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Old Sat, Feb-03-18, 10:00
Blue Ruby Blue Ruby is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 648
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 200/170/160 Female 5'7"
BF:
Progress: 75%
Location: BC
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forgive if this is long, but we P-suffers need to stick together and if anything i have learned is helpful I want to have shared it!

I have had psoriasis for 25 years. never a remission on the skin but pretty much free of the psoriatic arthritis the last 10 years.

I can't take methotrexate, and i won't try the biologic injections (cost and immuo-suppression risks) -- although I do think that if the psoriasis impacts my face or the psoriatic arthritis returns, then i would look at the biologics (kinda keeping those big guns in my back pocket.)

I do use topical steroid prescriptions - clobetasol spray and betamethasone cream as needed to get the worst down or when i flare. I am not as compliant as i could be -- i use those daily for a few days or weeks to get it down ( i am lucky i have a good extended-health plan), then stick to heavy creams and glycolic acid body lotion to keep skin as moist and smooth as possible, until i flare a bit / can;t stand it any more and go back to the medicated creams for a while.

this is my experience with LC and P:
- I've eaten mostly low carb (compared to the regular world) for ten years, with off-and-on focusing on it as a "diet" and counting carbs.
- the "mostly low carb" has been very helpful at keeping inflammation down in terms of pain or swelling from PA (and that's pretty much meaning no grains, esp wheat)
- I did not seen a big effect on the skin due to low carb-ish life
BUT
In the last year i have made the life style change to low carb/keto and committed to it. My skin has not been "perfect" but better than many years in my life. Also, the medicated creams and spray seem to work better (ie: my skin seems to respond to the medication better). I need less of them, and can go longer between using the non-prescription creams. ALSO -- I have not had a flare all year! Meaning -- just the usual places that never fully go away (for me: scalp, elbows, lower back). I hadn't realized that until I started writing. And this has been a VERY stressful year.

I relate it to the following: lowering inflammation in the body generally, better sleep and better emotional self-regulation (which i think reduces the stress/cortisol in the body and we know stress is a major trigger for P.) Also I have more emotional and physical energy, which helps me enjoy life more, be more active, do things I like, which reduces my stress, and ... same thing.

I also was able for the first time to get almost 100% clear (which lasted for 3 - 4 months) by doing phototherapy at our hospital skin clinic. In the past, phototherapy has not been effective but this year i tried it again and within 2 months i was almost totally clear and stayed that way over the summer. I don't know why...except that the diet seems to help my body deal better so that the various approaches are all a bit more effective?

My experience has been that being more strict about low carb/keto has made a difference to my skin. It has not been perfect but it seems like the medicated creams/sprays are more effective, and my skin stays clear longer after using them, the non-medicated creams seem to help better, and photo therapy has been more effective that it was 15 years ago.

I wish i could say this WOL has been a miracle to my skin. But it has helped a lot, and other other benefits (all of the above plus some weight loss) is a positive package deal.
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