Psoriasis – My Story, from Plaques to Clear Skin
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2015 was the year my face exploded. There was no C4 or dynamite involved, but it looked like I might have been a burn victim. Sometimes it felt like my skin was on fire. It was plaque psoriasis.
It also scared me, as my mom dealt some sort of face rash before she passed away. She saw over 20 doctors, and the relief she got was temporary at best. Her skin used to itch so badly that she would scratch her face raw in her sleep.
Was I destined to be stuck with something similar for the rest of my life?
When I finally got a name for my condition – plaque psoriasis – all the overpriced dermatologist had to say was to smear some steroid cream on it and live with it.
I told her I was changing my diet to see if I could address the underlying cause. She told me that I was welcome to try, but food didn’t have anything to do with your skin.
Thankfully that doctor was wrong.
My Psoriasis Journey
I’ve been hesitant to talk about this because I didn’t have any answers. I was flat out miserable at times, and I felt like a failure.
My brother said to me, “You try harder then just about everybody I know to do the right thing.” And I do, darn it! But I still got sick and it took me quite a while to find something that helped.
The stuff I write about and share is how we live and what we care about. We grow much of our food, and source much of what we don’t grow locally and/or organically.
I don’t smoke, and rarely drink. Heck, I only drink one cup of organic fair trade coffee per day. We don’t eat out much, and don’t buy much prepackaged food.
But we’re not perfect. Sometimes when we’re in the middle of big project, there will be frozen pizza for super. We like some sweets. (And sugar is the devil according to many current diet fads.) I’m not binge eating bakery doughnuts, but I do know how to bake and am pretty darn good at it.
The Good Old Days Weren’t Always Good…
Most of the time I stick to talking about the good times I remember from growing up on the farm, but there were some bad times, too. My dad was an abusive alcoholic, and he beat mom while she was pregnant with me.
My sister told me how dad knocked mom down her knees on the concrete floor of the milk house when she was pregnant. Mom protected me, but it couldn’t have been easy for her.
Dad sued mom for divorce shortly after I was born. She had the milk check put in her name so he couldn’t drink it all up. He tried to force her to sell the farm and take the money, but thankfully the judge listened to mom’s argument that she needed the farm to feed us six kids.
My stepdad entered the picture seven years later. He did help mom with the farm and he didn’t drink, but the man was still not a nice person.
That’s a story for another day, but let’s just say that many aspects of my upbringing were less than idyllic. That may have all played a role in bringing my physical problems to a tipping point.
“You Need a Miracle.”
That’s what my neighbor told me in the summer of 2015, when my skin was at its worst. She was right. I did need a miracle, but I already had one – my momma’s love.
If she could fight so hard to protect me, and stay strong emotionally at the end of her life, even as her body was being ravaged by the skin crap and myotonic muscular dystrophy, then I had to keep searching until I found an answer – for her and for me.
I wanted to find an answer for my readers, too. So many of you offered suggestions for psoriasis treatment. Many others have shared their own stories of dealing with chronic illness and being let down by conventional medicine.
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Don’t give up hope, and keep asking questions and trying things until you find answers.
My skin cleared in 2016, and has been clear since, except a flare up on my hands in 2019. I quit my thyroid medication, and I suspect the flare up was a detox symptom. (More on the hand flare up here.)
Sharing My Psoriasis Story
This series (and book) shares my research and how I healed. I investigated psoriasis causes, herbal treatments, diet, alternative treatments, and underlying conditions.
Contrary to what the dermatologist said, diet was a significant part of clearing my skin. I avoided certain foods for a while, and added fermented foods and specific herbs and supplements.
Additional resources:
A Happy Ending
It’s been eight years since I originally wrote this series. I have more wrinkles and grey hair, but no more psoriasis. Don’t give up hope if you have a chronic condition!
I have friends who have battled everything from cancer to autoimmune diseases and found their way back to health. Stay strong, and we’ll make the journey together.
Other posts in the series:
- My Anti-Candida, Anti-Psoriasis Diet
- Candida
- Psoriasis Causes
- Toxic Skin
- Alternative Psoriasis Treatments
- Topical Psoriasis Treatments
- Psoriasis on my Hands
Get the Book – Psoriasis Healing
Now available in kindle or print, “Psoriasis Healing – From Curse to Blessing“. Released in 2020, this book shares my story and other tips for healing.
More Support
If you need support or ideas for dealing with chronic illness, check out our membership website, Bona Cresco. We have private forums (members only, not on social media) where we can discuss natural health options.
This article is written by Laurie Neverman. Laurie is a lifelong learner with a passion for natural remedies and holistic healing. She’s successfully improved her eyesight and cleared her psoriasis.
Originally posted in 2016, last updated in 2024.
Hi Laurie,
I’ve been subscribed to you for a number of years now, but only just found out that what you have experienced is exactly what I’m dealing with right now. Like you, we live on a self sufficient homestead (Northern Alberta), raising and growing most of our food and so this skin issue has been quite confusing for. I’ve been trying different things all year and haven’t been finding any relief, and the rash in and on my ears, hands, and around my mouth (just like yours had been, although not spread quite as far) is not healing. I see the connection with candida and will look more into your suggestions and articles.
Thank you for sharing this, and bless you in Jesus’ name!
Sincerely,
~Amberlin
Good luck with getting to the root of your issue, and don’t give up hope.
ooohhhh my gosh!! I literally feel like I just met a twin!! this just showed up!! Im not tech savvy and am working from a laptop….but my pictures are identical to yours!! It started with a “tight feeling” around my lips…then moved to upper lip and above…that was June of 2021. By december 2021…and a very expensive test with the dermatologist who said it was “topical dermatitis”…a catch-all phrase for “we don’t really know”. $700 later they informed me I was allergic to mercury!! I’m also a licensed esthetician and have been into the natural healing method for about 30 years….so at this point, I already had a feeling that it wasn’t something i was putting on my skin, nor eating, or any other presumptions made by this diagnosis. And since I don’t eat light bulbs nor thermometers? I knew the mystery had not been resolved. And then….it literally happened within a few weeks….it went from a tight feeling to a HUGE RED RASH around my mouth that made me look like a very sad clown. It eventually made its way to my eyes, hair line and neck. I am lucky enough to be working with a practice that is integrative and is open to any and all possibilities. Any other info you could provide to me would be so extremely grateful If I were doing this from my cell I could send pics that would make even you think I was your twin!!!!!!!!
My whole story is shared on the site and in book format. You can see the articles in the series and the book here – https://commonsensehome.com/home-remedies/#Beating_Candida_and_Psoriasis
Hi. What platform can I follow you on?
We’re on Facebook, Instagram, Gab, and MeWe. Pinterest, too, but they don’t show our stuff to many people any more because we haven’t been creating custom content just for their platform. The best way to stay in touch is to subscribe to the newsletter – https://commonsensehome.com/subscribe/
Links to the various social media platforms on in the green buttons (below the post on mobile, top of sidebar on desktop) and are listed at the bottom of every weekend newsletter, including Telegram feeds.
This may not be well-received but I am part of a group online and many have found relief from psoriasis permanently after a course of ivermectin.
I’m glad that you found something that works for you. So many suffer for years without relief.
Hi
I basically have the same history as you with growing up and and and… don’t want to go I to too much detail however I found something that has changed my face overnight.. I don’t know if you can get it in your country but it’s called Simplex forte.. and it has changed my life… I also make sure that all my face creams are fragrance free, that helps tremendously, also ensuring that my face moisturizer is strong enough with the help of tissue oil. Give me a shout if you need more assistance.
Good luck with your journey my skin also looks and feels normal again and I can start using concealer “special” one that has no fragrances in it however I don’t like any makeup except for mascara and eyeliner. Due to the fact that I don’t need it I’m 44 years old and finnaly can show my natural skin with no concealer that burn my skin when applying it.
Thank you, Nicollette. Since I wrote this post, my skin has cleared completely and stayed that way, thankfully. I rarely wear makeup, and am very careful about what I put on my skin.
My son has psoriasis. What helps topically is castor oil rubbed on the plaques. After a week of daily applications, they clear up. Internally, Piping Rock multi- minerals helped a lot along with a high quality probiotics. Now if he would just not eat junk food… Epsom salt soaks help too.
HI Laurie, I just found this post and have to say it has been eye-opening! Thanks to you and everyone who has shared potential remedies. At the age of 16, my daughter started getting severe dermal outbreaks. My heart broke at how she hurt and suffered, and kids at school would ask how she got so badly burned. My husband has a locally well-renowned dermatologist who treated his skin cancer, so when our daughter started having problems, I took her to see him. He was shocked at the condition of her skin – all over her body and face. After careful examination, he said she was one of the rare individuals he has seen who suffers both psoriasis and eczema, which are usually exclusive of each other. Needless to say, we tried so many lotions, many very expensive, but nothing worked. Then, about 6 months ago, I read up on the health benefits of Pau D’Arco. I had used it in the past when I felt like I was getting an infection or cold, but never thought about the skin. My daughter decided to try taking two 545 mg capsules per day. Within a week, 99% of her skin cleared up. We were amazed! She is now 21, and continues to take the capsules on a daily basis. I don’t know if this will work for everyone. It seems like what may work for one may not work for the other, and our doctor confirmed that this is why psoriasis is so hard to treat. Hopefully, this will help someone who hasn’t found their magical cure. Thank you
Thanks for sharing your experience, Debra.
I had an outbreak of psoriasis last March. My whole torso looked like your face. I had never experienced this in my life (my father told me afterwards he had had two such outbreaks in his life, so I have a genetic pre-disposition I suppose) and was at a total loss. Of course, my doctor prescribed steroid creams that did nothing. After read Dr. Pagano’s book I decided to make some changes because I was desperate. I eliminated; alcohol, gluten, dairy & nightshades completely. I started making my own body lotion with organic, natural ingredients and infused with seabuckthorn oil. My legions were faded within 48 hrs, and gone completely within a month. I take slippery elm, vit d, turmeric, and holy basil every day still. I meditate to manage stress (which was the underlying cause of my outbreak).
I also suffer from chronic yeast infections (or used to), which have stopped now that I’m on this new eating/wellness plan.
Your blog is a revelation and I wish I had found it earlier!
Of course, my dermatologist said there is no proof/correlation between this and clearing up psoriasis, but it’s working for me and hopefully others for others too!
Thanks for sharing your story, Isabelle, and I’m glad that you found a solution that works for you. I hope one day that more health professionals will acknowledge the connection between food and health – and every other aspect of our lives. We’re not just a collection of symptoms.
Almost forgot – we planted several sea buckthorn bushes, so I’m hoping that they will become a future resource should this flare up worse again. They taste very much like tangerines, which we can’t grow in our area, so I’m looking forward to a more substantial harvest.
I have had psoriasis since 2003 and was told “just live with it.” Mostly the sores were on my legs and scalp. I started going to a holistic chiropractor who told me to abstain from all grains and rice “because they feed inflammation.” After a month of withdrawals I realized my sores had cleared up.
Glad you found a solution. Changing my diet was a major factor for me, too.
Avoid ALL soap containing Triclosan (the chemical that makes soap “anti-bacterial”.
I used to have spots of dry and cracking skin until I stopped using soaps with Triclosan in them. The rashes went away quickly after that and haven’t returned. I also recommended this to a friend whose hands were so bad that the doctors were having him wear blue gloves all day. His skin was peeling off at an alarming rate and his hands were bleeding. Once he stopped using anti-bacterial soap, his hands healed and he hasn’t had any more issues with his skin.
Hope this helps someone….
Yeah, haven’t had anything like that in the house for years, although it can’t be avoided when washing hands away from home. Nasty stuff.
Thank you for sharing! I too have an autoimmune condition and have been on a holistic search for relief for several years now. Diet is probably the easiest thing to change, and greatly affects our entire being. I appreciate everyone’s suggestions and look forward to your insight as well. Hang in there!
The juice/jel inside an Aloe Vera leaf helps with the itch! And we have a water filter that can make pH acid water and that sprayed on the psoriasis rash also takes the itch away temporarily.
The health of one’s gut definitely affects the severity of the rash.
I knew a woman years ago who had a similar problem. What reminded me of her was that her skin would crack and bleed. She suffered a long time, during which both she and her doctor didn’t know the cause. Eventually they discovered she had an allergy to paraben, a substance common in many products – shampoo, soap, skin lotions, etc. She had to hunt to find products that were paraben free.
That might have nothing to do with the conditions described by you and others, but at least is something to check out.
The best to you and others who are struggling with it. I wish success to all of you in finding solutions.
After 40+ years of suffering and having tried everything the Drs threw at me I cant wait to find something that helps both the skin and my joints. Right now I have to take my “food” via a J-G Tube due to recovering from tongue cancer caused by the HPV16 virus caught at a hospital.
So my problem has gotten worse after the radiation/chemo probably due to stress. Cancer is gone by a miracle !! But now the sores are worse.
THANK you for sharing your journey and can not wait to hear what helped you. Like others just tired of the pain and suffering of the disease !!!
SOOOO looking forward to your posts of your findings. Maybe relief is in sight !!!!
Laurie,
How brave you are to reveal your traumatic past and your fight with your skin problem with the world. I am still teary from reading about your mom protecting you while still in utero and also after you were born. She was a strong woman who I think believed she could handle whatever the Good Lord gave her and she did just that. That was her survival mode. You are much like her, strong, brave, intelligent, and you inherited respect for land and nature that she also demonstrated to you.
God bless you Laurie.
Hi – I totally believe it starts with e diet, with healing the gut. I was told that I had a thyroid problem but if she, the doctor lookedat my crazy schedule and what I was eating which I thought was not too bad was really the cause. On the “natural meds” I felt like shit and was feeling shittier. Gaining wait and exhausted, omg my hair felt out in gobs and this was after the meds!! not before.
So I started my research and made changes first I dropped the meds and changed the food. I not only changed just food, but cleaners and hygiene products and the changes each small made positive differences that I continue. A big change was getting my sikver fillings out- no more chronic sinus headaches and exaggerated allergy responses. Keep going forward and please keep sharing!! I found your blog a year or so ago and I bought a lemon tree, , this year I bought herbs and I am starting a garden. My website is on everything and in development. So excited Take care K
I need to get my amalgam fillings out, but between the cost and discomfort involved, I’ve been waiting until the need to be replaced. I’m really hoping that new tech to help regrow your teeth enamel becomes commercially available soon.
We keep things as non-toxic as possible in terms of cleaners and hygiene products, but I’m sure there’s always room for improvement.
It ticks me off that almost all doctor’s just prescribe meds without looking at the whole person.
I had old amalgam fillings removed from one side of my mouth. It was a terrible experience and left my teeth so sensitive that I couldn’t bear to have the other side done. And I have more problems with side that was ‘fixed’ now. Can’t wait for the new dentin technology!
Unfortunately, I have the fillings all over, as during my younger years it seemed like no matter how well I brushed and flossed, I still got cavities. It’ll take major reconstruction to make the repairs. 🙁
Me too! I have pathogenesis imperfect, so my teeth never had a chance to start with.
Thank you for sharing your story of healing. I look forward to reading what you have done to heal yourself, as we have a daughter who has had psoriasis for many years. She does say that it is improved when she stays away from sugar!
I am SO looking forward to reading the rest of your journey! My was had his first bout with psoriasis 2 years agonwhen he was just 7, far too young for any medications usually prescribed for psoriasis. Even the over the counter treatments burned when applied and there were quite a few tears until I gave up on those! Thankfully it was spring and summer that first year and he was fine playing outside in his undies to get as much skin exposed to thensun as possible (he broke out over much of his chest, back, scalp and behind his ears). I also found some essential oil blends and lotions that helped a lot, and we too cleaned up out eating and stress. But I will *forever* be on the look out for resources to help manage & treat his psoriasis, just in case there’s an explosion similar to yours. Thank you SO much for sharing your journey!!
Thank you for sharing and importantly for the promise of sharing the continuing journey. My psoriasis cleared up completely when I gave up dairy and gluten. I can’t ever have dairy except butter and ghee in small amounts but from time to time I cave and eat gluten, every time my psoriasis come back. It’s really not that hard to give it up even though I love to make bread for my family the the smell of it cooking is oh so tempting!
I can’t imagine someone so uncaring so as to send a complaint. Thank you for sharing your story. God bless you.
No one has sent a complaint, but there were more complaints that usual when I sent out the email (people marking it as spam).