Psoriasis/eczema
For many years, I have suffered with extreme cracking and hyperkeratinosis (skin thickening) on my left foot, and sometimes the right foot. The condition has been diagnosed and treated as psoriasis, eczema, hyperkeratinosis and by other names.. Regardless of the official diagnosis and naming, the heel of my left foot is painful, red, scaly, itchy, and cracks easily, especially in the winter months. I have been treated with Dovonex (psoriasis medication containing calcipotriene, a Vitamin D derivative), strong steroidal creams (for treating anti-inflammatory conditions, with careful warnings about washing hands after use), ketolytic agents such as urea (to decrease skin thickness), and phototherapy with specific wavelengths of UV light. Of these, the Dovonex was ineffective; the steroidal creams were beneficial only acutely, the benefit quickly tapered off and there are other side effects if used chronically; and the ketolytic agent accelerated the rate of skin thickening. Light therapy was effective, but expensive, required daily visits to a dermatologist, and could not be prescribed until the condition manifested in its worse state. Sleeping with Vaseline and socks (us gymnasts/ex-gymnasts affectionately refer to as “Sock Therapy”) offered temporary relieve from the cracking, but was uncomfortable and hot, and the pain and itching returned during the day when not socked up with Vaseline. So, I turned to Delta-5 oil…
The upper panel shows the significant cracking and skin deformation prior to applying Delta-5 oil.
I then applied 3 drops of Delta-5 oil to my finger with the dropper, and then used my finger to spread the oil over the affected areas. I covered my foot with a sock and slept through the night. Immediately after applying the oil, I felt an intense sense of relief and soothing, as if I had just taken a very strong pain or numbing medicine. I then applied the oil every other night following the above protocol, for a total of 4 applications over 8 days (middle panel). There was improvement each day with less itchiness, scaliness, and redness.
The lower panel shows the foot after 3 weeks, with no oil applied between days 7 and 21. The condition of my foot is the best it has been in a very long time. I intend to re-apply Delta-5 oil once a week for maintenance purposes, and if the condition should worsen again.