Alphosyl is far superior a shampoo for psoriasis than Polytar

[TattyDevine]

Active ingredient (Coal Tar) is 5% instead of 1%...

It smells nicer, has a nicer texture, and doesn't run out your hand when you are about to apply it.

Just saying!

In case anyone (like me) has been using good old Polytar for the past however many years but hating it - give this one a try. I'm amazed at Polytar actually because they have something called "Polytar Plus" which still only has 1% of the active ingredient. Weird.

Yours flakily
Tatty Devine...

Tatty where do you get it?

is it one from Boots or do you get it from a specialist?

I got it at Boots.

Went into my little local chemist the other day and Polytar was sold out and they had Alphosyl on the shelf so I think Polytar has got itself the "unfair share of the market" but give the Alphosyl a try. You'd think at 5% it would stink but it doesn't

And its green not brown, always reassuring (well nearly always)...

My eldest dd has really bad psoriasis so far nothing has worked. She gets huge scabs that really show (sorry TMI there). Can this be bought in chemists she will try anything.

It can, try Boots, I got mine in a quite small sized local Boots.

Look in the boring medicated problematical section not the cosmetic shampoos and styling section

If not ask, it'll be there I reckon.

Thanks for the tip. will give it a go.

thanks Tatty

By the way PSIloveyou if she is really bad you could try something called Betacap which is the Betnovate scalp application. Obviously you will need a prescription for this from the GP, but it does work if nothing else does.

Just thought I'd add some thoughts from recent weeks. I have scalp psraisis and I am currently, a recent deveopment, suffering from psoriatic arthiritis too.

4 weeks ago I cut out dairy from my diet. I lso started drinkin 25ml of aloe vera juice twice daily.

My scalp is so much cleaer. It is still dry in patches but the lumpy cracked, raw skin is no more. And it seems to improve with every day.

Thanks tatty, she has had prescription stuff but that didn't work. I'm not sure if she has tried Betacap I will tell her about it.

Hulababy - my sympathies. My Dad has psoriatic arthritis. He's on Humira (like chemo) for it.

Glad something is working for you

I am only just at the start of the arthritis at the moment. Have had it about 4-6 weeks or so and on steroids to get me through my holifay to Florida in next fortnight. But need to see a rhuematologist once back, poss this week if possible.

The dairy free thing does seem to be helping the actual psorasis though.

Betnovate is quite a powerful steriod - I would read up on it before applying it to my skin again - especially near my head

I have Betnovate but I am not overly convinced that it works very well on my scalp.

In terms of how resilient your skin on your scalp is( in terms of treatments and steroids) I asked a dermatologist about whether it should be treated like the face. His words 'no, scalps are tough as old boots'. He was talking about my 5 month DC

If prescribed by a doctor, used according to the directions, medically monitored and not used for long continued periods of time, it should be fine, unless contraindicated.

Polytar is out of stock at the moment and won?t be back until spring 2014 according to a spokesperson:

www.watchmywallet.co.uk/your-money/living/2013/february/bad-news-for-psoriasis-sufferers-as-polytar-and-oilatum-stocks-disappear-what-is-going-on-with-polytar/

Alphosyl is a good product, and T-Gel isn?t bad either.

I?ve found that drinking Soya milk and switching to Goats cheese/butter has helped my skin too.

I love the smell of polytar and T-Gel. I find that my scalp is a bit better when I take Floradix than it is when I don't - Floradix every day for me then!

I dispute anyone that argues that Polytar wasn't the best product on the market. I've used it since I was a teenager and I didn't realise how bad my psoriasis was until I wasn't using it any more.
Within weeks I developed huge crusty lumps on my sculp that caught on a comb.
I have tried all the other stuff mentioned above and it DOES NOT WORK for me. I managed to get hold of a few small bottles - at huge expense and within a month the lumps have gone

Come on Glaxo Smith Kline - pull your finger out and get it in production.

Just been reading the comments on here. I have been trying to get Polytar for long time now. It's amazing the "Rip Off Prices" unscrupulous people are asking for it.

Anyway to my point I am using a product produced by GlaxoSmithKline Gmbh (same company as the manufacturer of Polytar but in Germany).

It's called Betnesol -V crinale, it's available to buy online at about €17 on average.

It comes in 100ml bottles and you apply it AFTER washing your hair with a medicated shampoo (TGel, Alphosyl, Oliatum). The bottle lasts maybe a couple of months if you use it twice a week.

This stuff is a miracle it works like a charm for me, it keeps the itching a crusty scalp away. I think the UK equivalent is Betnovate

My DH has tried everything for his scalp and the only thing that works for him is head and shoulders itchy scalp! God forbid it ever gets discontinued

I've suffered from scalp psoriasis for about 20 years and find that regular use of any shampoo loses its effectiveness and can make my scalp worse - my bathroom looks like a chemists I have so many half-used bottles!
I don't have a miracle cure but the best I find is a combination of (very messy) Cocois and Diprosalic Ointment - both on prescription.
Hate it!