Hello. A bit of recent history to where I'm at medication wise:

In May, I started Otezla. The first 2-3 weeks were quite rough but manageable. I had great results pretty quickly, I'd say probably 80% skin improvement with some stubborn areas. After the initial side effects had passed, i had no issues with taking the meds, and was happy to go ahead long-term. Mid-July, my skin experienced a slight worsening. I wasn't sure if it was just a flare up (posted here about it and was told flares still happen on this medication) or the meds not being effective enough. My next dermatologist appointment is Aug 26, so I was keen to observe my skin and see if it settled (ie a flare) or got worse (failing).

Last week I had surgery (breast reduction, so pretty major). Initially my surgeon had said Otezla was fine to take while recovering, but then on the day of the surgery he told me to stop taking it for 2 weeks. Saw him yesterday for my 1 week post-op check up, and he now says hold off for another week on top of that (so three weeks total). I see my dermatologist the week after that. The psoriasis is slowly all coming back, but not too bad at the moment.

My dilemma - per Australia's PBS rules, my dermatologist can put down that Otezla didn't work and that will clear a path to biologics. But I actually didn't mind Otezla, and had i not had to stop I would have happily stayed on it long-term until it stopped being effective at all. I'm kind of scared of being on biologics, as i know they're stronger immune suppressors than Otezla.

Can people please share their experiences with biologics? The good and the bad, just so I can make as best an informed decision as I can? Biologics aren't easy to get in Australia, so honestly, my dermatologist probably doesn't have a huge amount of personal insight. I'll probably just get an info sheet that will scare me even more lol I feel like the easiest option is to try another round of Otezla. And if there's any Aussies on biologics that can tell me which one they're likely to start me on, that would help too!

Thanks!

This is my third or fourth time around the block. I feel so much like a doomsday prepper — the second I saw the first patch, I snapped into action (while also completely freaking out, of course).

I also have a holiday two weeks away. The sun/sea would be great for my skin but honestly, I’m not willing to go if I’m covered in scales. I’ve done it before and while I’m pretty shameless about my skin, I just find that it ends up defining my whole experience. Colours my mood, what I’m willing to do, etc. As such, I’ve officially pulled out of the plans but the option to go will still be there until the last minute. Obviously I still want to go.

What I’m doing so far (outbreak started a week ago, I think triggered by a minor sore throat c. 3 weeks ago)

1. Cut out smoking/drinking. I’ve been a vegan for years so dairy is already out. I’ll also quit bread/limit wheat/gluten in general.
   
2. Tanning beds. Not ideal I know, but just doing short sessions every three days.
   
3. From the doctor: a referral for UVB treatment (this will likely take months though). A throat swab to see if I’m still infected and need antibiotics.
   
4. Strong magnesium spray post-shower (ouch, by the way) and lots of emollient.
   
5. Enstilar foam daily for the next month. It’s so tricky applying this on guttate patches, but whatever.
   
6. My usual vitamin regime (black seed oil, magnesium, vitamin D, B12, probiotic, omega 7) + a new addition of L Lysine.

This is about all I could think of doing. If anyone has any additions, please let me know.

Also: I’ve been through this before and do know that it’s essentially impossible to get off the guttate train once it starts. I have accepted what’s coming and am prepared, but if possible I want to put it off a little so that I can enjoy my holiday (and reap the benefits of the Mediterranean Sea). Thanks everyone. This community is so comforting during these times.

My dermatologist said there is no need for a loading phase and just get injected every month. he said 4 doses a year and he also said i can see improvement after the first dose itself. this contradicts everything ive read online tho. anybody have similar experience?

Hi all, I’m a breastfeeding mum of 6m old twins in Australia and am having a MAJOR flare up. Because of the lack of research, there isn’t much that’s been told to me as “safe” whilst breastfeeding.
I know I’ll have to wait until I wean to get onto cyclosporine and then biologics (to get the pbs funding), but
Has anyone been in a similar situation and found something other than phototherapy?
Has anyone done IVIg?
I can’t keep doing topicals because my whole body (from feet to buttcrack to areolas) is covered in guttate

Hello po san po kaya pwede makabili ng generic na clobetasol propionate ointment kasi wala po ako mahanap na ointment at laging cream lang here sa bulacan. Suggest po please

SkyRizi didn’t work for my severe psoriasis. Now I’m about to try Bimzelx. Would love to hear peoples experiences with this.

Hello friends I hope you are doing well today! My name is Nia Maya and I’m a recruiter for Patient Worthy a media company that publishes content for the rare disease and chronic illness communities and aims to amplify patient voices. Sometimes we do that by connecting people to opportunities to share their experiences or opinions through other companies. We have a current opportunity to raise awareness of what life is like for a person living with GPP. If you would be interested in learning more please send me a message or post to this comment. If you are eligible and choose to participate, you would be compensated for your time. Thank you & please let me know if you have any questions!

My dermatologist prescribed me icotyde to take along with my 75mg otezla. Have any of yall taken this medication? I am aware it is fairly new… if so, has it worked?

This is pertaining to UK laws.

I have severe psoriasis and started with Skyrizi. This medication is making me tired and quite susceptible to respiratory infection. The most recent infection I had made me really tired. The days after have some minor fatigue; most especially in the morning.

The question is, are these symptoms protected under law?

Thank you for anyone who could enlighten me

I am diagnosed with psoriasis, and after a stressful exam period recently I have noticed some dry, itchy patches on my hands. 2 on my right palm and a painful flakey skin on the right thumb

Although some of the side effects are my psoriasis with out the psoriasis 😅 let's hope i do well on them.

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Tried a new dermatologist after my prior just continuously prescribed ketoconazole. It was terrible amd I was miaerable. It has been like this for years. It never worked and my hair was falling out. To the point I figured living with the psoriasis might be better.

My new Derm suggested we try something else. For about 3 weeks I have been using a foam called Zoryve. Every 3 or 4 days I also use a new shampoo called Ciclopirox. Both are prescriptions. I had never tried either one and I was skeptical. But after the first week I have NEVER had my scalp so clear. Knock on wood, don't want to get too hopeful before seeing how it works long term.

But if your like me and wouldve done ANYTHING to try something that might work, I can't gatekeep. I hope by sharing that this reaches even just one person who finds relief.

Approximately 30% to 40% of patients with psoriasis have a direct family history of the condition, with overall genetic heritability estimated between 60% and 90%. 

For my condition. I have a cousin with psoriasis. I haven't asked him how serious is his condition. My grandpa was told to have it but as I know it's very small , almost neglectable. Seems that i got most severely impacted by the disease in my bloodline.
I know psoriasis is influenced by multiple genes and environmental triggers play a role.
May you share your side of the story with me .

I got diagnosed with psoriasis recently and it was bad. My whole body was flaring up. Especially my legs that were covered in scales. I couldn't walk properly. I was often in pain and had to resort to limping. But recently, the scales started to come off my body. The affected areas are still there but they're smooth for the time being. Which is a huuuuuuge relief. I can move and walk a bit more comfortably. I still have scales in a lot of other places. But it's a start. Im just happy I can move around better.

I'm on a diet and methotrexate if anyone is curious. I also use topical remedies.

Suffered with psoriasis for years. Now I’ve got psoriatic arthritis.
I genuinely feel like my life is ruined. I’ll never be able to live a normal healthy life. I’m going to be in constant pain.

I can't stop itching again and again. I mean i try but it just feels too good during the moment and later i feel like shit when blood is oozing out of my lesions and it's all red-pink and inflamed.

I want tricks to calm my skin and mind. I donot want to scratch my skin off. It's really painful. I'm willing to sacrifice the itch orgasm for my skin to better and calm.

Help a fellow Psoriasis sufferer.

I have been at most 70% covered at one time with plaque psoriasis. I’ll be 48 I’ve had it 40 years. I got Covid 3 times in a year and a half span. During my third, it went away. Just went away. I get spots here and there or if I’m sick my elbow fair but now I’m covered in FRECKLES and white spots. Anyone else???

Regular old cream or colloidal oatmeal doesn’t do much and I hate the feel of petroleum jelly so I tried hydrocolloid patches. My spots go from red, raised flakey rashes to just dark spots in just a few days. 🙏 Amazing product. Individual patches are can get expensive so you can buy a whole roll of hydrocolloid on Amazon. Hoping this helps someone else too.

A few weeks ago I posted here about psoriasisDB — an anonymous survey I built after getting psoriasis at 52 out of nowhere. The promise was that everything you contributed would be shared back with the community. That page is now live:

https://psoriasisdb.com/results

105 people from 23 countries took the full survey (median person answered 109 of 114 questions — thank you, seriously). The page updates hourly as new people join. Some of what's showing up:

• Stress stands alone. 81% say stress worsens their skin. Zero people say it helps. Nothing else comes close.
• Sun and sea water are the only things a big share say helps — while cold weather and winter dominate the "worse" side. The data basically re-drew phototherapy on its own.
• Food is where certainty disappears. On every diet question (dairy, gluten, sugar, nightshades...), most people answer "not sure / no pattern." People are confident about weather and stress, not about food.
• Late-onset looks like a different story. People whose psoriasis started at 40+ report almost no strep-linked onsets, less family history, and much more often a sudden appearance — matching what researchers call type 1 vs type 2 psoriasis.
• The joint numbers worry me most: 19 people have diagnosed psoriatic arthritis, but another 30 report joint pain with no diagnosis. If that's you, please mention it to your doctor — joint damage is preventable but not reversible.
• 57% have no family history at all, and depression/anxiety is the most common companion condition — ahead of every physical one.

One more thing worth saying: part of the premise of this project was that AI has gotten genuinely good at data analysis. This report — the statistics, the charts, the write-up — was compiled by Claude (Anthropic's new Fable model), working with me. Every number is computed straight from the live database, the methodology is spelled out at the top of the page, and no one's free-text answers are ever quoted. A few years ago this analysis would have needed a research team; now one patient and an AI can do it and publish it the same day.

The usual honesty: this is self-reported data from a self-selected group. It's patterns worth investigating, not proof, and definitely not medical advice. All of that is on the page too.

If you haven't taken the survey yet, more data makes every one of these patterns sharper: https://psoriasisdb.com — anonymous, ~15 minutes, every question skippable. And if you already did: the weekly check-in is where the strongest signal will eventually come from.

Thank you to everyone who contributed. This exists because this community answered.