When Anne was eight years old, she experienced her first rash, extending across her arm. Alarmed that it did not disappear by itself time, Anne’s parents took her to the doctor’s office, where she received the diagnosis “psoriasis”. To treat her psoriasis, Anne was prescribed a topical steroid cream. Anne has cycled through several different treatments for her psoriasis, ranging from topicals, phototherapy and tablets to alternative medicines. After several years of using topical steroids, Anne began to experience intensified side effects, such as skin thinning and drying.  This led Anne to seek alternative treatments such as bathing in the Dead Sea and soaking in potassium permanganate baths (red baths).

Several of the different treatment options that Anne has attempted showed promise initially, but the psoriasis symptoms rapidly returned as her body adapted. From when Anne first experienced symptoms of psoriasis until today, her rashes have only increased in severity and frequency. Now the psoriasis covers more than 70-80% of her body.

Psoriasis continues to have a very negative effect on Anne’s life, especially during the wintertime when the itching and stinging intensifies due to low humidity. After 36 years of attempting different treatment options and long periods with no effect, Anne was finally offered biological treatment. For many years, Anne’s doctor was hesitant to prescribe a biological treatment, primarily due to the high cost of such treatments. The biological treatment has remediated most of Anne’s psoriasis, but large plaques remain on her legs. While the biological treatment has provided relief, Anne finds it challenging to inject herself every second week and worries about developing side effects from long-term use.

It is Anne’s hope that more new effective treatment options such as oral treatments, will become readily available, allowing her to be free of the limiting effects of psoriasis completely.