Scalp psoriasis- help please

[Skyr2]

I have scalp psoriasis and have had for so many years I can not remember not having an irritated scalp, but it has been much worse in last 7 years, which is when I realised it was a problem and psoriasis as opposed to irritated scalp. It really gets me down, I think it is now close to my forehead and am worried it will start covering my forehead too.

I have tried every over the counter shampoo there is tgel, body shop ginger, nizoral, poly tar, capasal , dermalex and more, it is just getting worse.

I have had prescription applications but nothing has ‘cured’ it betacap, dovobet (which was like lard and I could not get out without using a strong greasy shampoo so prob undid the good it was doing) now have enstilar which apparently is the rolls Royce of treatment, it clears scalp scales then they come back a day later.

The doctors I do not think take it seriously, I know it’s not life threatening so do understand but it has completely affected my life and I really want to get on top of this.

How do I see a dermatologist is this private ?

Do you have any other advise or magic cures / products I could try ? How does everyone else cope with it and how often do you use treatments, scrape scales etc. ( sorry that sounds disgusting but if you have psoriasis you know what I mean).

The GP will be able to refer you. There may be a wait with Covid though.
Sorry you are suffering, BIL was eventually prescribed methotrexate for his which really helped. I hope you can get seen without too much of a wait.

www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/psoriasis-and-treatments/treatments

Have you tried changing your diet? Gluten free or low carb? Dairy free?

Psoriasis is an auto immune condition. Change of diet will do bugger all.
You have tried all the medicated stuff and if it’s only on your scalp I doubt a dermatologist will want to put you on methotrexate or a biological.
A very basic treatment which worked when I had it badly on my scalp was to massage oil (baby oil, olive oil any really) into the scalp at night. Put on a disposable shower cap and a towel over your pillow and leave on overnight.
I know this is pretty disgusting but in the morning use a nit comb and all the scales will come out. Then wash.

Good luck.

I did this once a week

I have the same OP! Like you I have tried it all. Do you find that anything helps in the short term? I think mine might get a tiny bit better sometimes when using beta cap for the irritation and then a shampoo like Capasal 2 x per week. It might be my imagination though as I’m still scratching!

Ketoconazole does nothing. All the medicated shampoos also make my very thick hair feel like straw and almost impossible to tame - even with gallons of conditioner afterwards.

I have seen a dermatologist about it years ago and he prescribed some Dermol 600 bath emollient to massage in and leave overnight then comb through and wash off in the morning with one of the medicated shampoos like capasal.

The problem with this condition is that it never really goes away!

The doctor i saw just a couple of months ago suggested I needed to change my lifestyle - better stress management and sleep particularly were factors that she highlighted. For various reasons this hasn’t been possible to the extent I would like but I’m trying!

Good luck! I know what you mean about it getting you down! Even being able to wear a black top without looking like I’ve been in a snow storm would be nice! And I think the itching / soreness is one of the reasons I don’t sleep so well!

Thank you for all your replies.

I will try a few more home remedies before I contact doctor again.
It is much worse the day I wash my hair, the day after it is a bit better then then I have to wash my hair so it bad again. ( I have 1 less itchy day out of 2).
I leave to air dry although not sure that makes much of a difference.

I will try oil, I used to do this with cradle cap when my children were babies so same principle I suppose. ( without the plastic show cap !)
I will also buy some Dermol thank you for the recommendation.

T Gel shampoo keeps my scalp psoriasis well under control.

I have similar. Nothing works. It might be sebborheic dermatitis rather than psoriasis. I have the scalp and flaky face syndrome also. But many are dealing with worse things.

Alberto Giannini scalp scrubs are brilliant. There is one specifically for dandruff, It is just so satisfying to scrub the dry flakes off. Follow that with Tgel.

I have this and tried so many shampoos. The best for me has been head and shoulders weirdly? Mine has completely cleared up and even the patches that are not in my scalp have cleared ( I put head and shoulders on them too)

Oh yes just remembered the dermatologist said head and shoulders was actually a really good one to use on the days you don’t use medicated shampoo.

I used to use t gel all the time but I hate the smell and the feel of my hair afterwards!

Finally, I have been diagnosed with seborrhoeic dermatitis and scalp psoriasis then sd again then psoriasis again. Every doctor seems to decide it’s the opposite of what the previous one decided! Apparently it can be very hard to confuse the two. The dermatologist told me that the treatment is basically the same so it doesn’t matter too much. I guess factors like stress might impact both too!

Betnovate Scalp Application. Its a steroid so use wisely but it never fails to clear up my scalp, forehead, ears, etc. My psoriasis would be chronic without it.

Betacap 0.1% w/w cutaneous solution betamehasone valerate works for me.

@isittimetogotobed

I have this and tried so many shampoos. The best for me has been head and shoulders weirdly? Mine has completely cleared up and even the patches that are not in my scalp have cleared ( I put head and shoulders on them too)

I agree with this - H&S has been the best for me. It doesn't clear it but it makes it manageable and doesn't make my hair feel like shit or smell weird. I also wish my hair every day as that suits me more and my scalp definitely feels less itchy as a result.

@Skyr2 ask your GP to test you for coeliac disease ASAP. My GP did when my query scalp psoriasis was out of control even though I had no other symptoms. My mother was also diagnosed with coeliac disease purely from the state of her scalp.

Should have said even now the only symptom I get if I am glutened is my scalp instantly starts to itch and scan up. If I am safely gluten free it takes a couple of weeks to settle and then is fine.

My dh suffers with this at times. What helped him was some products from lush but I can’t remember what it was called right now. I’ll come
back once I’ve found it.

I have had psoriasis for maybe 20 years now, I have never found a doctor whi actually understood the horrendous effect this condition has on your life. My scalp was the first place I noticed it and I was devastated as it started to creep down from my hairline onto my forehead.
Against medical advice I have to say I used Dovobet on my forehead, for me it worked although as you say it's only temporary.
The itching on my scalp was unbearable and I have lost count of the amount of different shampoos I tried. I found that Vosene medicated gave the best relief but again as I'm sure you know that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for someone else.
One ray of light is that although I still have psoriasis on my body, my scalp is much better.
I still cant wear black but it's at a level that I can live with.
Really hope you find some relief

@lostandfound55

My dh suffers with this at times. What helped him was some products from lush but I can’t remember what it was called right now. I’ll come back once I’ve found it.

Dream cream?

This stuff is the only thing that has ever kept mine under control. Weirdly mine disappeared 7 years ago after I had DS but after trying countless things, something called diprosalic is the only thing that worked. Found a pic in google of it, no idea if it still exists

Head and shoulders is awful for mine, makes it flare up even worse.

I have etrivex shampoo for mine (prescribed by the dermatologist - it's expensive so will need you to fight for it. I had it prescribed when I had lost about 1/4 of my hair because of it), which I use along with dove shampoo and conditioner (best for me, not necessarily for everyone - trial and error unfortunately) every time I wash my hair. I also have calcipotriol solution for when it flares particularly badly. Then I'm also on a biologic as mine is psoriatic arthritis too, and steroids as and when.

I will say, one of the best things for mine is when I bleach my hair. Thought it was weird, then I found that peroxide can actually be used as a treatment!

@Mumof3teens I’ve just asked dh and it was the rehab shampoo he used that helped him.

@BasinHaircut that’s so interesting that yours disappeared when you had a DS. Do you have other children?

The only break I had was for the pregnancy and 9 months after when I had DS! But just DS! When I had my 2 DDs it was worse than ever!

[quote lostandfound55]@Mumof3teens I’ve just asked dh and it was the rehab shampoo he used that helped him.[/quote]
Ah, thank you. I know Dream Cream works for a lot of people who have psoriasis or eczema.

@Mumof3teens yes we have used dream cream for dd2’s eczema as well. I found the recommendation on here for the shampoo when dh was struggling as it was spreading from his scalp down his forehead.

Second diprosalic here - it works for me!