Although psoriasis is a very visible skin condition, it actually doesn’t permanently scar skin like acne or eczema can, according to the British Skin Foundation.

 

Although it’s a life-long condition, psoriasis often comes in waves and sufferers can go for several years with clear skin and then it can return.

Psoriasis can strike anyone at any age, although it’s less common in children. It affects about 1 in 50 people and is virtually impossible to get rid of entirely as it’s genetic and not infectious, as many people mistakenly believe.

However, psoriasis can be controlled with careful skincare management, medications and lifestyle and diet factors.

Psoriasis can affect the nails and the joints as well as the skin. Moderate to severe psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of anxiety and depression and it’s also exacerbated by diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Living with psoriasis can be a real challenge especially when so much about the condition is misunderstood.

Several famous people with the condition have opted to talk openly about their psoriasis in order to break down misconceptions about the condition and reveal how they cope with living in the spotlight with their psoriasis.

 

Liam Gallagher

Rock star and former frontman of the band Oasis has revealed on Twitter that he has psoriasis.

He admitted to having to wear gloves to clean his house due to a flare up of his psoriasis. He has also revealed (perhaps jokingly) how in the past someone mistook his skin flakes in his hair from his scalp psoriasis for cocaine.

Cara Delevingne

Super model Cara Delevingne’s psoriasis was triggered, she thinks, from the ‘on edge’ stress of walking so many catwalks and the constant travelling in her career combined with the amount of makeup she had to wear for her work.

She has talked in the past of people’s unkindness about her psoriasis such as make up artists not wanting to touch her skin as they thought they might catch it.

Art Garfunkel

The former co-member of the band Simon and Garfunkel revealed he had psoriasis over 20 years ago and trying to manage it while having to perform on stage by floating in a tank of dead sea salt water before his live performance to try and relieve the itching from his psoriasis.

Cyndi Lauper

80’s pop icon Cyndi Lauper has been very vocal about suffering from psoriasis since her diagnosis in 2010, often sharing how she manages the condition, which at times covers her whole body and feels ‘like hot water has been thrown over me’, while on the road.

Cyndi relies on relaxation techniques from yoga and reiki to meditation as she links flare ups very closely to heightened stress. She also advocates a strict skincare regime that psoriasis sufferers should take time to administer for themselves.

LeAnn Rimes

Singer and song writer LeAnn Rimes developed psoriasis as a young child, which is more unusual. She said in a recent article for Glamour magazine that by age six about 80%of her skin was covered in psoriasis.

LeAnn has said she has tried everything to try and treat her psoriasis from steroids to coal tar and while performing on stage she’s wear extra layers of clothes to try and hide it, even though under the clothes her skin was bleeding.

She has a break from the symptoms in her teens but it returned in her 20’s. She identifies stress as a major trigger for her flare ups.

Kim Kardashian

Reality TV star Kardashian revealed she has psoriasis on an TV programme where she was filmed being diagnosed with psoriasis.

When Kim was told that the condition is genetic and chronic there is not cure and that it may spread, she got very upset and anxious. The show also revealed her mum also sufferers from the condition but Kim’s psoriasis appears differently, so she was not certain it was the same condition.  

In a later show, Kim revealed psoriasis had appeared on her face for the first time.

Katie Lowes

Actress Katie Lowes, best known her starring role in the hit series Scandal star was diagnosed with psoriasis in 2010 but kept it secret for years before deciding to open up for Psoriasis Inside Story, a campaign to increase awareness about how people are living with and treating the condition.

Katie sites weather changes and food are her biggest triggers for psoriasis flare ups. She follows a strict anti-inflammatory diet to control her flare ups and mostly avoids sugar alcohol and dairy products and sticks to a vegetable and protein diet.

John Updike

Award winning late novelist John Updike wrote about his lifelong struggle psoriasis and wrote an essay on being at war with his own skin, a sentiment many psoriasis sufferers will be able to relate to.

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