Dave Brooks

‘I lived with it for 47 years – it’s like having a weight lifted from my shoulders’

Dave Brooks, 54, a newspaper production designer from Petersfield, Hampshire

I first became aware of my psoriasis when I was about seven and I began panicking – I had been reading a lot of comics like The Fantastic Four and thought I was turning into a reptile. My parents had no idea what it was.

At first, it was quite heavy in my scalp and in my hair, but as I grew older it became concentrated on my knees and elbows. It became very bad from the ages of 16 to 25 when, of course, you become more aware of social situations and the opposite sex.

I never let it depress me, but I was very self-conscious about the condition. I would do anything to avoid swimming pools or changing rooms. I couldn’t avoid sports at school but I became so traumatised by wearing shorts that once I became old enough to make my own choices, I never wore them. I would even go on holiday to hot countries and wear jeans all the time.

For the first two years or so, I went undiagnosed, and then, when I was, I was put on steroid creams such as Betnovate and Dovonex but all the prescription medicines I was given by doctors didn’t really work for me. In the Nineties I had six months of UVB treatment that involved driving 20 miles to Winchester hospital three times a week for 10 minute sessions. That didn’t really work either.

Dave’s knee before and after Soratinex

Then at the end of 2017 I heard that a new three-part treatment called Soratinex was launching in the UK and I was persuaded by a friend to give it a go. I was extremely cynical at first because there are so many things out there that claim to help but just don’t work, so my expectation levels were zero.

But within the first week I began noticing a difference. The scales on my knees and elbows began to recede. That was the most dramatic week and then after that, over the next seven, I just saw small but steady improvements all the time. I just couldn’t believe it something made from essential oils and herbal extracts – without steroids – could be so effective.

My affected areas are 80-90 per cent better now and I’m keeping the psoriasis at bay simply by using the cream and the oil. I rarely need to use the gel because that is used to break down plaques, and I don’t really get them any more.

Dave’s elbow before and after Soratinex

It just feels amazing. It’s like having a weight lifted from my shoulders. I lived with it for 40 years. I tried not to let it bother me too much, but I was always embarrassed about the loose plaques I would leave behind if I sat on someone else’s car seat or their dark upholstery. I was massively self-conscious about things like that, but I don’t have to worry about it any more.

I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending anyone with plaque psoriasis to give Soratinex a try. I’m so glad I did.

And this summer I’m looking forward to ditching the jeans and putting my shorts on!