Hi i'm Suz and have only just joined but am enjoying this site already!
I'm 27 (soon to be 28 - aaarggghhh!!!
) and born, bread and living in Swansea, South Wales. My P was diagnosed at age 6 years and the doctors told my parents it was an infants condition and that i "would grow out of it" - am still waiting!!! My childhood memories are of my dad piling yukky smelling creams onto me and then washing them off. By the time I hit my teenage years, I was increadibly self-conscious and painfully shy. I relied on doctors and twice a derm for inspiration on how to clear my skin. It never came.
By the time I was 18, I had become so desperate and depressed, that my P was my entire world - it consumed me completely and ruled my life.
It was then that, by accident, I stumbled upon an advert in a local paper for a Herbalist/Homeopathic Practitioner in the locality who specialised in alternative treatments for skin complaints. I went along to meet him, against the wishes of my family, who thought it was probably all hocus-pocus. And all I can say about it is that I have never looked back since. Neither have I visited a doctor or a derm since. It wasn't cheap and it meant coming home to see him every week (I was away in Uni at the time) to pick up the treatment and so he could monitor my progress, but it was worth the absolute world to me. My skin had never cleared before - it completely changed my life (I know that sounds dramatic but it is true - honest).
Now, my P isnt a big issue. I am a completely different person to that shy teenager I just mentioned - I'm happy, outgoing, strong, confident, and my P will not beat me.
I now tend to try and maintain it myself. I still have good days and bad days. My P still comes and goes. I now have a UVB sunbed and I make my own moisturisers, lotions, shampoos etc, using aromatherapy oils and natural products. I do yoga and tai chi to keep myself calm - i am prone to being anxious and nervous! and am studying in my spare time - have just done a nutritional diploma course and am about to do a natural healthcare diploma. I aim to know everything I possibly can about psoriasis (I already know more than my doctor) & one day I will find the cure - you'll be the first to know it!!!
Lots of love, leeks & daffodils!
SuziM xx
