrote an article about having psoriasis in my nose. It is very uncomfortable. While I have not had psoriasis around my lips or eyes, I have had psoriasis on the inside of my eyes causing them to be dry and itchy all the time.

This is only one sensitive area that psoriasis can impact. I know some of you reading this know exactly what I am talking about because you live with psoriasis in these areas.

Psoriatic nails

I've lived with nail psoriasis - as well as psoriasis on my hands. At one point my hands were completely covered in psoriasis plaques. It spread to my nails, making it hard to do much of anything. My fingers would be so sore. I worried that my nails would fall off.

Topicals treatments have never worked for me. Using them to treat my hand and nail psoriasis always felt like a waste of time. It was being put on my first biologic that really helped clear my hands and nails of psoriasis. That was years ago and I am thankful that I am still clear to this point.

Starting with the scalp

For good reason, I saved this one for last. While I have had very little scalp psoriasis over the years, mine has been in relatively easy places to treat. It has always been at the base of my skull with only a couple of patches at a time.

For me, this is a fairly easy place to treat. However, for most, scalp psoriasis is not easy to treat at all. I can see why this one made the list first. I am sure you will agree with that.

What is your take on this list? Do you agree with those listed? What has been the most difficult place you have psoriasis on to treat?