Sarah Röthlisberger

‘My confidence is 100% better - and I don't have to worry about what clothes to wear’

Sarah Röthlisberger, 53, a retail manager from Southport, Merseyside.

I first developed psoriasis after giving birth to my first child at 21. They say it can be stress-related and having a baby can be stressful. There were scales on elbows and knees at first, but over the years it spread to the backs of my legs, my back, feet and ankles.

I got help from my GP who was also a skin specialist. He tried me on several different things but inevitably I ended up on steroids, which can be bad for you over time, and they made my skin very thin. The steroids never really got rid of my psoriasis; they just made the skin clearer.

I was always very self-conscious of the condition. Clothes shopping, going on holiday and wearing a swimsuit were all difficult. I would always try to buy things that covered up my plaques and I would never go into a swimming pool or gym. It wasn’t that people were rude or anything, but sometimes I would catch them looking at me as if I was infectious, and that was very demoralising.

I had light therapy on the NHS for about six weeks and that helped a little bit in the short term but once the treatment stopped, the psoriasis came back. My husband also bought me a portable UV machine and that helped slightly but not to any great extent.

Then one day my husband was visiting his uncle who had psoriasis really quite badly. He was surprised to see that his uncle was wearing shorts - he’d never seen him in them before - and his legs were clear of psoriasis. He said he’d found this wonderful stuff called Soratinex and told my husband to tell me about it.

I got some, and within two or three weeks, my plaques began to disappear and my skin began clearing up and becoming smooth, first on my elbows and then all up my arms. Now it’s gone everywhere except for a few stubborn areas, but when I concentrate the treatment properly on them, they usually clear up too.

We thought it was a bit expensive at first, but it took effect very quickly and as my husband says, you can’t put a price on that. And once you’re clear, the occasional maintenance isn’t really expensive at all.

That was three years ago and I’m still clear. My confidence is 100 per cent better than it was. I don’t worry about clothes any more - I just buy what I want. I never used to wear shorts but I’m on holiday now and I’m wearing a pair without giving it a second thought.

I have recommended Soratinex to other psoriasis sufferers and I’d have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone with plaque psoriasis.