Postpartum and Psoriasis

[jaycee00]

Has anyone else experienced a flair after pregnancy?? My P had been manageable when I got pregnant. Then it pretty much cleared up except for a couple small patches. I would say with in 1 month after giving birth, my P started to flair like never before. My son is 3 1/2 months old and my arms, chest, scalp and the back of my legs are covered in small to medium patches that are growing in size. I even have it in my belly button of all places!!!

I did some research and apparently the majority of those who's P returns after pregnacy, only see it return to cover appox. the same % of body area as before. I wasn't that lucky as I have never been this covered.

Has anyone been through this and can you tell me if in your case, if it kept getting worse or did it level off when you stopped breast feeding and your period came back???

Since I am breastfeeding, I refuse to use any steriod medications but any other safe treatments, if you have one, please pass along. I can keep the itch down with hydration, oils and lotions but I haven't found anything to help with the redness. I am quite fair and it looks like a child finger painted me with sunscreen and then I went out and got a bad sunburn in the 100 places he missed...

[Allie]

JC -

I am so sorry to read of your rebound - post PG flare. From what I understand, this usually happens around the 4mo - post birth. As I have not experienced this yet, I cannot add more than to say - the only "100% SAFE" treatment (per my Derm, as I will start TTC this fall) is UVB or UVB NB.

Hopefully so Mommy's can come by and post their personal experiences.

Good Luck!

[GitOverIt]

You may want to read this thread...it seems a dermatologist has formulated a cream made from high potency turmeric ( turmeric/curcumin classed as a food)
http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19053

you can go to her site and have a free consultation explaining the fact you are breast feeding... etc......I'm sure you should run this by your doctor also...altho I can't see where the cream would be a problem......except for price! she explains the way it works and how long you need to use it and other answers to questions.....the link is the "last one" on page 2 that I gave today........

[lpagano]

You poor thing, a new baby and a flare.

My very first flare was 3 months after I had my second child. I cannot remember how long it lasted, but I do remember I felt very stressed out at that time. I will tell you that I had no flare at all after my first and third babies.

[RichJ]

hi jaycee00,
congrats on the baby. sorry i can't help much but welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you

have a good night all

richard

[lulu'smom]

I think there is something that really will stop an autoimmune disorder when pregnant (my P was SO good while preg with both babies) but I experienced a horrid flare after each child. The first I don't recall what I did about it, topicals I think. My 2nd I had a guttate flare that just was disfiguring and awful. I went on Enbrel after much research.

Good luck to you. Nothing worse than being tired, taking care of a new baby and dealing with P! Been there twice, it sucks.

Nancy

[baldwin123]

Hi JC,
Congrats on the baby, but sorry you are having such a hard time... sorry I have no advice for you, but what does your derm recommend? Are there any topicals which would be safe while nursing? Have you tried shea butter lotion (recommended on other threads) or diet modifications? Hope you are able to get rest and take care of yourself too, and hope this flare ends soon for you... Enjoy the baby! :)
Jen

[Mama Moose]

I can't really remember mine getting worse after the birth. Mine didn't really do better while I was pregnant either. You have a lot more stress after the baby comes and that may have triggered your P more. I'm sorry you're having problems. When I have painful areas I use Eucerin cream in the jar. I coat it on real thick after soaking in the bath (sea salts in the bath water helps too). Because it's so thick it stays put and keeps the tightness feeling and thick scales away. It helps with the discomfort.

[ainsleyr]

Hi Jaycee,
Congratulations on your new baby!
I'm really sorry to hear that you have had a flare. I recently miscarried my first pregnancy, and I flared like crazy as well. I'm speculating it has something to do with the sudden hormone change that occurs at the end of a pregnancy - stress is also a huge factor with me, as is sleep deprivation. If my sleep pattern gets too disturbed and I get too tired, my skin goes nuts. And I'm guessing that sleep is quite a luxury for you right now!
Because you are breast feeding, most medications, even topicals, are risky - they can all be absorbed into the bloodstream and transmitted via breast milk. My Derm suggested a tanning bed - just a regular one, not UVB - and it worked really well for me. I also practice yoga to keep my stress levels under control and to have some time that is just for me. Flax oil supplements and using plain ol' vaseline petroleum jelly have also worked well, although the Vaseline makes quite a mess!

Hope this helps - I was about 80% covered with my guttate P, now I just have a few patches on my lower legs and forearms, and with a light tan it is a lot less noticeable! (I am type 1 skin, and started in the tanning bed at about 1 minute, 5 times a week. Now I am at about 7 minutes, 3 times a week).