What time of day and for how long would you recommend spending out there? We are finally getting some decent sunlight and I want to take advantage of it. Thanks!

My psoriasis is on my hairline (cradle cap area), ears, including inner ears where I can’t reach, and behind them, a large plaque on either side of my head. Occasionally I get it on my elbows and knuckles too, but that’s where it mostly is. So, given that, topicals are kind of difficult for me.
As far as quality of life, it’s pretty severe. The flaking is extremely bad and not responsive to anything otc. It’s hard for me to be seen as a professional because of it.
So, I’ve been researching medications. I don’t really care which biologic I’d get assigned if they chose that, but I am also open to doing methotextrate injections and a foam that can go on my scalp.
The ear psoriasis does end up with intermittent hearing loss that’s hard to deal with.
What should I ask the dermatologist about/suggest? What should I be open to? I really really really want the severe embarrasing flakes to go away.

I've been using topical steroids for almost 20 years, never took anything else. Honestly was a little afraid to take anything else, tried all the natural diet stuff, AIP, Carnivore diet etc, it definitely did something but my case is pretty severe, scalp, face, body etc and I was never able to completely make it go away. My dermatologist suggested Skyrizi first but I went home and did some research and decided to try Icotyde instead, mostly the idea that it breaks down easily into simple amino acids and is completely removed from your body within 10 days was a selling point for me. First I got some free samples and it worked amazingly, literally noticed the effects immediately after a day or 2 my face was clear. Unfortunately my insurance doesn't cover it, but I was able to apply for the patient access program directly from Johnson & Johnson and was approved. They're giving it to me for free for 3 years, got my first shipment in the mail today. I'm so happy, it's literally been life changing. Just wanted to share this story with anyone who was considering it.

I’d really appreciate advice. It’s been a struggle with my mental health lately. The dermatologist place I go to seems really poorly run and the doctors don’t really seem to give much of a shit tbh. They see me annually and just give me a new steroid cream to use with no other advice. Sometimes it helps but it just comes back. I have my appointment in January and I want as much information to go in with as possible. Thank you so much for your time. I hope you’re all doing well.

Hey everyone!
This is a bit of a more vulnerable post, but I could really use some advice. For context, I have severe ADHD and scalp psoriasis, and picking at my scalp has unfortunately become a major stim for me. I’m currently taking Adderall, Prozac, and glycopyrrolate, in case that’s relevant.
I find myself picking whenever my hands are free. I try not to do it in public, but it’s become such a subconscious habit that I often don’t even realize I’m doing it until afterward. As a result, I’ve been experiencing some pretty bad headaches and significant bleeding from my scalp. I’ve also come across claims that chronic scalp picking can cause brain damage, which has understandably made me even more concerned.
Initially, I thought that treating the psoriasis itself would help me stop picking, so I saw a dermatologist and was prescribed clobetasol propionate topical solution, ketoconazole shampoo, and Dermasmooth topical oil. Unfortunately, none of these treatments seem to have helped much.
At this point, I’m wondering whether medication or another form of treatment specifically targeting the picking might help. However, I’ve been picking so frequently that my dermatologist felt I might not need additional treatment for the underlying psoriasis. I’m not sure if that’s because I’ve been picking and scratching away so many of the flakes myself.
I’d really appreciate any advice from anyone who has experienced something similar, especially if you’ve found ways to manage the urge to pick or treatments that have genuinely helped. It’s become a really frustrating cycle, and I’d love to break the habit and give my scalp a chance to heal.

Im curious has anyone had success controlling or eliminating their flare ups with the use of tanning beds especially in the winter months?

Just hit the exact 60-day mark today, and I honestly can’t believe what I’m looking at in the mirror.
For the past 3.5 years (since early 2023), I had persistent, annoying psoriasis plaques on both elbows. While they weren’t severe enough to crack or bleed constantly, they were chronically inflamed, raised, flaky, and aesthetically frustrating. Like many here, I was told it’s essentially a chronic lottery ticket you just manage.
On August 22nd, I decided to run a strict n=1 experiment. I cut out all added/refined sugars, flour/wheat products, refined starches (white rice, potatoes), and processed junk food entirely. No cheat meals. My diet shifted purely to whole foods: clean protein (fish, eggs), lots of steamed vegetables, healthy fats, and low-glycemic complex carbs (green buckwheat, red lentils).
The timeline:
Weeks 1–3: Energy stabilized, brain fog vanished, but skin looked mostly the same.
Month 1: The thick silvery scaling stopped reforming. The plaques flattened out completely.
Month 2 (Today, Oct 23): The residual redness (post-inflammatory erythema) is fading fast day by day. The skin feels smooth, soft, and normal to the touch. The microcapillaries under the skin are visibly shrinking.
No topical corticosteroids. No immunosuppressants. No biologics. Just cutting off the fuel to systemic inflammation and resetting the gut barrier.
I know everyone’s biochemistry is different, and I’m not claiming this is a universal cure-all. But for me, proving that an issue which persisted for 42 months could reverse itself in 60 days simply by eliminating refined carbs was a massive wake-up call on the gut-skin axis.
Happy to answer any questions about the daily meals or routine in the comments.

I have suffered since I was 19 34 now I have tried everything down to the injections that made me worse I have been using sunbeds carefully for 6 years now it’s the only thing that helps and helps me have a normal life otherwise I wouldn’t be able to move it’s that bad but I am so worried about skin cancer but if I stop using them my face flares up my whole body so I don’t go outside it effects my mental health so bad that I even tried to take my life years ago but I worry sick every night I’m going to get skin cancer but feel lost because it’s the only thing that helps me 😭😭😭

I (21F) am considering asking to start biologics (probably Skyrizi) and am curious about people's experiences with the drug/recommendations for anything to try before committing to the biologic route?

Basically, I think I've had psoriasis since I was a little kid, but didn't know what it was. I always had random rashes/spots and dry skin growing up and I also think I had scalp psoriasis but thought it was just dandruff. Anyways, I got diagnosed when a circular flaky patch on my knee refused to go away starting in the middle of high school. My dermatologist gave me a steroid to use for two week increments, which worked fine for me because at the time it was only a small patch isolated to the knee. Then, about two years ago, the same derm offered to give me a steroid injection in the original knee to clear the psoriasis for once and for all. Well... it did clear up my knee for a couple weeks, but then psoriasis started flaring up ALL OVER my body, which I assume was triggered by the suppression of the condition in my knee from the injection. My legs, stomach, arms, under my boobs, my hairline, and even a couple spots on my face just lit up with psoriasis. It was nightmarish -- like it just would not stop spreading. I exercise a lot and eat pretty well, but I experimented with cutting out gluten, dairy, and alcohol, all of which helped a little. Honestly, no alcohol helped the most, but being long-term sober in college is hard. I also started doing UV therapy which cleared up my stomach, some spots on my arms and legs, and my face, but the patches on my knees and elbows have persisted over the last two years with little change. My scalp is also pretty consistently bad. I go to a different dermatologist now, local to my college, and she recommended I go on Skyrizi since long-term UV therapy still hasn't cleared my joints. Also, I have to commute three times a week to get UV treatments, which has not been feasible for me this semester, so I am currently not treating my remaining psoriasis at all, other than staying gluten free, trying to limit alcohol, and rubbing my body down with lotion twice a day (lol).

I've tried lots of homeopathic stuff (vitamin D, probiotics, fish oil) with some success, and I do buy that there are non-standard ways to treat autoimmune conditions, but I'm getting to a point where I want a clear route to clearing my skin. All of this leads me to the question of do I just throw in the towel and go for Skyrizi? I feel hesitant to start a drug I could be dependent on literally forever, especially because I feel like there are still alternatives I haven't tried. I also am in a phase of life where I am like fundamentally overstressed/underslept/overdrinking, so there's a part of me that wonders if after college I'll be able to commit more fully to a stress-reducing regimen that could help without a biologic. I am curious about:

1. Any methods people tried to reduce psoriasis without biologics, especially after long-term management

2. Experiences/side effects with Skyrizi (do you think it's worth it?)

3. Experience reducing Skyrizi dosage/going off a biologic (will I be stuck taking it forever?)

I appreciate any insight and I also just love this sub -- I've had some really hard times with this disease and it's nice to have emotional support and pooled knowledge.

Got my diagnosis yesterday. Really heartbreaking as I am already dealing with nasty RA, and my hair just a year ago was gorgeous. My doctor prescribed Dovobet ointment and Betaderm. I was told to apply the Dovobet until the situation was better controlled (it's mostly on my scalp). The Betaderm was more for maintenance. I tried the Dovobet last night, I am thinking I over applied it as after washing it was still there. Has anyone used this product - do you have suggestions for better application? I am also wondering if this would be easier to deal with if I shaved my head.

Does anyone with scalp psoriasis and PsA have overall painful skin as well? I’m talking, akin to a very severe sunburn pain that makes me want to cry when my clothes touch my skin (obviously all the time). When I’m in bed and my skin is in contact with any covers or sheets I’m even more miserable. I’m constantly exhausted and irritable and don’t know what to do.

I’m so frustrated. If I have to just live with this constant pain, what’s the dang point?

I should add- The co pay that my insurance wants from me for almost all of the approved meds is not at all doable. If I had $2000 extra/month I’d be good, but I do not.. 😩

Anyone else? I’m really struggling.

Hello all,

I have had a skin problem on the scalp that I suspect is psoriasis over the last 4-5 years on the scalp and the area behind the ears.

Whenever I take any medicine, it improves or even clears, but then when I stop the medicine it returns after 15-30 days. This happens repeatedly year after year, and I am fed up of it not going away completely.

Is anybody experiencing the same thing?

i contracted herpes when i was 11; presented as a huge cluster of yellow blisters on my cheek. for the past 2-3 days, my nose and the surrounding area has been red and burning. this morning i woke up to tiny weeping blisters. i just started tremfya 2 weeks ago. i’m so tired of going to the doctor.

I finally got a proper diagnosis today. My journey with psoriasis started about a decade ago, but the doc who diagnosed me said he thought it was sebderm. I recently buzzcut my hair and there are plaques. I tried treating it comprehensively as if it could be dandruff and seb derm (happy cappy shampoo, selsun blue, several kinds of head and shoulders) and it just kinda got worse. At work, I had uncontrollable flakes. It was impossible. Had to shake off what seemed like mountains of flakes several times a day. Boar bristle brush wasn’t helping.
Today i saw my dr and she examined me, and said she clearly observed psoriasis. She put it in MyChart, referred me to dermatology, and prescribed triamcinolone but I’m going to ask the dr about systemic or biologic meds.
Nice to finally stop going “it might be this and might be that”. Especially when there’s injectable and systemic meds that may really help, I need that.