I suffered with terrible psoriasis for a decade. I tried steroid creams, drugs and special shampoos but all they did was ruin my skin. Then I found the only cure that works – and was freed from my nightmare

For 14 years, Shannon Higham struggled with red, inflamed and excruciatingly itchy patches of scaly skin covering her body and scalp.

‘When my skin itches, I can’t stop scratching it, even if blood starts to flow,’ he says.

‘I rarely wear my hair up because of the scaly patches on my hairline and neck. ‘This embarrassed me.’

It would take more than a decade for Shannon to find a solution to her psoriasis, requiring her to radically change her diet and skincare routine.

Shannon, now 26, was diagnosed with psoriasis, an autoimmune disease that affects more than a million Britons, when she was just 12, and she believes it was triggered by hormonal changes.

A topical steroid cream was prescribed, which initially provided relief. However, this did little to protect him from the cruelty of his classmates.

‘I remember a kid at school saying my head looked like a snow globe because of my flaky skin,’ he recalls.

‘I went home and cried to my mother; I was so embarrassed. No matter how many special shampoos I used, my condition did not improve.’

Shannon covered up even in the middle of summer.

Shannon got nicks all over her body after steroid creams thinned her skin

‘When everyone else was wearing short sleeves, I still wore long-sleeved shirts because I didn’t want people to see the patches on my arms,’ he says.

‘My skin was itching so much that blood was flowing through my white shirt. ‘This has completely shattered my confidence.’

The comments were non-stop.

I remember in ‘P.E.’ a kid asked me: “What are those spots all over your legs? Do you have chickenpox?” ‘After that I refused to wear shorts and settled for tights.’

Although steroid creams worked for a short time, the inflammation returned quickly.

Years of use also had a price.

‘I feel betrayed by the doctors who prescribed it for so long because no one warned me about the side effects,’ she says.

‘I have indentations all over my body where the steroids have thinned my skin. They look like deep chickenpox sores; I knew I would be marked for life.’

During university, Shannon, from Manchester, returned to the dermatologist and was offered phototherapy, a treatment that uses controlled UV light to reduce inflammation. UV rays are thought to help by suppressing the overactive immune system.

He attended sessions three times a week and the exposure gradually increased.

However, the treatment was not comfortable at all.

Scars on Shannon’s back from topical steroid use

Phototherapy left burn marks on Shannon’s face

‘Most of the time I would leave with these big white glasses marks from my skin burning,’ she says.

Although it helped temporarily, the psoriasis returned within a year.

It wasn’t until she was in her twenties that Shannon began to notice a surprising trigger.

‘Through trial and error, I found that things like fizzy drinks actually triggered psoriasis flares on my face and arms.

‘My mum always told me to cut down on sugar and certain foods, but as a teenager I was just thinking: ‘Oh, shut up mum, I want to eat what I want.’ Now I wish I had listened.

“It wasn’t until I got older that I realized that if I drank something like a can of coke, my eyebrows, hairline, and face would glow the next day,” she explains.

‘Over time, it became clear that if I had eaten something high in sugar the next day, I would have paid for it.’

Determined to combat the condition, she decided to overhaul her diet.

‘I cut out sugar and stayed away from overly processed foods because I found they really made my skin angry.’

Ultra-processed foods, including ready meals, ice cream and even some sauces, form the basis of the modern British diet and are often full of additives, sugar and preservatives.

A 2024 study published in the journal JAMA Dermatology found that people who consumed high levels of such foods had a significantly increased risk of developing psoriasis; researchers have suggested that these may increase inflammation in the body.

Shannon’s skin photographed before and after switching up her skin care and diet

After years of hiding under long sleeves and tights, Shannon is now more confident in her skin

Experts believe that psoriasis is linked to an overactive immune system that accelerates skin cell production. While skin usually regenerates every three to four weeks, in patients this can occur in as little as three to seven days.

Shannon says she noticed a change almost immediately.

‘My skin cleared up quickly,’ he says. ‘This happened within four weeks when I stopped experiencing these things that triggered my symptoms.’

In addition to changing her diet, Shannon also simplified her skincare routine; She eliminated scented products and fake tan, which she felt worsened her condition.

She began using ISOSKIN hypochlorous acid spray, an antimicrobial compound known to help calm inflammation.

Hypochlorous acid is a natural byproduct of the body’s immune response, produced by white blood cells to fight bacteria and infection.

Early research suggests that hypochlorous acid may improve psoriasis symptoms.

Some experts argue that hypochlorous acid sprays can help both kill bacteria and reduce inflammation because they mimic the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties of the substance the body naturally produces.

But others stress that hypochlorous acid – although safe to use – is not an approved NHS psoriasis treatment.

‘The first time I used it, I sprayed it all along my hairline and slept there through the night,’ says Shannon.

‘The relief I felt the next morning was incredible. It wasn’t itchy or inflamed; It just gave a feeling of calm.

‘In addition to cutting out sugar, which fights inflammation on the inside, I used hypochlorous spray, which soothes my skin on the outside.

‘There was a quick response and I saw improvements within a few weeks. It was like my skin was thanking me.’

She now uses it twice a day and says the flare-ups are gone within a few weeks.

London GP Dr Philippa Kaye says although there is evidence that lifestyle changes can help psoriasis, there is little evidence to support the use of hypochlorous acid.

‘Psoriasis is an inflammatory condition, so eating a healthy, low-inflammation diet will likely help, if not cure, patients.

‘Hypochlorous acid is intended to have mild antibacterial properties. This is a trendy treatment and safe to administer, but there is no evidence to suggest it is a cure for psoriasis. ‘This is not something GPs would use.’

But Shannon says the combination of dietary changes and skin care product made a profound impact.

‘My friends and family still comment on how clear my skin has become,’ she says.

‘They’ve seen me at my worst times and seen how angry my skin would be, so doing something like opening my arms would make them give me an instant compliment.’

‘My self-confidence has increased tremendously,’ he says. ‘I still get weird flare-ups if I drink a cocktail or get stressed, but it’s not like before.’

So his biggest takeaway?

‘It seems so simple, but learning my triggers changed everything,’ she says.

‘I don’t miss fizzy drinks at all; At best, I would always choose water from now on.’

Reflecting on her experience, she says: ‘If I could go back in time, I would listen to my mother tell me to cut out sugar and never touch steroid creams.

‘They cleared my skin for a while, but now I’m left with scars and white spots that I can never get rid of.’