Psoriasis stories
If you're living with psoriasis, you're far from being alone. This is where you can hear other patients' experiences of the dry skin condition. If you’d like to share your own story, please get in touch with us!
Children & teenagers with psoriasis
Watching them suffer
My name is Julie. I am 43 years old. I developed psoriasis when I was 14, just scaly skin on my arms at first, which quickly spread to my legs. It was years before it was diagnosed as psoriasis. I endured teenage years wearing trousers and long sleeves all year round, and trying to cover up best as I could at school and for PE lessons. In my twenties I had bad flare -ups. At thirty I married and had a baby, and my psoriasis abated a little. Compared to some people I now have it only mildly, although at present there are large patches flaring on my legs. My arms are relatively clear as I keep them exposed to sunlight. I have lost my self-consciousness about it now. I'm not ill with it and I have a nice life and there are sufferers worse off than me. One of those sufferers lives with me. My 13 year old daughter Rosie developed psoriasis when she was 10. It was diagnosed as eczema at first and we tried every cure under the sun. Rosie has dyslexia, and the psoriasis appeared at around the time SATS were first mentioned. It got worse and worse and resulted in her not taking her SATS because I didn't believe any exams in the world were worth my daughters' health. I did some research into food supplements and gave Rosie a mixture of Omega 3 fish oil, multi-vitamins and selenium. Within a month she was completely clear. She went off to secondary school one very happy child, but she stopped taking the supplements and gradually over two years the psoriasis has crept back. Recently Rosie was the victim of bullying and bike theft and her psoriasis has flared very badly. It was red, scaly very dry and angry looking.We recently attended a talk at school by nutritionist Dr Jacqueline Stordy. She has researched the effects of Essential Fatty Acids on dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD. People lacking EFA's often have one or all of these conditions together with unquenchable thirst and dry scaly skin. Dr Stordy recommended a product called EFALEX, which is mixture of Omega Oils and Evening Primrose. It is available through chemists and costs approx £7 for 60 capsules. The recommended dose for the first three months in 8 capsules a day, so it works out at roughly £1 a day. Already after 2 days Rosie's skin does not look as angry. If this product works for Rosie I would gladly pay £1000 a day. I don't want my daughter to have the teenage years that I had. She copes really well with it but I know she would love to be wearing short skirts and swimsuits this summer - she herself knows the benefits of sunshine as she was clear within a few days of being in the sun last August - but how do you convince a child that no one will stare at her - when they will. Rosie's friends are really good, the school, our family and neighbours are fantastic, but strangers can be ignorant. I would love to raise the profile of psoriasis, to raise public awareness of it.I know Rosie gets really down sometimes. I remember the nights I held her at barely10 years old while she sobbed and asked why it was happening to her. I hated myself because she had inherited it from me.We've come through it together now. We talk about it and I tell her it doesn't make any difference to who she is, that her dad and I love her. I buy her lightweight leisure trousers for summer and I'm happy to see that this year long flowing Indian style skirts are in fashion. Rosie will often say that there are people in the world far worse off than we are and that at least we are healthy and well fed with a nice home. I am really so proud of the way she copes, and I am absolutely convinced that the outbreaks are linked to stress and anxiety which come back to the dyslexia. I am happy to pay for the EFALEX and to watch the results in the next couple of months. Rosie insists that if it works for her then I have to take them too. I will keep you posted. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk.
Julie, UK
Emotional issues with psoriasis
I am 15 years old now and have had psoriasis for about 6 years. I was in the third grade when I first got a big patch of psoriasis on the lower side of my right leg. But it didn't really matter because I was only a kid and no one really paid attention to it. It started coming back when I was 12 years old and that's when I started getting really self-conscious. But it went away again.
Now it is worse than ever. I don't have as much as some people. First there were just big patches on my lower legs and upper arms now there are smaller patches on my back, face, scalp, and it's starting to form in my ears.
It's hard being a teen with this condition because even though my doctors say the sunlight will help I'm still conscious about going out where people can see this. So all summer I have long sleeved tops on and jeans and I'm tired of it.
And now that the summer is fast approaching I'm stressing out even more which is making it worse. Only my family know about it, and I feel as if it will never go away.
Laela, Vancouver, Canada
Relationships and psoriasis
I am a 21 year old 3rd year nursing student and was diagnosed with psoriasis approx. 2 and half years ago. It was a relief at the time to finally know what it was that was itching and causing gross patches on my scalp. About 6 months into my diagnosis psoriasis covered about 75% of my body (entire scalp, face, ears, back of neck, elbows, knees, trunk, back, groin pretty much everywhere). I was treated with PUVA therapy and topical creams (time consuming and expensive medications) which cleared my psoriasis in 6 weeks and gave me what I liked to call "a prescription suntan." It was so nice when it was in remission, I could wear what I wanted and not have to worry about wearing my hair a certain way to make sure it covers my neck and not wear long sleeves all the time. My psoriasis is back with a vengeance now and I am doing UVB treatment this time. Also the lotions I got for my face for the last time have been causing acne as well! So I am being treated for that too. Some of my friends know about my condition and probably half of my classmates know about it as well. This doesn't make me more comfortable though, I still wear the long sleeves, and my hair down and I even got bangs to cover the lesions on my forehead. I have been off and on dating the same guy for just over two years and I have made excuses for not calling him and ignoring him when my psoriasis has been flaring just because I don't want him to see that. Worse is, I don't want to tell him about it and then have him reject me, I know that anyone that rejects someone over something they can't control is just mean but no matter what I would always think that even if it was over something else. I know I want to tell him I just don't want to make it seem like a deal breaker..."take it or leave it" gesture. Should I tell him when I am flaring or wait til I'm cleared... I just don't know.
Ashleigh, Saskatchewan, Canada
Problems caused by psoriasis
I'm 15 years old and I have had Psoriasis for 6 years straight. When I was younger it wasn't a big problem, but now I'm older and at the age of caring about my image and looks, it has become difficult. I've gone through all the creams, all the light treatments (PUVA etc.) and now trying to go into a course of injections/pills. My mum doesn't want me to go on them, because of the effects, but I feel I need them. Over the last year my skin has been so sore and painful. I have it all over my scalp and patches on my face, my legs, arms and my back. I have my prom coming soon and no one in my school really knows I have it, because I hide it so well. So wearing a dress with me covered in red bleeding patches is not good. My main friends know I have it and I've said to them I'm not going to the prom because of my skin. They all say don't worry about other people, but they don't understand how hard it is. I wake up every morning at 6am and shower off my creams and then re-apply them and then when I get home I have another shower at 6pm to remove the cream and re-apply it afterwards. My mum and dad now think I have an OCD problem. If I don't shower twice a day my scalp builds up and when I do shower the next day is so painful for me I don't go to school. This also affects me going out. I hardly sleep over at my mate’s house or go out because of it. It's too painful. Now it's winter my skin is drying quicker and cracks. I hate it and cannot cope, so my mum saying that I'm not allowed to have the injection/pills upsets me. She doesn't understand what I'm really going through. I'm not saying she doesn't help and support me, but I need the support through this treatment and I need her ok to go ahead with it.
Charlotte, Newport, Wales