palmar plantar pustular psoriasis

[susanhay]

Hi I'm new to this site and was wondering if anyone can give me advice of alternative herbal or natural treatments for palmar plantar pustular psoriasis. I have had the condition for 6 months and have had the usual doctors treatment of steroid creams (to no effect) and am now at the point where I cannot bear to wear open shoes or show my hands in public. Someone out there must have some advice or recomendations please
I thank you in advance of any replies.

[mdgirl]

Welcome to the message boards.

I'm sorry you are going through such a rough time. I'm sure someone here will help you out. There a a lot of helpful people here.

[chaimFL]

For comfort you can buy a product that I use on my regular P at times called Bag Balm. It comes in a square green tin and it's sold at walgreens and probably other large chain drug stores. My walgreens has it with all the moisturizers, creams, and acne fash wash stuff.

It's very thick so it's best used at night before going to sleep. This stuff is great for softening the skin and lifting the scales. Because it is so thick and greasy you would want to apply it nice and thick and then wear cotton socks and gloves to sleep....it will get all over everything otherwise.

The type of P that you have is very hard to treat, but one of the best treatment options is PUVA. Two oral medications that show good results are methotrexate and soriatane, but you will have to weigh the risks vs. the benefits of those drugs.

[RichJ]

welcome susan to the p family. you will weet alot of wonderful people on here and find alot of imfo.
sorry you are going though such a hard time. i have pp with the blisthers on hands and feet. my is under control now. my derm put me on prednisone and after a while it worked. but what works for one might not work for some one esle.i use to hate opening my hand to get change back. there was no way of hiding it. bag balm worked good for me. hang in there more will come though. hope this will help.

try and have a good day

[nla]

Hi, Chaim!

Each and every time I see you mention bag balm I think of picking some up the next time I am at WalMart. Quick question for you: do you know if it has lanolin in it????? (Allergic to that ingredient is why I ask).

Thanks!

Nancy

[liz]

Sorry to hear of your trouble with pppp.

After trying just about every cream/lotion/ointment, by derm put me on MXT. I also used prednisone for severe flares (I wasn't able to walk). These are potent drugs, so please be sure to do some checking before taking. I was just DX's with chronic kidney disease and they think it was caused my by p and pa meds, so just use carefully.

There were also times when I used Vaseline and wore cotton gloves at night and that seemed to help sometimes too.

Good luck!

[MikeK]

Hi Nancy,

You asked:

Originally posted by nla
Quick question for you: do you know if it has lanolin in it????? (Allergic to that ingredient is why I ask)

Bag Balm has lanolin in it. Here's a link: http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvs/gatewa...?ActiveCat=499.

Mike

[grannyfranny]

Hi Susan,
I am so sorry that you have this kind of p. I have had it for 40 years. There are lots of times that I can not wear shoes. This is something that you can not hide, so you will have to learn how to deal with it. Some people are rude, those you ignore. Some are sympathic and feel for you. Most do not know how painful it is. If anyone ask, assure them that it is not contagious. You don't say how old you are but if you are of childbearing age and want to have children, be very careful of any drugs you take.
The best way to decide what treatment to try is your doctor, this site, other people and the Internet. You can research all these meds., light treatments,etc. Do your homework and go armed with a list and questions to your doctor.
I hope you have more success in treating this than I have had. I have tried everything except cyclosporine and methatrexate. Embrel didn't do any thing and I had the worst flare of my life after taking it. Then I read that it does nothing for pppp. Prednisone is not a good choice because you can not take it for a long time and when you get off, p flares really bad. I don't mean to sound discouraging but you need to know how hard this it is to live with this. I have never seen another person with this. I have only seen pictures. My prayer would be for this to go away and not bother you again. Send me private e-mail if you would like and we can talk more about this.
Granny

[MikeK]

Originally posted by susanhay
Hi I'm new to this site and was wondering if anyone can give me advice of alternative herbal or natural treatments for palmar plantar pustular psoriasis. I have had the condition for 6 months and have had the usual doctors treatment of steroid creams (to no effect) and am now at the point where I cannot bear to wear open shoes or show my hands in public. Someone out there must have some advice or recomendations please
I thank you in advance of any replies.

Hi Susan,

Welcome to the Board! Nice to meet you. I'm sorry to hear that you are going through such a rough time. You've come to a very special place. A lot of nice and helpful people post here. More important, it's great to GREAT to finally be able to ask questions, vent, exchange info, or even share some laughs with people who truly understand.

Since you asked about alternative and natural treatments, you might want to check out the Alternate Treatment Thread (Click Here). It's quite long but it's also chock-full of alternative treatments that other people have tried in their battle with psoriasis.

Other people who are dealing with PPPP have mentioned that they soak their feet in either vinegar, Johnson's Foot Soak, or epson salt. You can also try soaking your feet in a product like Aveeno Oatmeal Soak or Balnetar. Aveeno's website has been under construction for as long as I can remember, so here's a link to CVS' description of it: http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvs/gatewa.../search?page=2. It's very soothing and will help soften the scales and relieve the itch. Balnetar is a coal tar based product. Coal tar has been used to treat psoriasis for many, many years. (It might not be available if you live in California.) Since it is tar based, you need to use it with caution. It stains everything that it comes into contact with and the stains are impossible to get out. I suggest that you soak your feet in an old dishpan if you do decided to try Balnetar. Cover the floor with newspaper and an old towel or shower curtin. Dry you feet with an old towel and immediately put on an old pair of socks and a pair of slippers if you can tolerate wearing them. Despite these drawbacks, Balnetar is a very useful weapon in the war against psoriasis. I highly recommend it. I've never been able to find a website for it, but here's a link to a site that sells it on line: http://www.dermadoctor.com/pages/bra...3D199580FCC%7D. I've never ordered anything from them so I don't know how reliable they are, but their description of Balnetar is a very good one.

I've learned that anti-bacterial and deoderant soaps tend to irritate my psoriasis. Here's a link to a very informative thread about soap: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showt...?threadid=5940.

Another product that you might want to try is Neosporin with Pain Relief. Here's a link: http://www.neosporin.com/firstaid/ne...#NeosporinPlus.

A couple of weeks ago, another poster mentioned she uses Johnson and Johnson's Advanced Healing Bandages to cope with PPP. Here's a link to the thread where she discusses it: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showt...n+and+Johnsons.

Have you tried going for UVB or PUVA light treatments? They can be a pain because you have to go for treatments three times a week and you may run into insurance issues (the NPF has an insurance advocacy service that will try help you with those) but light treatments can be a very effective weapon in the war against psoriasis. (I know that they have UVB machines that are designed just for use on the hands and feet.) Here's a link to the NPF's discussion of Light Treatments: http://www.psoriasis.org/treatment/p...ototherapy.php and here's a link to a very informative thread about light treatments: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showt...t=burned+light. As I mentioned, light treatments can be a pain because you have to go three times a week for treatment. Home UVB units are available by prescription only. They may be covered by insurance. (As I mentioned, the NPF has an insurance advocacy service.) Not everyone responds well to light treatments (and some people have been burned by them) so most doctors and insurance companies generally require that patients undergo their initial treatments at a doctors office or clinic or day treatment center before authorizing a home unit. Several people who post here have been able to successfully waive that requirement.

Finally, here's a link to thread that was started by someone else who has PPPP: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showt...?threadid=3815. It's also chock-full of info that may be helpful to you.

I'm sorry that this turned into such a novel. You're probably suffering from information overload! I hope that it helps in some small way. Good luck. Keep us posted and please don't be a stranger.

Mike

[chrisjane]

If you can get the patch allergy tests. I had exactly the same as you and it was awful. I battled for 4 months until I had the tests and found the answers. Lucky for me others are'nt so lucky. The best ointment I used was Paw-Paw ointment but I live in Australia and I'd wash my body with fragrance free and soap free wash and added 1/3 coal tar solution, shook it up to mix it together to get rid of the thick skin and flakes. I'd tried everything else. Every time I thought I was going to itch I would take 25mg phenergan because I would cause most of the damage through self mutilation. Use non perfumed and no dye washing deterrgent and wear cotton gloves when your handling anything until it heals. I found even the force of driving or carrying grocery bags aggravated my hands. I even wore the cotton gloves to vacuum, hang out the washing anything. Try and avoid the rubber gloves and if you've got to wear them wear cotton under them. Good luck I know what it like I feel its like going to hell but I was lucky and came back. A good multivitamin is good also and it should contain about 50mg zinc as well. I was taking this twice a day and I think I will continue with this.
regards
Christine

[nla]

Thanks, Mike, for the link! I'm either too stupid or lazy to search on line

Nancy

[susanhay]

A big thank you to all have posted replies to my original post in the forum As i live in Scotland some of the treatments suggested are not available to me but as my sister-in-law travels to the States two or three times a year I may be able to get some of the suggested 'lotions and potions' I am grateful to all of you and realise that all the emotions and problems that I have are shared by others and I know that whenever this is getting to be unbearable I will have someone who I can talk to and will know exactly how I'm feeling I'll keep you all posted to let you know I get on. Many thanks again
Susan

[susanhay]

Doctor prescribed me COAL TAR PASTE which has helped over the past two weeks. Messy and not easy to maintain when you have a 20 month old daughter. Unfortunately over the past two days it has got really bad and I'm having probems walking...pain / burning / swelling and on my left hand too. Being in Scotland I have to wait to see a dermatologist (private treatment is way too expensive) and I have an appointment in October I've tried soaking my feet in tee tree / lavender solution but it doesn't seem to help. It's really getting me down. Someone tell me it HAS to get better

[NANCYV]

Hi Susan

I am so sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time. I too have ppp of both hands and both both feet grrr . I have had it for about 2 yrs now. I like most everyone else here have tried everything. I am on Enbrel right now (May 27 2004) I have to say that there is a great improvement but it is still not gone, as a matter of fact I am at the end of a flare,(2nd) since starting Enbrel. I don't know how available Enbrel will be to you in Scotland I do have to say it has helped me for the most part. I only have a few suggestions of what I did. If you have APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, soak in about 1 cup of vinegar and enough cool/warm water (just enough to cover feet) do the same for the hands but change the water but same method, 20 minutes each. I would do this right before bed, after soaking, apply vaseline (thick) put on white socks (over hands too). It really does help with the dryness. Try it for at lease a week or two if you can. Maybe it will help until you get to the Dr. I know exactly how you feel!! If you need someone to talk to PM me. I only post from work so I am only on the boards during the day. But please HANG IN THERE. You must try what ever you can to make yourself comfortable

Talk to you soon

[hkowalczyk]

Susan,

Sorry to hear about your flare. Sorry I can't add anything about natural treatments, but you should consider acitretin, I believe Neotigason is the brand name for you. One study showed it to be 100% effective for pustular and 83% effective for erythrodermic. I've been on it for about 6 months now and it has worked wonderfully for my erythrodermic. The main drawback is that it can cause birth deffects so that may put it out of consideration for you.

Good Luck,
Henri

[susanhay]

Just had my first really bad flare, so much so that I couldn't walk for 4 days. Doctor did the usual and told me to use steroid cream (Dermovate)!!!!! Ok I used it but got in touch with a health food shop in my town and they were fantastic. I'm now taking 84mg Zinc, 6000mg Evening Primrose and 6000mg Omega 3 Fish Oil per day. It could take a few months but they reckon there should be an improvement. Here's hoping! 7 days after the flare I can walk and my skin is peeling off in sheets but there's no sign of any more pustules underneath. Maybe I can keep it under control naturally I'll just have to wait and see. Will let you all know how it works.
Take care
Susan

[hkowalczyk]

Susa,

Good Luck. I tried the Omega 3 with no luck. One thing to keep in mind with that much fish oil is that you could be succeptible to increased bleeding, nosebleeds or easy bruising. I've seen studies go both ways on this, but just keep it in mind.

Also another natural anti-inflamatory is turmeric. There are a lot of threads about it on the site.

-Henri

[JesseLou]

Steroid injections into the spot(s). Hurts like you know what. Gives me complete clearing and reief for one solid year.

[bokjoy]

Years ago I'd get these little blisters on the heels of my palms. They would itch so badly I'd scratch and it would spread, get yucky and crusty. One day out of frustration I put some of the old Phisoderm in the green bottle you used to be able to buy over the counter on my palm. Left it for about 5 minutes, rinsed off with water, and voila it was gone within a couple days. Worked like a charm everytime it would crop up. I must've beat it way back so I never get that anymore. The sad part is all these years later I get it on other parts of my body, namely inside my ears and another kind under my ahem chest area. I have a post somewhere on this site about how I handled the ear type and now my ears are fine. Nowadays Phisoderm only makes these mild soaps with salicidic (sp) in it. I did get my dr to prescribe the old original Phisohex but out here on the central coast of California it's $30-something a bottle. Lasts forever tho. How about zinc? I found Aveeno zinc with colloidal oatmeal dries that crap up really fast too, just don't put it in your ears, haha. It might work on your palms and also for other types on different parts of your body. I should know, I tried everything under the sun and finally came up with homemade ear drops that work like a charm. Not a thing creeping around in my ears ever since and I can pretty much knock out anything on my chest overnite with the Aveeno. Of course don't go out on a hot date with white crap all over your boobs, heh heh.

If that helps....
Linda

[susanhay]

My sister in law is going to the US in September so I'm gonna ask her to get me the Aveeno Zinc you mentioned and give it a try, although at the moment it doesn't look like I am getting any pustules on my skin where I had this flare which usually happens. Maybe I've got it under control with the natural medication for the time being but who knows with PPP I've also been bathing my feet in a dead sea salt solution every couple of days which seems to help too.
Keep you all posted
Susan