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Psoriasis
& Itchy Skin Diseases

This website contains facts, information and the personal experience
of a psoriasis victim

I have called this site psoriasis but sufferers like myself will readily identify that psoriasis is indeed a general omnibus heading that may well cover other skin condition of which there are many, such as purigo and eczema. The underlying and most distressing symptom of these is a rash on various parts of the body that can almost drive one to distraction with the constant and often wide spread itching. It is a sad observation to make that with all the advances of medical science there is still not a simple tablet or pill that one can take to gain relief from itching.
As a child I only suffered with the usual childhood illnesses and I recall that measles was characterised by an itchy rash and likewise was chicken pox which I caught as a young father in my thirties. Apart from these everyday complaints my skin was quite healthy and clear save for one single patch of eczema which lay persistently on my ankle. As a youngster I never had any skin problems such as boils,carbuncles or impetigo and most thankfully I was spared completely from the adolescent blight pf acne.

In adult life I got married and had three children and that was two girls and a boy. My son over time developed asthma, hay fever and developed a very bad skin in the form of continuous boils coupled with sever acne which lasted well into his early adulthood and I still recall one of his friends saying "every time I look at you Simon I get spots before my eyes." He is still prone to boils and abscesses. My youngest daughter also suffered with her skin but this manifested itself as dermatitis and eczema: whilst my oldest daughter was spared all of these problems. It is worth mentioning that my son's asthma and hay fever abated in his teen years and has completely subsided.

Alan's arms show signs of the psoriasis scabs

In my own case I had no signs nor indications of skin problems and then I had a TIA ( mini-stroke ) after which the hospital was keen to keep my blood thinned to avoid any further TIA's: this was at first done with a daily dose of Aspirin but after seeing another consultant he prescribed another item in place of the Aspirin which was considered to be superior. After a period of a week or so I had inflamed red patches up my arms and my consultant immediately asked me to stop this medication. With regular use of a steroidal preparation the inflammation subsided and an itchy rash started to appear on my arms, legs, buttocks, ankles and even my scalp. This lead to a series of visits to dermatologists who could not really offer any permanent relied and just suggested further steroidal preparations and emollients. Eventually, I told my consultants that I was not going to continue with steroidal preparations as I understood that they thinned my skin and did little else. I was told that the only alternative left for me to try was light treatment when I would attend thrice weekly sessions over an increasing exposure. This gave a very rapid relief from the itching and the nodules began to disappear. This has been a great relief from months of itching but the prognosis is that it is unlikely to be permanent. All us sufferers pray for a permanent solution.For anyone who is a bit apprehensive or nervous about light treatment may I assure you that it is completely painless and carries no more risks than most other treatments. The treatment is simply exposing the body to a form of ultra-violet light to dampen down the skin chemistry so that your immune system does not continue to operate on overtime. The treatment is simple and entails standing in an enclosed open topped light box naked. but privately whilst a series of lamps are directed at your skin for a length of time that increases slowly. The actual exposure times is variable from person to person and depends on how fair your skin type is. One aspect that usually amuses patients is that men are asked to wear a single sock appropriately placed in the light booth.