One of the most common questions I've been asked as a psoriasis warrior is: "Does it hurt?" This shouldn't really come as a surprise since we associate skin that is noticeably red, raised and dry with physical discomfort: scars, scabs, swellings and other such afflictions can all be sources of pain.
Overall, while I haven't experienced any soreness caused by my psoriasis simply being there, the marks on my torso were often itchy in the early stages of my healing journey. I avoided the urge to scratch during the daytime, but that didn't stop my sleepy, semi-conscious self from clawing away at them in bed. I sometimes woke up in the middle of the night with inflamed and incredibly aggravated patches.
That being said, it's the visibility of this autoimmune disease that has affected me the most. It is so much more than "just dry skin". In turn, this had a considerable knock-on effect on my mental wellbeing. In March 2022, I was experiencing my "I give up" phase, refusing to use steroid creams anymore and watching in despair as psoriasis spread to every inch of my body. I shut myself away- but there were still times when I had to venture outside.
After this, I began to feel the need to "explain" my appearance to people. Being forced to address it made it sound like I was apologising for my condition. This coupled with feeling sexually unattractive and therefore abandoning my dating life, looking in the mirror, thinking "I'm going to look like this forever" as well as not socialising made me miserable.
Psoriasis is not caused by poor hygiene. It is not bacterial/fungal/viral. It is not contagious.
We had just experienced two years of international lockdowns- yet here I was, entering my own personal isolation. Now, I'm not saying people with top-to-toe psoriasis should avoid doing this: I think it's perfectly understandable. However, looking after your mental health during a time of self-seclusion is paramount.
My first project was, of course, preparing a battle plan in a bid to overcome it. I put hours and hours into guttate psoriasis research, learning how I could attack it at every angle: the anti-inflammatory diet, the natural moisturisers and the supplements. I then built this blog in the hope that others going through the same would benefit from my findings, and use some "hibernation" time to kick start their healing journey- just like I did.
As well as this, I took it easy with some gaming, read quite a bit and spent quality time with family back in my home town. My dad used to work as a chef: he was more than happy to whip up superfood dishes and try out healthy recipes with me.
Being a creative person, I also put my mind to work on a media-based project, watching hundreds of films to eventually produce an LGBTQ+ film scratch poster.
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When progress bloomed, I regained confidence and started to share my story. This, however, led to another (albeit milder) blow to the mental health. My hard work was being denounced as fake.
In response to the commenter above, it goes without saying that I was not born covered in psoriasis. I've not lived my entire life like this. While a clear-cut cause has not yet been fully established, it is generally accepted that guttate psoriasis is triggered by something.
It's always good to talk: I'm around on Instagram, and the Psoriasis Association is an invaluable forum where you can read about other people's experiences- or post about your own. They also provide a confidential helpline. The NHS has 24-hour mental health helplines, and Mental Health Innovations offer a text support service.
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