I can’t wear tight clothes or lie down as 80% of my body is covered in bright red burning plaques

AT the age of 12, Rosie Daniels started to suffer with psoriasis.

The condition started on her scalp and as the years went by, it spread across the whole of her body – leaving her covered in bright red burning marks.



The 22-year-old was diagnosed with the immune-mediated disease, which causes red, flaky, crusty patches of skin.

Rosie, who lives in Manchester said that her condition didn't affect her at first as because it was on her scalp, she was able to cover it with her hair.

"My psoriasis remained on the back of my scalp until I was 19, which is when I first began to notice some small red patches appear over my body.

“I felt lucky that my psoriasis only affected my scalp during school. But I was too embarrassed by how red my scalp looked to ever wear my hair down – yet I was grateful nobody noticed.

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“Then once I got my first red patches of psoriasis on my body in 2019, they just didn’t stop spreading.”

Psoriasis is a condition where the immune system produces too many skin cells which causes inflammation and subsequently, red patches appear on the skin.

She was diagnosed by her GP at the age of 14 and was given countless prescriptions to try different medical creams and ointments – but nothing seemed to work. 

Then in three years, Rosie’s condition went from being just on her scalp to covering 80 percent of her body – and she has no idea why. 

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She’s spent the last few years investing time and energy into healing her skin condition as naturally as possible. 

Rosie says when her red patches flare, it feels like she’s been sunburned and stings. She’s unable to wear tight clothing, as it hurts. Some days, the pain is so bad, she struggles to lie in bed.  

She said: “Living with a condition that changes my whole appearance has a huge impact on my day-to-day life. 

“From having to be so particular with what food I’m eating, to what skincare products I use, clothes I wear – literally everything in my day to day life revolves around my condition. 

“Some days my skin is more painful and I struggle to lay down because it stings so much. 

“When I'm at home it's easier because I can wear simple and baggy comfy clothes but when I’m out in public, like any 22-year-old, I want to wear things that make me feel good.

“This is very hard when my psoriasis is visible on my whole body.”

What is psoriasis?

Roughly two per cent of the population – both men and women – are affected by psoriasis.

Prominent figures that deal with the skin problem are model Cara Delevingne and singer Cyndi Lauper.

TV personality Kim Kardashian has also described psoriasis as her “big flaw”, always “hoping for a cure”.

Sadly, there is no cure for psoriasis. 

Patients have to learn to deal with the condition by finding a treatment that works for them.

But some have also found that modifying their diet helps.

Treatments

The NHS says: “A wide range of treatments are available for psoriasis, but identifying the most effective one can be difficult.”

Treatments fall into three categories.

First, topical creams and ointments applied to the skin are usually the first option to help with mild psoriasis. 

If the condition has spread to the scalp, there are also shampoos and ointments that can help.

Examples include:

  • Emollients to keep the skin moist and reduce water loss
  • Steroid creams – which are only prescribable – to calm the skin 
  • Vitamin D analogues to slow the production of skin cells and reduce inflammation
  • Calcineurin inhibitors to dampen inflammation and the immune system, sometimes in sensitive areas
  • Coal tar to reduce scales and itchiness
  • Dithranol to suppress the production of skin cells

Outgoing Rosie didn’t want her condition to set her back, so she launched a career on social media – and now has four million fans across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

She partners with her boyfriend of four years, Harry Potter, 24.

She publicly documents her condition in a bid to normalise it – and is proud to say that she doesn’t receive much backlash from trolls.

Rosie explained: “Being honest and open from the beginning has helped when it comes to people trolling or leaving negative comments because everyone who knows me already understands what my skin condition is and what I’m going through. 

“Our supporters are always on the lookout to support me with any comments which aren’t as nice and this is so sweet. 

“The most common thing I will see commented about my skin is strangers asking what ‘all the red’ on my body is but I don’t take this as hate at all.”

I try my hardest to not let my skin condition define who I am and stop me from living a normal life because it doesn’t change who I am as a person.

She added: “It’s extremely time consuming. I spend around 20 mins every morning just moisturising my entire body. 

“Evening times are much the same with my moisturising, but as well as this it's important to soak my skin in oat baths and take a lot of time for my mental wellbeing as well. 

“My skin condition doesn’t physically stop me from doing things in life, but it certainly restricts things for me or makes things less enjoyable. 

“I try my hardest to not let my skin condition define who I am and stop me from living a normal life because it doesn’t change who I am as a person.”

DRASTIC CHANGES

Rosie’s latest flare up has lasted a year and she is desperately trying to work out what causes them, and treat it as naturally as possible. 

She has made drastic changes to her diet and now avoids all foods that could have any inflammatory affect including gluten and dairy. 

She has also started UV therapy. Rosie also has undergone numerous tests and she still takes herbal tablets and vitamins to rebalance her gut. 

Rosie explained: “I have to eat as clean as possible and I focus hard on different formats of stress management and ways to stay in a very balanced state of mind. 

“I have only recently started UV light therapy and I'm excited to start seeing some changes.

“The biggest challenge I find on a daily basis is that my whole career involves being on camera all time which is difficult when I’m having a bad day.” 

However, Rosie doesn’t let it get in the way of her career, and still feels confident to show off her patches to her followers.

But she has days where she hates her body. Luckily her boyfriend Harry is reassuring and calls her red patches “flower petals”. Her skin condition doesn’t affect their love life at all. 

Rosie explained: “When I’m having a day where I’m really struggling it can be difficult to put a smile on but having Harry by my side and doing everything together is the biggest help.

“When I met Harry almost four years ago now I didn’t have a single patch of psoriasis on my body. Harry has known me with and without my condition and he has never viewed or treated me any differently compared to the day we first met. 

“The love and support I receive from Harry is something I will never be able to thank him enough for. I wouldn’t be as strong as I am about my condition if it wasn’t for him. 

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“My skin condition never has and never will affect our love life in the slightest, it has only made us both stronger.

“Sharing my journey online is so special to me. I live by the quote ‘be real, not perfect’ and my mission is to show others that it's important to love and embrace the way you look.”


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