Augustmarks Psoriasis Awareness Month, and, in honour of the occasion, celebrities are taking to their social media accounts to raise awareness about the skin condition and the effect it has on their lives.
In a bid to normalise psoriasis, the likes of Jess Wright, Kim Kardashian and Olivia Bowen – to name just a few – have all got candid about their skin journeys. From detailing the causes of their flare-ups to the effect the condition has on their mental health, they’re open to baring it all so that younger sufferers don’t feel alone.
Here, we look at their inspiring journeys in pictures…
Jess Wright
TOWIE starJessis very vocal on social media about her struggle with the skin condition, detailing her most recent update in a July Instagram post.
Jess wrote: "Apologies for my absence from discussing my ongoing battle with psoriasis, however here it is. In November I went to a specialist and I was put on a form of medication in the hope that it would stop it in its tracks, calm it down and then when I came off the meds after around a year, it wouldn't be as aggressive."
She continued: "This medication cleared nearly all my psoriasis which was wonderful for a little while, however, side effects of the meds started to creep in and become more evident which didn't make me feel great and then when I tried lowering the dose, the psoriasis started to come back with a vengeance."
The struggle is ongoing for Jess, and, like so many other psoriasis sufferers, she still has good months and bad months.
Kim Kardashian
Kimis another A-lister known for being candid about her skin, even using her psoriasis patches as a driving force for creating her KKW body foundation. Her most recent update on the condition came via a blog post on Kourtney Kardashian's lifestyle site,Poosh.
She wrote: "Even though I always grew up with my mom having psoriasis and hearing her talk about her struggle, I really had no idea what my life would be like dealing with an autoimmune disease myself.”
Kim added that it had been 13 years since she first experienced a psoriasis flare-up at 25 years old and that she gets the patches on her arms, legs and face.
These days you can see Kim on her joint TikTok account with North going make-up free with mostly clear skin, but patches of psoriasis are still visible on her legs.
Saira Khan
Loose Women’sSairaoccasionally gives insight into her skin disorder battle, with Saira writing a lengthy Instagram caption in 2019 about psoriasis and other conditions.
"Nobody really appreciates skin disorders because they are not threatening – but when you have psoriasis, eczema, sensitive skin or vitiligo no one really understands how this can knock your confidence and affect your mental health,” she wrote.
"Never in my dreams did I ever think that after suffering with skin disorders most of my teenage and young adult life I would ever be able to show off my skin as I did on this holiday."
Today, Saira’s Instagram page is a beacon of body positivity. Though she still has the visible patches on her arms, it seems she’s fully embraced the skin she’s in.
Olivia Bowen
FormerLove IslandstarOliviadoesn’t let her psoriasis stop her from modelling swimwear and lingerie for brands on her social media. She frequently posts updates on her skin condition, detailing how flare-ups no longer stop her from feeling beautiful.
In 2021, Olivia took to Instagram to ask for sunbed suggestions after explaining that UV light helped calm the flare-ups when she was younger.
“It is like this over about 50% of my body now, it’s actually not that bad right now in comparison to what I had at 17 – but it’s been spreading over my body every day I wake up for the past week – which it’ll continue to do until the patches are large around 3/5cm, each & cover more like 85% of my body. It flares up after I’m ill or really stressed,” she shared in subsequent Stories in Jan 2021.
A quick scroll through Olivia’s recent holiday photos shows she seems to be in a good skin stage, but we can all agree she looks beautiful with or without the flare-ups.
Malin Andersson
Malinis another former Love Islander who shares a multitude of real body concerns on her Instagram page, gaining praise from her followers going through similar struggles.
In her OK! column in 2020, Malin said of her psoriasis: “I first developed it at the end of my cabin crew career, when I was 22. I had just quit my work and I was stressed because my mum Consy wasn't well. Then I started feeling this uncomfortable itchiness in my ears, but mainly my scalp. It was embarrassing because when you have it on your scalp it looks like dandruff.”
She added that the stress of Covid and the lockdowns brought the condition back, but she’s since learned to use flare-ups as warning signs to take better care of herself.
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