Embracing My Skin with Psoriasis

Psoriasis treatment has come a long way. New medications like biologics have helped more people achieve clearer skin.

 But everyone with psoriasis is different. What works for one person won’t always help someone else. A certain medication might clear your skin for you for a while, then stop working. Some may have side effects that you find bothersome. 

Women with psoriasis say it can take time and experimentation to find what works best for you. That might mean medications, lifestyle changes, or home remedies. It can also mean adopting a new mindset — to stress less, reach out for support, and practice self-acceptance.    

One Biologic After Another

Tami Seretti was diagnosed in 1996, when many doctors still treated psoriasis like a skin condition instead of an autoimmune disease. At the time, topicals — medications you apply to the skin — were the main treatment.

The first one she tried was a corticosteroid oil applied to the scalp.

“You had to put it in, wear a shower cap all night, and wash it out in the morning,” Seretti says. “It was messy. I ruined nightgowns and sheets. And it didn’t really work that well for me. It pulled the scales out, but it pulled my hair out with it.”

She also tried other corticosteroids and all kinds of greasy lotions.

Then she started on disease-modifying drugs. She’s tried many biologics, drugs that block the part of the immune system that cause those scaly plaques.

One worked well for her — for a while. “I was in total remission. But when it stopped working, it really stopped working,” she says. Two years ago, her doctor suggested she switch to her current medication.

“It started working in about 10 days, and it’s been working ever since. I went from 80% covered to 15% covered [in psoriasis].” She’s been able to grow her hair past her shoulders for the first time in her life.

Seretti also uses two topicals, a cream and a scalp solution. And she uses an ultraviolet B (UVB) light wand at home.

In addition, she finds relief from soaking in an Epsom salts bath. “It softens up all the scales and it relaxes me,” she says.

“Psoriasis-wise, I’m doing fantastic. I could not be happier,” Seretti says. “I don’t think twice anymore about wearing flip-flops, sleeveless tops, or shorts.”

She says she also doesn’t have to cancel social plans anymore because she’s too uncomfortable to get dressed. “This freedom is incredible.”

Medication and Stress Relief

A tiny patch of itchy skin on the back of her head was Melissa Withem-Voss’s first symptom. What she thought was stress turned out to be psoriasis, which her doctor diagnosed in early 1996.

She’s tried many medications over the years, including steroids, methotrexate, and even injections of a  compound containing gold.  Finally,

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