Your psoriasis may not be psoriasis

I have written previously about my history with psoriasis. As a child I spent several years with almost full body coverage, but this calmed down in my teens.

However, when I was seventeen, I developed two patches of psoriasis on either side of my nose. These dry, itchy, and often embarrassing patches stayed with me for, more or less, twenty-two years.

As well as these two penny-sized patches, I often had red and inflamed skin around my hairline – again, more or less continuously since my late teens.

I’m happy to say that all of that is completely gone now!

A few months ago I took my son to the GP because he was unwell. The GP very tenderly asked me if I was doing anything to treat the redness on my face, and I explained that it was psoriasis and I had learned simply to live with it.

She explained that she believed it was seborrheic dermatitis – a fungal condition – and encouraged me to try a treatment.

I took the advice on board, but decided to try a commercial product rather than blast my skin with (yet another) steroid cream.

I had seen a few of these advertised online, and decided to go with one that seemed fairly natural and supportive.

After about five days of use, the redness on my face and hairline cleared completely, and has not returned since (I continue to use the same products).

I have intentionally avoided mentioning which products I use, because I do not want this anecdote to lose credibility. So much online content around health products and their testimonials is difficult to trust, because people are paid to write fraudulent reviews.

But if you or someone you know has been struggling with psoriasis on the face or scalp, it may be worth ruling out the possibility of a fungal infection. In my case, it was a misdiagnosis based on my history of psoriasis.

Don’t wait twenty-two years.