1. Community
  2. Skin and nails
  3. Dermatology

pityriasis lichenoides chronica PLC sufferer for 21 years

Posted , 65 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Hi, have suffered with PLC for 21 years now! I have it covering my entire body apart from my face thankfully! Was diagnosed at 7 years old after a bout of chickenpox, had every diagnosis under the sun until I was admitted to hospital at age 18! Had been told for years that I had psoriasis but after 8 days on a dermatology ward, countless biopsies, blood tests, photographs and being seen by a group of dermatologists at a seminar it was decided that I had PLC! Have had the light treatment which works wonders but it always returns after a few weeks, have used countless steroid creams, antibiotics including erythmocin and tetrocycline and have also taken aggressive immunosuppresants all of which did nowt!! Summer time is great as it will clear up for a while if I do a spot of sunbathing but I find it a vicous circle as i'm embarrased by it and tend to cover up! Was told that it is viral and on my last appt with a specialist was discharged and told it'll burn itself out at some point and clear up on its own! After 21 years I highly doubt it and have learnt to accept I have this for life. Its frustrating as it is so rare and not much is known about it.

4 likes, 106 replies

106 Replies

Prev Next
  • loulou1967
    loulou1967 Guest

    Posted

    I had a biopsy done 9 months ago which showed nothing, but my doctor said you have PLC then I suppose in the last five months I now have it on the soles of my feet, pretty much the only place I don't have it is my face, I have lived with this disease for 16 years and it has gradually spread so I decided to go to a dermatologist he said that by looking at it your doctor is right but just to make sure we will do two more biopsies, I just want a confirmed diagnosis, he is talking about methotrexate anyone else out there taken this, please let me know how you went cheers Lou
    • jay999
      jay999 loulou1967

      Posted

      When it comes to methotrexate as treatment for PLC one has to be careful.

      Methotrexate is an immune suppressor. It reduces the number of white blood cells. Therefore Its dose has to be titrated by your physician.

      I have PLC for a little more than one year but only diagnosed through a skin biopsy 3 months ago.

      The strange thing is that I had developed the PLC while on a low dose of Methotrexate. I have been taking it for many years for chronic colitis.

  • loulou1967
    loulou1967 Guest

    Posted

    I had a biopsy done 9 months ago which showed nothing, but my doctor said you have PLC then I suppose in the last five months I now have it on the soles of my feet, pretty much the only place I don't have it is my face, I have lived with this disease for 16 years and it has gradually spread so I decided to go to a dermatologist he said that by looking at it your doctor is right but just to make sure we will do two more biopsies, I just want a confirmed diagnosis, he is talking about methotrexate anyone else out there taken this, please let me know how you went cheers Lou
    • Mummyoxo
      Mummyoxo loulou1967

      Posted

      Can I ask did the skin biopsy Hurt? I'm due to have one but did the stupid thing of watching a video to see what it was and now I'm too scared to go 😕

    • cas1206
      cas1206 Mummyoxo

      Posted

      I've done skin biopsy! It does not hurt, you just have to take care of the spot right after the procedure..

    • Mummyoxo
      Mummyoxo cas1206

      Posted

      I did the wrong thing by watching a you tube clip of a skin biopsy and it scared the life out of me, I'm such a baby 😂 glad to hear it didn't hurt as so nervous about it

    • marion53145
      marion53145 Mummyoxo

      Posted

      I did the biopsy and it was pretty painless and healed up quickly, just go for it and get a result. Hope all comes right.
    • loulou1967
      loulou1967 Mummyoxo

      Posted

      It didn't hurt at all, local anaesthetic into two spots on my body and all done. 😊

  • obinsky
    obinsky Guest

    Posted

    i have had PLC after it was diagnosed by skin biopsy 6years ago. It clears and comes back without reason, and most times i dont even know what cleared it. But for two years now, i have heard it all over my body, tries several antibiotics, right now am taking bromelain. hoping it will work.
    • marion53145
      marion53145 cas1206

      Posted

      I am about to start Bromelein on Friday, so I hope it does something as I am tired of taking pills, lotions and potions, never mind the money spent and wasted. Antibiotics and steroid creams as well as antifungals only seem to help for as long as the course and then it comes back worse. Elidel cream was the worst and the Dermo had no idea that the radioactive particles opened you up to viruses such as shingles, and poxes as well as coughs, colds, flu, bronchitus, pneumonia and what ever else. Had a serious virus attack last winter that lasted for 8 weeks until I looked up the side effects of Elidel Cream and found the answer, stopped immediately and gradually got better, it was like whooping cough and worse that i had as a child. Seriously doctors are just using us as guinea pigs. I wish they would do some proper studies. I found that the Elidel cream only had 9 people over 65 in the study, so you cannot get a proper result from that sad
    • jay999
      jay999 obinsky

      Posted

      Hi Obinsky

      Thanks for the info.

      Did you try bromelain and how did it work for you?

      Regards

    • jay999
      jay999 marion53145

      Posted

      Hi Marion.

      Thanks for the info.

      How are you doing with the Bromelain so far.

      Regards

  • german32195
    german32195 Guest

    Posted

    I've had PLC since I was 8 and I am currently 33 years old. However, I was not diagnosed properly until 2 years ago. I have tried steriod creams, diets, and UV treatments to no avail. Finally, had a doctor diagnose me with PLC and prescribed Methotrexate. It worked after a few months. It's not completely cleared but I can roll up my sleeves in public for the first time(long sleeves all year round) in my life. Methotrexate is toxic over time to the liver. It pushed me to get over alcoholism (partially caused due to the stress of this skin disorder). I get my liver checked regularly but I know it's not a cure- 11 days after taking a break the spots, dry skin, aggressively returned. Has anyone had luck with Methotrexate? 
  • geoff81637
    geoff81637 Guest

    Posted

    I've had PLC fro more than 20 years; it was ooriginally misdiagnosed as mycosis fungoides.

    In support of karen-m's post some time back, and the paper she cited, my PLC is completely controlled by taking a 500-mg Bromelain tablet daily. Bromelain is cheap and without any undesirable side effects (I have been taking it for about 5 years). Lower doses were also effective, but I bought a batch of 500-mg tablets and have stayed with them. No damaging UV light, no poisons like methotrexate ... bromelain works a charm.

Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.