Abbie

Abbie was diagnosed with psoriasis at the age of 10, a condition which runs in her family. She has had patches of psoriasis on her knees, elbows, scalp, ears, and legs. She has found that stress and some foods trigger her psoriasis. She tries to keep her stress level down and avoid eating certain foods such as beef, tomatoes, dairy, and oranges. She has read about people’s experiences with psoriasis and searched for natural remedies online. However, some of the suggestions online conflicted with the views of her doctors. Abbie finds that her psoriasis can be itchy; she tries to keep scratching to a minimum by using anti-itch creams, taking anti-histamines, and keeping her bedding/clothing clean. 

Abbie has tried a variety of treatments from her GP, such as steroid creams, steroid ointments, medicated bubble baths, cradle cap shampoo and petroleum jelly. Although some of these treatments were effective initially, she finds that they stop working with time. After two years of trial-and-error with her GP, she was referred to a dermatologist because the psoriasis on her scalp got worse. The treatment she was given at the dermatology clinic involved applying medication to her scalp and letting it sink in for a few hours before removing it. Abbie describes being “fed up” with ineffective treatments, and her dermatologist eventually gave her a referral for 30 phototherapy sessions. She finished phototherapy a few months ago and found it to be very effective for her psoriasis. Attending the phototherapy appointments twice a week was tiring because they were scheduled on her days off from work, but she says the results were worth the effort. 

Abbie finds that healthcare professionals generally do not address the emotional side of having a skin condition. She notes that questionnaires given at specialist clinics do not fully capture the experience of living with psoriasis because their time frames are too short (e.g. one month) and don’t take account of seasons. She says that young females tend to be particularly conscious of their appearance and identity, and may therefore struggle more with a skin condition. She prefers to keep the emotional side of psoriasis to herself, although she has talked to a few close people in her life. She found it easier to talk about her psoriasis once her skin had improved. Other people have commented on Abbie’s psoriasis and she feels that they do not understand the impact and upset that those comments can have on someone with psoriasis. Abbie’s advice to young people with psoriasis is to consult healthcare professionals like GPs and dermatologists and to be open to trying new treatment options. She encourages young people to “stand their ground” in medical consultations and not agree to repeating an ineffective treatment. Abbie’s advice to healthcare professionals treating young people with psoriasis is to be more empathetic and to acknowledge the effects of psoriasis on a young person.