- On World Psoriasis Day, we know the experience of an affected person, David García Méndez, who has been suffering from this inflammatory skin disease for 11 years.
- A failed diagnosis led him to confuse it with fungus, hence the importance of going to the best specialist at the first signs.
Psoriasis can appear at any time in life. David developed his first plaques at the age of 18. Now he is 29. “The first time I noticed some strange scabs on my back and I thought it was a wound. When I saw that it didn’t go away, I went to my family doctor. Unfortunately, he did not direct me to a specialist because he thought it was fungus, trivializing the problem,” she explains.
According to Dr. Miquel Casals Andreu, expert dermatologist and member of Top Doctors, the disease of psoriasis is “quite common”, affecting approximately 2% of the population. Although there is currently no definitive cure, seeing a specialist ensures a mitigation of symptoms and an improvement in quality of life.
Despite this, David did not initially consider psoriasis and accepted the advice of his family doctor. The treatment, a spry for the hairy areas, caused “tremendous itching”. It took two appointments with the family doctor before David decided to see a dermatologist. “As soon as I took my shirt off, his verdict was clear: psoriasis.”
Despite the initial failed diagnosis, David noticed a certain evolution after the dermatologist’s advice. However, the psoriasis eventually covered almost all areas of his body. First it was the back, then the groin, the scalp… “I remember a very large plaque on the left thigh”.
Although psoriasis has its origin in a genetic factor, it is known that the environment can favor its degree of appearance. “Certain times of the year, such as autumn and spring, can be more prone to psoriasis outbreaks. Summer, on the other hand, is usually associated with an improvement in lesions,” says Dr. Casals. “In addition, it is usually associated with periods of stress.
This is confirmed by David himself: “In times of stress, I notice that my psoriasis worsens. In my case, the plaques start with the appearance of a small pimple, which then turns white and itches. In many cases, it dries up and goes away, but in others a plaque forms, especially if you scratch.”
David currently treats psoriasis with ointments and oils. Occasionally, he notes that phototherapy treatment or sunlight itself (as well as iodine from the sea) have been effective in mitigating symptoms, but only temporarily.
Specialists do not agree on finding a generalized and effective treatment to combat psoriasis. “In milder cases, topical treatments using creams, lotions and gels with effective active ingredients are sufficient,” says Dr. Casals. However, the solution is not so simple for severe cases, such as da David’s, although phototherapy booths are one of the most commonly used treatments. In addition, it is also possible to resort to oral or parenteral medication.
“At the moment, I am waiting for an experimental treatment that is radically effective,” he says. Since definitive treatment is not forthcoming, and although psoriasis has no cure, David considers that the time has come when the symptoms can be treated effectively “given the evident progress of medicine in other fields”.
In the meantime, experts are clear that going to an undermatologist who is an expert in this pathology is the best guarantee for controlling the disease and achieving the highest possible quality of life.